‘Man’s mind once stretched by a new idea, never regains its original dimensions’
I love it when a recipe expands and changes your perspective. Amy Chaplin’s Book, Whole Cooking Every Day is great for this, as she is taking your every-day items, like porridge and creating new varieties of them, keeping your chef mind and palate active. Every recipe is simple to execute on too, making it easy to integrate into your every day. I particularly like the combination of fennel, cardamom, raisins and orange zest, giving it a sweet fragrant taste. Mr B likes a simple porridge, so I make a more savoury preparation for him, topping it with a little cinnamon.
Ingredients
- ½ cup almonds, soaked overnight in 2 cups of water
- 2 tsp. fennel seeds
- 1 tsp. ground cardamom
- 1 cup black rice, soaked overnight in 3 cups water
- Pinch of salt
- ½ cup golden raisins
- 1 tbsp. orange zest
Method
- Drain and rinse the almonds (I popped off the skin, but you don’t have to) and transfer them to an upright blender
- Add the fennel seeds, the cardamom, water, salt and 4 cups of water. Blend until smooth.
- Add the rice and pulse until it is coarsely ground
- Pour into a medium pot, bring to the boil and then down to a simmer
- Cook for 25-30 minutes or until the porridge is cooked and nice and creamy. Stir every few minutes to prevent sticking to the bottom of the pan
- When ready, let rest for 5 minutes and then stir in the golden raisins and orange zest
- Add berries or maple syrup for sweetness if desired and/or granola for texture
