Swedish Inspired Salted Chocolate Oatmeal Recipe

The oatmeal I grew up with in Ireland was made with milk and was naturally sweet. So it came as a little shock to me when I first tasted Swedish oatmeal. If you’re new to Swedish cuisine you may not be aware that Swedes have some ‘quirks’ when it comes to food. Caviar in a tube, Salted licorice, dill-flavored anything and everything, and yes, there is salt in their oatmeal.

Our kids fondly call it ‘Farfar gröt’, meaning ‘grandfather porridge’, as their grandfather makes it this way and it’s therefor a little special. I was kind of on the fence about it until I realized that I could add cocoa to it to make salted chocolate oatmeal. So this is somewhat of an ‘getting used to new flavors’ recipe, and a little nostalgic for me.

20 years on I can honestly say I really enjoy  oatmeal  cooked the Swedish way, but it has taken a little practice. I also  enjoy the occasional dill-flavored chips, salted licorice took a little ( a lot) of getting used to, but I will never get as far as tasting caviar, it is not on my bucket list, to put it politely. Some of my now favorite Swedish recipes include Swedish Chocolate Balls, Traditional Swedish Meatballs and of course, Lingonberry Jam.

Ingredients

Serves 2

1 Cup Oatmeal – I prefer rolled oats but you can easily substitute for steel-cut oats or

3 Cups Water

1/2 tsp Salt – Not a huge amount, just enough to make it distinctly salty. – High-quality sea salt tastes the best!

2 tbsp Brown Sugar – You can of course add more or less sugar to suit your tastebuds. I prefer Muscavado or coconut sugar.

1/4 Cup Cacao – Use the best quality you can get your hands on.

Optional: chocolate chips, sea salt flakes to serve

Cream or milk to serve.

Method

Note: cooking times will vary for the various oatmeal varieties and it’s therefore a good idea to follow the recipe on the packet. You may need to add a little extra water to compensate for the cocao.

1. Add the oats to a saucepan together with the water and salt and bring to a boil over high heat. Refrain from stirring until it has come to a boil.
2. Remove the oatmeal from the heat add the sugar and cocoa and use a wooden spoon or a fork to blend well. Allow to rest for 3-5 minutes until the oats have thickened, stirring occasionally. If adding chcoalate chips, stirr them in just before serving.
   
   Serve hot with a splash of milk or cream. For a more filling breakfast add apple sauce, sliced banana, fresh berries, or some nuts and seeds.

Variations

You can treat this oatmeal as. you woudl any cookie or muffin and experiment with adding various spices and flavours. For example cinnamon, vanilla and cardemom all work really well with chocolate. Blueberries or rasberries are also perfect add ins that compliment chocolate.