Name: Savory Oatmeal with Dried Porcini Mushrooms and Soft-Cooked Egg
Total time: 2 h 35 min
Ingredients: 3 cups water; 1 cup steel-cut oats; ¼ ounce dried porcini mushrooms , rinsed and chopped fine; ¼ teaspoon table salt; 1 cup beef broth; 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce; 2 teaspoons sherry vinegar; 2 tablespoons unsalted butter; 3 scallions , white and green parts separated and sliced thin, divided; 1 garlic clove , minced; 4 large eggs , soft-cooked

Why This Recipe Works

We wanted breakfast oatmeal, but with plenty of savory appeal. First the oats: Most oatmeal fans agree that the steel-cut version of the grain offers the best flavor and texture, but many balk at the 40-minute cooking time. In this recipe, we decreased the cooking time to only 10 minutes by stirring steel-cut oats, along with dried porcini, into boiling water the night before. This enabled the grains to hydrate and soften overnight as they're flavored by the dried mushrooms. In the morning, we upped the savory ante by adding beef broth and Worcestershire sauce along with a bit of sherry vinegar for brightness and simmered the mixture for 4 to 6 minutes, until thick and creamy. Stirring in butter-sautéed scallions and garlic enhanced the oatmeal's backbone. Soft-cooked eggs on top made this breakfast even more filling, and a sprinkling of sliced scallion greens provided visual appeal.

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Before You Begin

After chopping, you should have 2 tablespoons of porcini. The oatmeal thickens as it cools; thin with boiling water for a looser consistency. For a vegetarian version, substitute vegetable broth or water for the beef broth and soy sauce for the Worcestershire sauce.

Instructions

Bring water to boil in large saucepan over high heat. Off heat, stir in oats, porcini, and salt. Cover saucepan and let stand for at least 2 hours or up to 10 hours.

Stir broth, Worcestershire sauce, and vinegar into oats and bring to boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium and cook, stirring occasionally, until oats are softened but still retain some chew and mixture thickens and resembles warm pudding, 4 to 6 minutes.

While oats cook, melt butter in small nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add scallion whites and garlic and cook, stirring frequently, until softened and fragrant, about 2 minutes. Off heat, stir scallion mixture into oats until fully incorporated. Let stand for 5 minutes. Stir in three-quarters of scallion greens and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve, sprinkling each portion with remaining scallion greens. Halve eggs and place 2 halves atop each portion. Serve.