IGA Item of the Week

After I wrote about Oscar’s Hickory House Bacon last week, I started to make a list of all of the other great ingredients at Schiavoni's IGA, hiding in plain sight next to the corn flakes. I thought I’d feature a new one every week or so. We’ll see how many weeks’ worth of items I can find.

There is a little shelf across from those cornflakes with a selection of cereals, including steel cut oats, from Bob’s Red Mill. Steel cut oats take a little longer to cook than rolled oats, but I got up at 5 this morning and was eating breakfast at 5:30. This recipe is adapted from Cook’s Illustrated. The editors claim that toasting the oats is key, and who am I to argue? I topped my oats with some strawberries and chopped crystallized ginger, but bananas and brown sugar or blueberries and honey would be just as good. Or some leftover rhubarb compote, if I had any.

Steel-Cut Oatmeal
Serves 2

3 cups water
Pinch salt
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
3/4 cup steel-cut oats
½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1.Bring water and salt to simmer in medium saucepan over medium heat.
2. Meanwhile, heat the butter in a medium skillet over medium heat until just beginning to foam; add oats and toast, stirring constantly with wooden spoon, until golden, 1 1⁄2 to 2 minutes.
3. Stir toasted oats into the simmering liquid, reduce heat to medium-low; simmer gently, until mixture thickens to a pudding-like consistency, stirring often, 25 to 30 minutes.
4. Off heat, let oatmeal stand uncovered 5 minutes. Serve immediately.