Jamie Oliver's "Pukkolla" (Muesli): A Cool & Creamy Breakfast Treat + A Round Up of My Favorite Jamie Recipes

I have never been a big lover of oatmeal. It goes back to those long-standing texture issues I bring up all the time have mentioned. Lately I have been developing more of an appreciation for it. As long as the oatmeal in question isn't too wet and mushy, has a little chew-factor going for it, and has LOTS of add-ins for flavor. Also, because I live in year-round warm climate, I find I much prefer a cold, raw bowl of oats like muesli. While paging through a library copy of The Naked Chef Takes Off, I found Jamie's version of muesli which he calls Pukkolla, and thought I would give in a try.


Jamie says, "Pukkolla is my name for this outrageously scrumptious concoction. It's one of the best things you can have for breakfast as it's got everything you need to kickstart your day. Basically it's a bastardized, personally composed muesli. The great thing about it is that you can adjust it to your own preference. It's very handy to have a large plastic airtight container to store your composed pukkolla in, so try and get hold of one."


Note: I made a few changes, noted in red below, mainly changing up the fruit to dried papaya and dried pineapple, adding ground flax and cinnamon, swapping the dairy milk for unsweetened almond milk, and omitting the optional yogurt dollop and using frozen blueberries.

Pukkolla
Adapted from The Naked Chef Takes Off, Jamie Oliver
(Makes a Bunch or as Jamie says, "Serves Many Mornings")

Composing and Preserving:
8 large handfuls of organic rolled oats
2 large handfuls of ground bran
1 handful of chopped dried apricots (I used dried, unsulphured papaya)
1 handful of chopped dried dates (I used dried, unsulphured pineapple)
1 handful of crumbled walnuts
1 handful of smashed or chopped almonds, hazelnuts or Brazil nuts (I used sliced almonds)
(I added 3 Tablespoons ground flax seed)
(I added 1 Tbsp ground cinnamon and 1 tsp ground cardamom)

Add your oats and bran to your plastic container with the apricots and dates. Add the walnuts and your other chosen nuts. I usually bash them At this point feel free to improvise, adding any other preferred dried fruits like rains, sultanas or figs--but personally I think my combination works pretty well. This will keep for a good couple of months very happily in your airtight container, but you'll have eaten it by then, I guarantee.

Making and Knocking Together:
milk to cover (I used almond milk)
1/2 crunchy apple per person, washed and unpeeled

I would definitely try to make this the night or day before you want to eat it, although it can be made at any time (but you won't get the smooth silky scrumptious texture that the milk gives it overnight). I normally place double the amount of composed pukkolla cereal I need (i.e. four portions for two people) into a bowl. Doubling up like this gives you enough to eat for the next couple of days. Cover with milk, grate in around 1/2 an apple per person and stir immediately to keep the apple from discolouring. Place in the fridge.

Tucking In and Eating:
1/2 banana per person, peeled and sliced or mashed
honey to taste
(I added frozen blueberries)

Remove the bowl from the fridge. You will find that it has softened and thickened, so loosen with a little milk. Add your banana, sliced or mashed. You will find that a lot of natural sweetness has come out of the dried fruit, so add honey to taste. Serve in a bowl with a dollop of yogurt and some mixed fresh berries.


Notes/Results: Cool, sweet, creamy and slightly chewy, these oats make a tasty and quite filling breakfast. When I make muesli or overnight oats as they are sometimes called, I never think to add grated apple, but it adds a nice crisp brightness to the oats. It makes a good quick breakfast as the oats soften all night then you just add a little more milk/almond milk in the morning and top with fruit and the small drizzle of honey or maple syrup. With the banana and blueberries on top and almost in every bite, this is an oatmeal I can enjoy. I will make this again.


Sadly, this is our final week of cooking with Jamie Oliver at IHCC. Next week we start cooking with Tessa Kiros and her beautiful cookbooks. Much as I am excited to cook with a new chef, I will miss my weekly Jamie time--we cooked well together. I thought I would follow the lead of some of my IHCC friends and share some of my very favorite Jamie dishes from the past six months. (Feel free to hum Memory from Cats or Barbara Streisand's The Way We Were as you look at them!) ;-)

Clockwise from top left: (My very first IHCC Jamie recipe) Chickpea Leek and Parmesan Soup, Quick Salmon Tikka with Cucumber Yogurt, Cherry Tomato, Caper & Balsamic Sauce with Pappardelle, Butternut Squash (and Blueberry) Muffins.

Clockwise from top left: Creamy Rice Pudding, Eggplant and Mint Bruschette, Ciabatta Sandwich of Grilled Vegetables with Pesto, & Jamie of course. ;-)

Mmm... These were all delicious.

Happy Weekend!