Porridge is a soft food made by boiling a grain or legume (peas or beans) in water.  Porridge made from cornmeal is usually called “polenta” or “grits”.  “Pease porridge” is made from yellow split peas and vegetables.  “Gruel” is very thin porridge.

Porridge is one of the easier ways to digest grains and is used traditionally in many cultures to nurse the sick back to health.  In most cultures it is mixed with meat and vegetables. 

Fresh Porridge

• Put 1 cup filtered water in a pot.
• Optional -- For a sweet porridge, add a handful of dried raisins or cranberries.
• Grind up 1/3 cup whole grain of your choosing.  This could be Five Grain, whole oat groats or brown rice, etc.
• Add 1/8 teaspoon sea salt to the grain.
• Stir the grain into the water.
• Heat on a moderate flame on your stove, stirring continuously.  As B vitamins are destroyed by heat, turn off the flame as soon as it starts to boil and thicken.  This takes approximately 2 minutes.
• Optional -- For a sweet porridge, top off with walnuts, cinnamon and a sweetener.
• In your next batch, revise the amount of water you use based on the thickness you prefer.