Semolina Porridge with Milk

Name: Semolina Porridge with Milk: Thick, Creamy, Lump-Free
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 20 min
Cuisine: European
Ingredients: Milk (2.5%) 1 l; Semolina 100 g; Sugar, vanilla, butter to taste; Fresh berries, jam, etc. for serving

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20 mins

In children’s food, semolina porridge is pretty much the foundation of foundations. I have to admit, I have never met anyone who doesn’t have a childhood memory of a mother or grandmother feeding them this dish, often saying how healthy and necessary it is. I never liked porridge, but I still love thick semolina porridge made with milk. Maybe because it was always served with jam and fresh berries, which is delicious.

People often struggle to say what semolina is made from. Strange as it seems, it is just ground wheat. It is considered a cereal, although in most cases it differs from flour only in the size of the grains produced when it is milled. Besides soups and porridges, semolina is used successfully in baking: mannik with kefir, various casseroles, and even for making syrniki.

Here, semolina is most often made from soft wheat, and it is marked with the letter M. Less common is a mix of soft and durum wheat, marked MT. Semolina from durum wheat, marked T, I have never seen on sale. However, high-quality Italian flour, semola di grano duro, replaces it well. It is generally believed that soft semolina is good for porridges and soups, and durum for baking, desserts, and sweet dishes.

Porridge is a dish of grain boiled in milk or water. It can be thin or thick. There are also dense porridges that can be cut with a knife, although they often have their own names. The thickness of semolina porridge depends on the ratio of grain to liquid, which can vary within very wide limits. After the grain is boiled, the dish is often left to stand, and as it rests the porridge takes on a special consistency.

As a rule, hardly anyone pays attention to the grain’s marking. Buy the ordinary, common semolina you always use. Before using, it’s best to sift the semolina, since it may contain lumps, pests, and various impurities.

Semolina porridge is extremely simple to make. First decide whether to cook it with milk or water, and get the semolina ready. The amount of semolina determines the thickness. For a very dense porridge you can use 1 cup of semolina to 5-6 cups of liquid. For a children’s version, 0.5 cup of semolina per 1 l of milk is enough, or even less. I like my porridge very thick, running very slowly off the spoon, so I add more than half a cup of semolina per liter of milk.

4 ingredientsTo the recipe

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Ingredients

2 servings

Milk (2.5%) 1 l
Semolina 100 g
Sugar, vanilla, butter to taste
Fresh berries, jam, etc. for serving

Step-by-step recipe

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Semolina porridge with milk is the simplest cooking method, and there is nothing difficult about it. Store-bought milk with 2.5% fat or less works perfectly well. If you use homemade milk, remember that its fat content can be much higher. The milk must be as fresh as possible. I remember that in my childhood milk was sold loose from a barrel, so my mother always did a curdling test before boiling it.
It’s easier to cook the porridge in a large pot, since it’s easier to stir. Rinse the pot with cold water and pour in the milk. Put the pot on the heat and warm the milk until it starts to boil. As it boils, the milk rises and often spills over the edge. Everyone knows how milk “runs away”. The smell of burnt milk is something else! As soon as the milk rises and shows signs of boiling, turn the heat to minimum and stir the milk with a spoon. This calms the rising.
Stirring the milk constantly with a spoon, pour in the semolina in a thin stream. Stir well enough, otherwise the porridge will be lumpy. Semolina swells almost immediately and makes the porridge thick. Keep an eye on the thickness. You may need less semolina than planned. The thickness of the porridge is entirely a matter of your taste.
When the porridge is as thick as you like, add vanilla and ordinary sugar to taste, 1-2 tbsp is enough. Let it simmer on the lowest heat for 7-8 mins. Then turn off the heat, add 1 tbsp butter, cover the pot with a lid, and keep the porridge warm for 5-6 mins.
Pour the thick porridge into bowls, add a little butter, and serve right away. You can decorate it with fresh raspberries, strawberries, or blackberries. As a child I loved porridge with cherry jam. With jam it wasn’t white, of course, but I stirred it in and got a great dessert, a bright childhood memory.
If you like, sprinkle the dish with nuts, coconut flakes, even grated chocolate. Porridge is not just breakfast food or food for kids; it can be an excellent dessert.