Rachel Visontay, winner of the creative porridge category at the Pearly Spurtle championships, has shared the recipe for her first-placed Mediterranean fig and olive oil porridge. The dish combines steel-cut oats, Scottish oatmeal, tahini, date syrup, fresh figs, candied pistachios, and a high-polyphenol olive oil.
A bowl of Mediterranean sunshine
Visontay, who runs a fig-themed newsletter, says the fig is the star ingredient, transforming traditional wintery porridge into a bowl of Mediterranean sunshine. She notes that porridge is often unfairly typecast as bland, and she was keen to prove this stereotype wrong.
The recipe calls for single origin oats from a Victorian farm, fresh tahini to avoid bitterness, and a robust olive oil. Visontay worked with Bottega 1900, a high polyphenol EVOO, for the dish. She also recommends candied pistachios from a speciality roastery that sells across Sydney and ships nationally, admitting she could not replicate their crunch at home.
Recipe: Mediterranean fig porridge
Makes 2 big bowls. Ingredients: 50g steel-cut oats, 50g Scottish oatmeal (not instant oats), 850ml water, ½ tsp salt, 3 generous tbsp tahini, 3 ½ tsp date syrup, zest of ½ small lemon, handful of candied pistachios (roughly chopped), 2 figs (sliced and cut lengthways into halves), and very good olive oil (e.g. Oro Di Giano’s San Felice).
Dry toast the steel-cut oats over medium-high heat in a saucepan, stirring occasionally, until a nutty aroma emerges, about 7-8 minutes. Add toasted oats and oatmeal to a pot with water and salt. Start on medium heat, then reduce to a simmer, ensuring the porridge slowly burps rather than bubbles. Stir frequently. Cook until oats are tender but still have a slight chew, about 35 minutes (soaking overnight reduces cook time).
Finishing touches
Move porridge to a mixing bowl and immediately stir in tahini until creamy, then stir in date syrup. Divide into two bowls. Grate half the lemon zest directly onto the hot porridge, then fan fig slices along one side and sprinkle pistachios on the other. Grate remaining zest over the top and generously drizzle olive oil over the whole bowl.
