You will see Macroom Oatmeal mentioned more than once in this book – and not just because it’s from Co. Cork! It’s because it’s the king of oatmeal.
It’s wonderful on its own with a pinch of salt or with some fruit and honey. Use whatever fruit is good, ripe and in season. In winter, homemade jam is a perfect addition to porridge.
Ingredients:
– 1 teacup of water
– 1 1⁄2 teacups of milk
– A good pinch of sea salt
– 1⁄2 teacup of Macroom Oatmeal
– Soft brown sugar (optional)
Method:
1. Put all the ingredients except the sugar into a saucepan on a medium heat and stir continuously. The oats will absorb the liquid very fast, so be careful not to let the mixture stick to the bottom.
2. After about 5 or 6 minutes, when the oatmeal has softened and is at the consistency of porridge, transfer to a bowl and sprinkle with a little bit of brown sugar if desired.
With saturn peaches, pomegranate and raw honey
1. Follow the same recipe as above, but use just a tiny pinch of sea salt.
2. When you have transferred the oatmeal to your bowl, arrange some slices of good ripe Saturn peaches (also called doughnut peaches) in the middle, sprinkle a few pomegranate seeds over and drizzle generously with good-quality raw honey. Orange blossom or wildflower varieties work really well.
Dubliner James Kavanagh is one of Ireland’s most entertaining and most popular social media personalities. He worked in PR for a number of years and with his partner, William Murray, he started the food company Currabinny in 2013.
William Murray grew up in Currabinny on Cork Harbour where he cooked from an early age. Having completed a fine arts degree in sculpture he trained as a chef at world famous Ballymaloe Cookery School. William and James live in Dublin.