Oats are well known for their nutritional value and fibre content, but they needn’t be reserved simply as a breakfast staple.
From cookies and crumbles to savoury risottos, oats can enhance a wide range of dishes. Here, Robbie Phillips, professional cookery lecturer at City of Glasgow College, who has led teams of
students to victory in the Country Range Student Chef Challenge for the last two years, shares five different ways to include them in your dishes…
1/Sourdough Oats
To ferment oats, add oat flakes to a blender then add to a glass jar with enough water to make a sludgy mix. Place a cloth over the top, secured with string, and leave to ferment for 48-72 hours. After this period, remove part of the starter to make porridge, and add the same amount of fresh oats and water back to the jar to ferment for another day. To make the porridge, mix 50g oats, 50g fermented oats starter, 220ml milk, some honey and a pinch of salt and simmer until soft.
2/Oat Cookies
Melt 400g butter and 180g golden syrup in a pan. Mix together 250g caster sugar, 400g flaked oats, 220g self-raising flour and 7g baking powder. Combine the two mixtures and bring together into a soft dough. Place on silicone paper in small balls and bake in the oven at 160°C for around 12 minutes. Cool on a wire rack and store for up to five days in an airtight container.
3/Granola
This granola makes a lovely breakfast with yogurt and banana or serve it in a dessert with vanilla panna cotta and raspberries. The coriander adds an interesting floral, spicy note. Toast 250g flaked oats, 50g hazelnuts, 30g butter, 50g honey, 30g caster sugar, 5g ground coriander and a pinch of sea salt.
4/Oat Coated Trout
First, coat your trout fillets in seasoned flour. Shake off any excess flour and pass through beaten egg. Drain off any excess and finally coat the trout in flaked oats, making sure it is well-coated then cover and store in the fridge to allow the coating to set and firm up a little. To cook, fry the coated trout in foaming butter. Serve with beetroot chutney and watercress for a simple, tasty starter.
5/Homemade Oat Milk
Combine oat flakes and water in a bowl, stir and set aside for a few minutes. Pour two spoonfuls of the mixture into a slow juicer, taking care to add both oats and water. Start the juicer and add another 2-3 spoonfuls, and continue until you have added all of the mixture. Transfer the milk into a sterilised bottle and store in the fridge. Add the pulp to the fermented oat starter above.
About Robbie Philips:
Robbie became a professional cookery lecturer at City of Glasgow College after working in Glasgow West End’s Stravaigin, holder of 2 AA Rosettes and a Michelin Bib Gourmand. Since then he has completed a BA Professional Development in Tertiary Education through Dundee University. Robbie led two completely different teams of students to victory in the Country Range Student Chef Challenge in both 2018 and 2019.