In the Kitchen With Ricky: This oatmeal recipe is worth savoring

February is National Hot Breakfast Month, so my last recipe this month is for just that. This recipe is one that is very warm and comforting, and it’s perfect for this week’s temperatures. It is also one that you can customize and make all your own.

Oatmeal is a familiar dish, and it’s a quick and nutritious breakfast. If you don’t make it yourself, you can find numerous grab-and-go options just about anywhere that serves coffee or breakfast. Today, however, we’re going to spend a little more time and attention on preparing an all-new take on the breakfast classic.

Have you ever thought of making your oatmeal savory? For many, it’s often berries, bananas or cinnamon sugar, and there are those people who adorn theirs with just a pat of butter. That was never me, and we’re taking that concept a few steps further. When I make oatmeal, I prefer using steel cut oats.

They take a little more time and are a bit more expensive, but I enjoy the coarse texture. They also have more flavor overall. I still have old-fashioned oats around for baking and overnight recipes. This recipe, however, uses steel cut oatmeal. If you use old fashioned oats, they should work fine; however, the oats would need to be doubled and the cooking time shortened.

The oats here get a risotto-like treatment, except without the stirring, and turn out wonderfully creamy. They can be topped with just about anything and are a wonderful neutral vessel for plenty of breakfast flavors. I always have an egg on top, but beyond that the skies the limit.

I’ve served them topped with creamed leeks, crumbled bacon and cheddar and even blistered cherry tomatoes with a pesto drizzle at the peak of summer. If you think about it, they are like grits, which are a staple on the Southern breakfast table. These also work well made in advance and refrigerated. All you need to do is warm them with a splash of milk.

Savory Oatmeal

For the oats:

2 teaspoons olive oil

1 cup steel cut oats

1½ cups water

1½ cups milk

1½ teaspoons kosher salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

1 tablespoon butter

⅓ cup fresh grated Parmesan

For the topping:

2 teaspoons olive oil

1 cup mushrooms, thinly sliced

2 handfuls baby spinach, cleaned

4 green onions, divided

Pinch of kosher salt

Fresh ground pepper

In a small pot, over medium heat, add the olive oil until shimmering.

Add in the oats and stir to lightly toast.

Add in the water, milk, salt and pepper, stirring well.

Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to a simmer and cover.

Cook for 20 minutes or until the oats are cooked to desired doneness.

Remove from the heat and add in the butter and cheese, stirring to combine.

Taste for seasoning and adjust if needed.

While the oats are cooking, heat the olive oil over medium heat.

Add in the sliced mushrooms and let it sit without stirring for a couple minutes.

Thinly slice the green onions and divide the white and light green parts from the darker green sections.

Toss in the white and lighter onions along with the salt and pepper into the mushroom mixture.

Stir to incorporate.

When the mushrooms start to lightly brown and the onions are fragrant, add in the spinach and combine.

When the spinach wilts, remove the mushroom mixture from the pan and set it aside. If you would like to serve the oats with an egg, use the same mushroom pan to fry the egg at this time.

Assemble by dividing oats between bowls and topping with the mushroom mixture and fried egg, if using.

Yield: 3 to 4 servings

Local award-winning chef and Rind and Wheat owner Ricky Webster can be reached at ricky@rindandwheat.com. Follow Webster on Instagram @rickycaker.