Pan-Toasted Plums, Oatmeal, Coconut & Pistachios
Sunday Morning, bright blue skies and sunshine... the first day of Spring after having just lost an hour of sleep (aargh!) and a day to celebrate with a yummy breakfast I would say! Just to emphasize the good and make up for the less-good and start the day off accordingly!
So- out came the frying pan!
But not for pancakes, eggs sunny-side up, bacon or anything else as yummy and sinful as that... no- for some incredibly tasty oatmeal with coconut and pistachio and delicious and juicy fresh plums! Sounds good... looks good... IS good!
The plums were so pretty, it was out of the question to pass them by without taking them, when I was at the market hall yesterday- and the wonderful pistachios, all the way from Bronte in Sicily, a gift from a chef friend of mine, along with some coconut flakes and a little honey, were all it took to make a truly wonderful and refreshing Springtime breakfast.
I could get used to this kind of thing more than just once a week!
To make this, obviously the first step is to wash the plums, halve them and remove the stones. Next, I cut the halves into quarters and then each quarter into quarters again... little spoon-sized pieces.
The next chore I had was to halve the pistachios, which not only revealed their lovely green insides but also allowed them to crisp up better whilst toasting in the frying pan...
I started off with the oatmeal, which went into the dry pan first and toasted gently for 3-4 minutes and then added the plum pieces, stirring all the time. After 2-3 minutes, when the plum was beginning to soften a bit and the oatmeal to brown slightly, I added half of the coconut.
As soon as the first half of the coconut was nice and golden brown, I added the second batch and of course the pistachios. I would say that a good size serving would be 4 plumbs, 2 cups of oatmeal and 2 tablespoons each of coconut and split pistachios.
As soon as the first half of the coconut was nice and golden brown, I added the second batch and of course the pistachios. I would say that a good size serving would be 4 plumbs, 2 cups of oatmeal and 2 tablespoons each of coconut and split pistachios.
The fun begins when everything is nicely golden brown, but looking a little dry and unmotivated. All the mixture needs is a little moisture- so go ahead and add maybe 1 cupful of water- that's all it takes. Stir everything together quickly and you will find the colors become more vibrant and that the newly added liquid soon evaporates away and that the oatmeal, coconut and pistachio soon become crunchy again!
I could have added cinnamon, I could have added sugar, I could have added cardamom... but instead I decided to leave the plumbs, coconut and pistachios to their own devices... well- except for the final drizzle of honey over the simple fresh yogurt... I just loved it!
Feel free to add sugar or spice if you like, but give it a try with this stove-top breakfast and enjoy! Because... what's not to love?!?
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