Honey Ginger Semolina Porridge

It’s a fresh Autumn morning here in Brisbane.  We’ve had a cold snap sweep through Australia  the weekend just gone with winds blowing up from Antarctica and we’ve not been immune from its effects, even halfway up the country.  Now cold for us is in single digits celsius which might make me sound like a wimp, but when your days are plus 30 and your nights have been in the 20’s for the past 6 months you feel the difference when the temperature drops suddenly.  For me though, the cold snap is welcome.  I’ve been craving winter and all that comes with it.  Warm snuggly jumpers, glasses of red wine, rich comforting meals of casseroles, soups and even porridge for breakfast.

A happy coincidence has meant that we have selected to focus on Mrs Beeton’s Book of Good Housekeeping for this month’s The Cookbook Guru, and with that comes plenty of warming fare that is perfectly suited to the weather that we are experiencing right now.   I struck upon a version of this recipe looking through puddings and thought I could adapt it to make a delicious breakfast dish.  Originally meant as a steamed honey pudding with eggs and butter added, I’ve taken the essence of the recipe and created a warming and comforting porridge that would be well suited to a cold morning anywhere or even to someone suffering from a cold and needing a healing boost.   Think of the traditional honey and lemon drink your Mum would make for you when you had a sore throat and you have a glimpse into the flavour created here.  Perfect for a warming start to the day with a cup of Camomile Tea and a Nanna rug covering my knees on the couch.

serves one, but can be multiplied for serving many

• 300ml milk of your choice (I used soy but cows, rice or almond milk would work just as well)
• 100g semolina
• rind 1 small lemon
• 1/2 tbl sp. honey
• 1/2 tsp dried ginger
• flaked almonds and a drizzle of extra honey to serve

Place your milk into a saucepan and warm over a low heat.  When it starts to steam, sprinkle in your semolina and using a whisk stir well to avoid lumps.  You will need to continue stirring this at all times, making sure that you are scraping the bottom of the saucepan to prevent the mixture thickening.  When the mixture starts to thicken, remove from the heat and grate your lemon zest over the porridge.  Add the honey and dried ginger and combine.  If the mixture needs to thicken further because it is too liquid for your preferences return to the heat for a minute or so more, stirring continuously.

Serve hot, immediately, with a drizzle of honey and a sprinkle of flaked almonds.

Happy Cooking & Happy Eating,

Leah