flipMilk and Oatmeal Pottage with Nutmeg
Milk and Oatmeal Pottage with Nutmeg
Why this dish? His delicate health forced him to a frugal table, following his own medical prescriptions. This warm oatmeal pottage with milk, mild and easy to digest, is exactly the kind of sober food that an asthmatic distrustful of fatty meats would willingly take in the morning or at supper.
A creamy oatmeal long-cooked in milk, lightly sweetened, with a hint of grated nutmeg. The quintessential sober breakfast of industrious and learned England alike.
I am not, you will see, one of those people who burden their stomach with heavy meats and strong wines; my chest would hardly forgive me. Upon rising, I cook the oatmeal very gently in milk until it thickens to the spoon, and I grate a hint of nutmeg—no more, for excess in all things corrupts the constitution. Take it warm, not boiling: thus it nourishes the body without heating it, and the mind remains clear for morning study.
- •Oatmeal — a handful (nourishing base)
- •Whole milk — a pint (cooking liquid)
- •Nutmeg — a grated pinch (signature spice)
- •Sugar — a little, to taste (light sweetness)
- •Salt — a pinch (balance)
Milk and Oatmeal Pottage with Nutmeg
A creamy oatmeal long-cooked in milk, lightly sweetened, with a hint of grated nutmeg. The quintessential sober breakfast of industrious and learned England alike.
Why this dish? His delicate health forced him to a frugal table, following his own medical prescriptions. This warm oatmeal pottage with milk, mild and easy to digest, is exactly the kind of sober food that an asthmatic distrustful of fatty meats would willingly take in the morning or at supper.
I am not, you will see, one of those people who burden their stomach with heavy meats and strong wines; my chest would hardly forgive me. Upon rising, I cook the oatmeal very gently in milk until it thickens to the spoon, and I grate a hint of nutmeg—no more, for excess in all things corrupts the constitution. Take it warm, not boiling: thus it nourishes the body without heating it, and the mind remains clear for morning study.
Ingredients (period version)
- Oatmeal — a handful (nourishing base)
- Whole milk — a pint (cooking liquid)
- Nutmeg — a grated pinch (signature spice)
- Sugar — a little, to taste (light sweetness)
- Salt — a pinch (balance)
Ingredients
- Porridge oats (or steel-cut oats) — 60 g (base)
- Whole milk — 500 ml (liquid)
- Fresh nutmeg — 1 grated pinch (spice)
- Sugar — 1 to 2 tsp (sweetness)
- Salt — 1 pinch (balance)
- Butter — a knob (optional) (richness)
Method
- Pour the milk and salt into a saucepan, bring to a gentle simmer without boiling.
- Add the oats in a stream and cook over very low heat for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring, until creamy.
- Sweeten lightly, stir in a knob of butter if you want more richness.
- Serve warm in a bowl, grate fresh nutmeg on top at the last moment.
How it was made : Milk pottage and water gruel were the basic porridges of 17th-century England, eaten from labourer to gentleman. They were cooked slowly in a cauldron over the hearth, flavoured with nutmeg, mace or cinnamon—costly spices made common by trade. Physicians, including Locke, recommended them for delicate stomachs.
The contemporary twist : Serve it in a dark bowl, nutmeg grated in a spiral and a drizzle of heather honey: the 'tabula rasa' of breakfast, blank and ready for your toppings.
John Locke · Charactorium
