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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.
Photo by Noah Tanen
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.
