We replaced our microwave recently with one that actually heats food. The one we had before had been dying a slow death. Perhaps it started down the path to meet it’s maker sometime after we ignored the Mythbusters warnings. “Don’t try this at home.” I know that tinfoil, and and several cd’s were microwaved before someone started trying to make plasma in the microwave using grapes.
It wasn’t me.
Though I can tell you that an egg can blow a microwave door open and spray egg all over your house. These nice people on youtube learned the same thing… skip to the end. Other fun things to microwave are ivory soap and marshmallows. Ivory soap and/or exploded egg can have lasting odors that make you not want to eat that which was cooked in your microwave… so don’t try that at home.
But all this is an aside. Back story.
The key piece of information to take away is that everyone in my house has been making oatmeal their own way, when they want it, because the new and powerful microwave can cook oatmeal, while the old and feeble microwave could only make sparks on tinfoil and heat liquids about 3 degrees in 3 minutes.
Lots and lots of oatmeal has been cooked. I have not bought cheerios in 2 months. I used to buy cheerios every week.
Brian became tired of oatmeal with brown sugar and dried fruit. He has no sweet tooth. He started looking for savory oatmeal recipes and then had the oatsotto epipheny. I don’t want to alarm anyone with this recipe so try to throw out your cultural biases about oatmeal and brown sugar. I admit that I was dubious, actually horrified, when I first saw him making this but I tasted it and it’s REALLY good.
Rice, and corn, and oats, are all grains. Risotto can have cheese and pepper. Grits are made with cheese and pepper sometimes, so why not oatmeal?
Oatsotto Recipe
- 1/2 cup of oatmeal + 1 cup of water in the microwave + salt for the allotted time (basically follow the instructions on the oatmeal canister.)
- Mix a tsp of olive oil, some fresh ground black pepper, and some fresh grated Parmesan cheese (3tbsp to 1/4 cup). (modify these amounts based on your preferences.)
- Add a little milk and stir to get it to your desired consistency.
- EAT!
It was creamy and cheesy like risotto or grits and very good.
I know you don’t believe me, but this is really really good. Seriously. I’m not just messing with you. I’m calling it oatsotto. Risoatmeal is funny too but I think the ris part probably means rice.
Brian didn’t want me to say that he invented it. He wasn’t following a recipe or anything though, so in my book, that’s just as good.
You’re right, that recipe does sound weird. I might have to try it.