This Winter, Gruel Is So Back

I’m calling it: Gruel is coming back in a big way. You could chalk it up to a collective nostalgia, the rising cost of ingredients, or the popularity of all things whole and high quality grains. There’s even a stone mill and whole grain bakery slotted to open up right here in Brooklyn. Whatever the reason, a savory bowl of soft and starchy cooked grain is starting to sound pretty good to me at all hours of the day. In fact, I’ve just published a recipe for Savory Miso Oatmeal, served with charred kale and a soft boiled egg.

As someone who grew up somewhat ambivalent towards oatmeal, my first “aha moment” with the cereal grain came when I had a savory version. I was working as a baker at a commissary kitchen in the Fishtown neighborhood of Philadelphia, not far from Lost Bread Bakery. For lunch on the weekends, I would slink out of work with my own metal bowl in tow, as Lost Bread admirably didn’t offer to-go containers, and go see what was interesting on the lunch menu. One day, I was served a hot bowl of whole oat groats, cooked in a surprisingly savory broth and served with a marinated egg. It was similar to the Ginger Fried Oat Bowl featured in one of the bakery’s stellar grain zines.

That dish served as the inspiration for my own recipe, which calls for steel-cut oats and miso as a flavor base. If you’re on the fence, it might just convince you to go salty over sweet the next time you crack open the oats.

Have you given savory oatmeal a try? I'd love to hear what toppings you're adding to make it your own.