Oat Couture Cooking

Oats have graduated from sturdy nutritional workhorse to high-end ingredient. There are even competitions dedicated to elevating oats, like the Golden Spurtle World Porridge Making Championship, which took place in the village of Carrbridge, Scotland this past October. Last year’s World’s Best Oats and World Porridge Making Champion was Matt Cox, marketing director of Bob’s Red Mill Natural Foods, an Milwaukie, Ore.-based company that produces more than 400 products, including a full line of certified gluten-free products and an extensive line of certified organic products, with a wide variety of whole grain goods, from flours and hot cereals to baking mixes and grains. Cox stands as the first-ever American victor at the porridge championship.

He returned this year to defend his crown and prepared Bob’s Savory Oat Fritters, which combines porcini mushrooms, pancetta, Pecorino and Parmesan cheeses and oats served with a tomato dipping sauce. The fritters are a modern interpretation of the classic Italian street food arancini, in which Cox substituted oats for the Arborio rice typically used in this dish.

Cox faced competition from some of the world’s finest porridge makers from Scotland, the U.K., Sweden, the U.S. and Canada. Like last year, he traveled with a handmade myrtle spurtle, a Scottish kitchen tool dating back to the 15th century. This rod-like stirring stick is traditionally used to prevent porridge from becoming lumpy. And although he didn’t bring home the gold two years in a row, Cox certainly impressed the judges and his fellow competitors with his oat couture–inspired recipe. The winner this year was Neil Robertson from Auchtermuchty, who won using his own invention: the Spon, a double-sided spoon that replaces the traditional spurtle.—Denise Shoukas

Try the award-winning recipe: Bob’s Savory Oat Fritters Recipe

Denise Shoukas is a regular foodspring.com contributor and is the author of foodspring’s food forager blog.

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