What the heck - Malt-o-meal
Growing up my mother was not a great culinary practitioner. She couldn't cut onions to save her life, and as a life-long smoker, she over salted everything, but one thing that I sort of fondly remembered was when she made Malt-o-meal. Essentially a porridge, it is a milled grain that you cook with water or milk, until it thickens, then you add butter/cream/brown sugar/raisins or whatever to to make it yummy.
My memory of this was that there were always "lumps" in it, and for some reason, I liked the little nuggets of malt-o-meal. (yes, I was a weird kid).
As an adult, I off and on will make Malt-o-Meal in the morning, and for the life of me I can't ever make it have lumps.
Certainly, if you follow the instructions, stirring while pouring the dry cereal into boiling liquid, you get a smooth, creamy porridge. But I have tried:
- Less stirring
- Dumping it all in at once and stirring
- Dumping it all in at once and sporadic stirring
- ...
Well, you get the idea, no lumps. I am sure my mother didn't purposely make it lumpy, and in truth, you are supposed to not want it lumpy.
But, that is how I remember it, and to this day, I treasure the memories of my Mother's Lumpy Malt-o-Meal.
Le Sigh.