Have you ever had Irish oatmeal? Or maybe you know it by a different name, such as pinhead oats or steel-cut oats?
If you’re not familiar, steel-cut oats are oats from which the inedible outer husk has been removed. The oat groats (the inner part of the oat kernels) are cleaned, and then chopped into three or four small pieces as they’re passed through steel cutters. Whatever you call it, this dish is a delicious and very healthy whole grain.
Irish Oats…as you can see, they look quite different from rolled oats.
If you’ve never had this kind of oatmeal, I think it has a nuttier flavor than regular (rolled) oats. It’s texture is chewier, and in general, it’s a bit heartier of a meal (which is why the serving size is just 1/4 cup per person!). They take a bit longer than rolled oats to cook (usually somewhere around 15 to 30 minutes), but if you soak them the night before they cook up much quicker.
You can eat them as-is, or dress them up any way you like. Sweet is always a hit (even just with a little drizzle of maple and a sprinkle of cinnamon), but savory oats are also delicious. Here I took advantage of our gorgeous local apples by cooking an apple with maple, cinnamon, butter, and vanilla. It smelled amazing cooking up, even better than chocolate chip cookies in the oven (and I’m a chocolate chip junkie, so you know that’s serious).
If you’d like to try Irish oats for yourself, scroll down for the giveaway!
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup steel-cut oats (I used McCann’s)
- 1 cup water
- 1 pinch sea salt
- 1 medium sweet, crisp apple (such as Macoun), washed, cored, and chopped (not peeled)
- 2 tablespoons water
- 2-3 teaspoons pure maple syrup (more or less to taste)
- 1 teaspoon butter
- 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 pinch sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- For the oats, combine all ingredients in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat, then turn heat down and simmer (uncovered) until the oats are tender, about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, and adding a splash more water as necessary if the oats get too thick.
- For the Hot Buttered Cinnamon Apples, add all ingredients (except the vanilla) to a small-medium skillet. Cook (uncovered) over low heat until the liquid has evaporated and the apples are tender, about 8 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Stir half of the apple mixture into the porridge, then pour the porridge into a bowl and top with the remaining apple mixture. Serve hot.
The Irish Food Board (Board Bia) is providing three 28 oz tins of McCann’s Irish Oatmeal as prizes for three lucky winners! (Due to shipping, this giveaway is only open to residents of the U.S. – sorry for any inconveniences!)
You do not need to have a blog to enter this giveaway! To participate, you can do any of the following (please leave a separate comment for each so I can count them as separate entries):
- Leave a comment telling me your favorite breakfast food.
- Leave a comment telling me about the best bowl of oatmeal you’ve ever had.
- Share this giveaway on Facebook and leave a comment here.
- Share this giveaway on Twitter and leave a comment here.
- Share this giveaway on your blog and leave a comment here.
This giveaway ends Friday, December 7, 2012 at 5AM EST; after that the winner will be randomly selected and notified by email. Good luck to all!
Disclaimer: I received a tin of McCann Irish Oatmeal for free, and they are also providing three tins of oatmeal for this giveaway. I was under no obligation to review this product, and as always, opinions stated are my own.
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The best bowl of oatmeal was baked oatmeal with apples and raisins
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My favorite breakfast food is a toasted bagel with cream cheese and jam!
The best bowl of oatmeal I’ve ever had was super simple… oatmeal, whole milk, pinch of salt, spoonful of sugar, and a teaspoon of cocoa powder!
My fav breakfast food is certainly oatmeal! What a staple!!
My favorite breakfast is plain, non-fat Greek yoghurt with raisins and cinnamon. Yum!
The best bowl of oatmeal I ever had was at the Ahwahnee Hotel in Yosemite National Park. It was years ago, but I remember it to this day. I am convinced it was Irish oatmeal, given the wonderful texture. I need to go back!
The best oatmeal I ever had was in Ireland. :-) My friend made it with Baileys and cinnamon and it was out of this world delicious. :-) xo
Yum! I have to try that!
My favourite breakfast is a denver omelette with a side of homefries.
The best oatmeal I’ve ever had was when I visited my grandparents as a child. My Grandmother made Grandfather and me oatmeal every morning and we had it with real cream taken from the top of the milk bottle that was delivered fresh twice a week to the front porch.
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My favorite breakfast food is an English muffin with ham, egg, cheese and jalapenos.
My best bowl of oatmeal would be brown sugar cinnamon.
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You make the humble oatmeal look like a gourmet meal, Faith.
LL
My favorite breakfast food is banana pancakes.
The best bowl of oatmeal I had was made by my awesome sister, who put toasted almonds and pecans in it. The soft texture of the oatmeal against the crunchiness of the nuts was perfect!
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My Fav oatmeal was at a conference in National Harbor, Maryland. Banana Nut Brulee oatmeal….OMG!!!
The best oatmeal I’ve ever had is the McCann’s Steel Cut Oats with a little rice milk, brown sugar and fresh pomegranate seeds.
Favorite breakfast food = something filling, which usually means PB/AB is involved!
Best bowl of oatmeal = steel cut with almond extract, almonds, fresh cherries & a few chocolate chips!
Favourite breakfast: Homemade yogurt with mango, mixed berries, saigon cinnamon and ginger.
I never turn down french toast!
My favorite breakfast is greek yogurt with homemade granola
The best oatmeal i ever had was cooked in coconut milk, and topped with dried fruits and carmelized almonds and a bit more coconut milk
My favorite breakfast is a bowl of apple cinnamon oatmeal!
Oh my, I think I found my breakfast! This is stunning!!
My fave breakfast food would have to be eggs and bacon! :-D
Mmm! This looks totally yummy. Didn’t know the Irish had their own oatmeal ;)
And i wanted to tell you how gorgeous all the recipes from your new book have been. I’ve been seeing them all over the blogosphere an they look fabulous!
You are so sweet, thank you so much for your kind words about my book!
My favorite breakfast food is homemade corned beef hash and eggs. You can’t beat it.
favorite breakfast is probably toast w/ a little pb on it. though i do love granola also.
favorite oatmeal would be done up as granola – w/ some yogurt thrown on.
This porridge sounds just lovely. I love cooked apples, and vanilla makes everything just a bit more special. My favorite bowls generally include cocoa powder, dates, chia seeds, and a splash of almond milk to top it off!
Oh I’ve never had Irish oats before :) but I love normal oats so this should be just as good :D
My favorite breakfast food is cinnamon rolls.
The best bowl of oatmeal was with maple syrup and cinnamon.
I love oatmeal so much that I have three bowls a day! One in the morning, one as snack, and one after dinner for dessert. My ultimate favorite is creamy oats with a spoonful of chunky peanut butter, swirl of maple syrup, and a cloud of Reddi whip on top.
My favorite breakfast? Right now it is Greek yogurt with my homemade fig preserves, walnuts, pepitas and sunflower seeds. Tomorrow it may be something different.
I only eat steelcut oats… call me spoiled. My favorite lately was with leftover apples that had been very lightly sweetened and seasoned with cinnamon and cardamom… and lemon juice.
I really like a continental breakfast…fresh fruit & pastries!
Best bowl of oatmeal was with freshly rolled oats, brown sugar, a touch of nutmeg. Melted butter on top, then a drizzle of heavy cream
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My favorite oatmeal was made with steel cut oats,cinnamon, diced apple, and brown sugar. Its tastes like I’m eating an apple pie. :)
This looks amazing! I might have to make it immediately!!! :-)