my mom had the idea of sharing a recipe for brownies or something involving a cheese block/rectangle or a bouillon cube or something block-related for my first recipe back after what i consider an unwilling-yet-completely-my-own-decision-on-multiple-counts-and-therefore-basically-willing hiatus from writing and producing weekday warriors. the truth is, i lost sight (or taste) of the weekday warrior within myself, and even though i was writing lots of recipes, i couldn't press send. you know those strange truisms that bemoan staying silent when the world is burning? saying that silence just feeds the flames? i don't think that's very helpful.
here's why: it should be OK to slip into silence, and language like this makes it even harder to slip back out of it into where you want to be. the grand, good world of saying something is not righteous, but welcomes you back with open arms, forgiveness in short, honest texts from friends, gratitude, and almost always good humor and good advice like my mother's, supplies like expertise from strangers' tweets on the internet (the pleasant ones), fresh water, understanding, and empathy. this is what fights the flames — that which doesn't (if however unintentionally so, as the well-intentioned saying goes) stoke your weakness.
i didn't want to be stop, not really. but one week without effort — just like one day without effort — just happens. it was disconcerting how fast one week became three. i read somewhere (probably twitter, unfortunately) that the best thing for a brand is consistency. but i'm not a brand! i'm a human. with that, here's your tuesday recipe.
savory oats with poached egg, broccolini and charred lemon
the truth is, if you throw almost anything hot and savory on a bowl of oatmeal, it'll be impressive. broccoli and cauliflower is what i had in my refrigerator, and as someone who usually reaches for poached egg and sauteed kale for savory oats, i thought i'd try how these (which i usually eat alone, roasted) would taste on top. the truth is, i like these particular roasted veggies better alone than on oatmeal, but that's not to say i wouldn't make this again. i definitely will. the shining star of this was the charred lemon on oatmeal. i thought it could swing either way and was concerned it would be a huge flop, but it was very special. more savory oatmeal recipes to come!
you'll need
steel cut oats (i looooove mccanns, and the charming aluminum containers are straight from heaven)
a handful of broccolini (yield extra for leftovers)
a head of cauliflower (yields extra for leftovers)
one lemon (yields extra for leftovers)
olive oil and 1 tbsp ghee
nutritional yeast
2 cloves garlic
cracked black pepper
flaky salt
on you go
toss 1 cup of steel cut oats with ghee in a pot over medium heat. ghee will melt, and oats will become fragrant and toasty. add four cups of water. bring to a boil, and then down to a simmer. let cook for 20-ish minutes, turn off the heat, and let sit for however long you can wait. you can do all of this, which is my preference for a toasty, richer flavor, or you can just follow mccann's recipe, which is easier and just as effective.
most of this recipe is actually the toppings: roasted broccolini and cauliflower with lemon, for an addition to your weekday salads or lunches. heat the oven to 450 degrees. rinse and toss broccolini, lemon, and a whole cauliflower. cut stalk of cauliflower to desired length (i keep it fairly long), cut broccolini into half and fourths. break apart into half-fist chunks or smaller. on a large pan, toss cauliflower pieces, broccolini, garlic cloves and very thinly sliced lemon. sprinkle with salt. roast for 15-20 minutes or until crispy, flipping if your oven is particularly strong about half-way through.
lastly, while the veggies are cooling and the oatmeal is sitting: poach the egg (see below) and then let it drain on a paper towel. if you're totally not in the mood to poach an egg, a fried egg on top is really lovely and tasty too.
if you'd like, mix press roasted garlic into a paste and mix in with the cooked oatlmeal. top with a few pieces of broccolini, lemon (though it's mostly for flavoring the broccolini and cauliflower, i love the taste of roasted lemon slices, and you might too), and cauliflower. add cracked pepper and nutritional yeast to your own liking. any combination of the above will taste very, very comforting.
your workhorses
steel cut oats | always, always, keep this around! steel cut oats are the cool cowboy that's somehow both passing through and lingering. sturdy with a trendy stone-ground-grit type of vibe, it's ideal for adding savory elements (come to think of it, a shrimp and grits recipe could likely be adapted to shrimp and steel cut oats, which i'll have to try) alone, though, steel cut oats taste ever-so-slightly buttery and carby — comforting and simple. it's not pasta, but parmesan (and yes, charred lemon!) warm, for some real cheesy decadence.
poached egg | for me, it wasn't so much about achieving a beautiful poached egg as it was getting even remotely close to something resembling a poached egg. once i tried the vinegar method, i achieved this small victory. here's how it works: crack an egg into 1/4 cup of vinegar resting in a basic diner-style coffee mug (or any mug with a handle — you'll see why.) let it set for a few minutes, or while the water boils. once water has reached a rolling boil, stir it in a circle motion with a whisk to create a very sci-fi-looking stove-top vortex. if the pot is wide enough, keep stirring through the following: use the coffee mug handle to pour the egg/vinegar contents — ever-so-delicately and smoothly— into the center of the pot. like i said, keep stirring if you can. the egg is sturdier than you think, and honestly, the less cautious you are the better. yes, it's a spinning whirlpool of hot boiling water, so it would be dumb to try to splash things around, but chances are you won't hurt yourself or the egg if you just take a breath and make very even movements. i would compare poaching an egg to mounting a slow-moving ski lift (the water is the seat, the egg is your ski-pant-padded bum — work with it, not against it). once i tried this vinegar-setting method, things really changed for me. maybe it's for you, maybe it's not. keep trying, and once you feel comfortable sharing your poachwork with others, i almost guarantee it'll impress your friends and family, even if it doesn't look picture-perfect. and if you never feel comfortable sharing, then you've got an ugly egg to yourself, but ugly eggs still be tasty!
soundbites
the main course: spotify
piece of power
it's a toss up between leave no trace by maggie dietz and this cheesy, scenic lyric video of heart like a wheel by eric church