Spiced Steel Cut Oats Porridge with Cranberry-Ginger Sauce

I love this cranberry-ginger sauce and made a similar version for Thanksgiving dinner a few years ago. At the time, I started spooning leftovers into my morning yogurt and oatmeal — the double hit of ginger adds warmth and the citrus adds a brightness that elevates morning oats into something truly special. You will likely have a little more cranberry-ginger sauce than you’ll need for the amount of porridge here, which is a good thing as it’s wonderful spooned on top of just about anything or slathered onto rustic toast. You can make the sauce up to two days in advance.

Ingredients

For the Steel Cut Oatmeal:

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

1 cup steel cut oats (use gluten-free oats to ensure it's gluten free, if that's a concern)

1 1/4 cups almond milk (or whole milk)

3 cups water

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

pinch ground nutmeg

cream, to serve (optional)

brown sugar, to serve (optional)

toasted nuts (like almonds), to serve (optional)

For the Cranberry-Ginger Sauce:

12-ounce bag of cranberries, bruised ones discarded, rinsed and drained

3 tablespoons honey

1 tablespoon brown sugar

2 to 3-inch cinnamon stick

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

pinch ground cloves

juice and zest from 1 large orange (about ¼ cup juice; heaping tablespoon zest)

3 tablespoons finely chopped candied ginger

Instructions

For the Oats: In a large sauté pan, melt the butter and add the steel cut oats. Toast for 4-5 minutes on medium heat or until fragrant (will smell slightly nutty).

In a large heavy-bottomed pot, bring the almond milk, water, salt, cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg to a slow boil over medium heat. Add the toasted oats and gently stir to incorporate them into the liquid. Return to a boil, then partially cover the pot and decrease the heat to low, cooking until the porridge has thickened and the oats have softened, about 25-30 minutes. You’re looking for a porridge that will be a little loose when you pull it off the stove – it will continue to thicken off the heat.

For the Cranberry-Ginger Sauce: Bring the cranberries, honey, brown sugar, cinnamon stick, ginger, cloves, and orange juice to a simmer in a medium saucepan. Cover the mixture and allow it to cook on medium-low heat for 5-7 minutes, or until the cranberries are just beginning to burst and you notice the mixture thickening.

Add the chopped candied ginger and orange zest and stir to combine. Simmer uncovered for an additional 1 to 2 minutes, or until cranberries have burst and are softening into more of a sauce (it will continue to thicken off the heat, too). Remove the cinnamon stick. If you like a looser sauce, add water, 2 tablespoons at a time.

To serve: Ladle large spoonfuls of porridge into bowls and top with toasted almonds, cranberry sauce and a little cream if you like (we do).