In the Russian Empire, expensive semolina was considered a "master's delicacy". And in Soviet Russia, it gradually turned into a nightmare for all young children. Slippery, sticky, with lumps and foams … The princess turned into Cinderella. Why did it happen? And how to cook semolina porridge so that it delights children and adults?
Semolina is a coarse flour made from durum wheat. It is cooked in minutes, digestible well, contains a minimum amount of fiber (0.2%), is rich in vegetable protein and starch. This is the only porridge that is digested in the lower part of the intestine and only there is absorbed into its walls. That is why it is included in diets prescribed for diseases of the gastrointestinal tract. In general, not porridge, but some kind of holiday of health (unless it is categorically contraindicated for diabetics, and it is not recommended for children under one year old now).
The extraordinary ease of preparation, coupled with its cheapness and health benefits, made semolina porridge incredibly popular. And the same deceptive simplicity led to the fact that they cooked it as necessary, "by eye". And it turned out … tasteless.
How to cook classic semolina porridge in milk without lumps
In fact, the rules for cooking semolina are simple. Boil semolina in milk. And very strictly observe the proportions (per liter of milk - one and a half glasses of cereal).
Bring the milk to a boil and, stirring constantly, pour in the semolina in a trickle. In this case, the trickle should not be "the thinner the better", as many believe. The fact is that foams form on the surface of boiling milk, and the lightest grains of semolina cannot cope with this obstacle. That is why lumps appear in the porridge. Therefore, the secret of cooking semolina without lumps is to add cereal more boldly.
Semolina porridge should be cooked, stirring constantly, for one or two minutes. After that, turn off the heat, close the pan with a lid and let the porridge brew for 10-15 minutes. During this time, she "will reach the condition."
Now you can season the dish with butter, add pieces of fruit or berries, jam, pre-soaked raisins … And try real semolina!
How to turn semolina into dessert: the easiest way
Manna porridge is especially good because it goes well with many products, going both for the main course and for an exquisite dessert.
The easiest way to make a semolina dessert is to pour the still warm semolina porridge, cooked in milk, into portioned silicone molds, then cool and put the “mini-pudding” on a plate.
You can serve such porridge with whipped cream, chocolate or berry sauce, condensed milk, jam … The scope for creativity is practically unlimited here. You can "improve" the porridge itself by adding vanilla or cinnamon, pieces of marmalade or fruit to it before cooling.
In this form, even the most fastidious children eat "boring semolina". It is especially good in the summer heat, when you do not feel like eating hot porridge at all. But a portion of such a delicacy is quite good for a full breakfast.
But, of course, there are other recipes for semolina delicacies.
Guryev porridge recipe
The most famous type of semolina porridge is the one that, according to legend, was invented by Count Guryev, the Minister of Finance of the Russian Empire, a pretty sweet tooth. Rather, it can be called semolina cake. Emperor Alexander III was very fond of Guryev's porridge; it even appeared on the menu of the gala dinner in honor of his coronation. This is a very laborious, but at the same time very tasty dish.
In order to cook the imperial porridge, you will need:
- 1, 25 p. milk or cream
- 0.5 cups semolina,
- 0.5 kg of walnuts or pine nuts,
- 0.5 cups sugar
- 0.5 cups seedless jam,
- 2 tbsp. tablespoons of butter
- cardamom (or ground lemon zest, or cinnamon).
Pour the peeled nuts with boiling water for a few minutes, then discard in a colander, peel, dry and chop.
Pour milk or cream into a flat and wide refractory dish and place in a preheated oven. After a while, dense, strong milk froths will begin to form on the surface. When the froth turns brown, remove it from the milk and put it in a separate bowl, then return the milk to the oven again. In total, it is necessary to collect from 8 to 12 foams from milk.
Cook semolina in the remaining milk and add sugar, spices, chopped nuts to it. Add oil and mix well.
Pour a thin layer of semolina into a fireproof dish with high edges (its thickness should be from five millimeters to a centimeter), carefully cover it with foam. You can sprinkle the foam with nuts, fruits, candied fruits, etc. Then you need to pour the second layer, layer it with foam, and so on. Add a little jam to the penultimate layer.
The resulting "puff" must be put in a heated oven for 10 minutes. After that, remove the porridge, cover with the remaining jam or garnish with fruit, sprinkle with nuts and serve in the same bowl.
Double Layer Manna: A Simple Semolina Dessert
Of course, there are simpler recipes for semolina-based delicacies. To prepare a two-layer manna, you will need:
- 200 g semolina,
- 1.25 glasses of milk
- 1, 25 glasses of berry juice (you can use cranberry, currant, blueberry),
- sugar to taste.
Cook two servings of thick and sweet semolina porridge: one in milk, the other in berry juice.
Pour a layer of milk porridge on the dish, on top - a layer of berry porridge and let it harden. Cut the cold manna into pieces and serve with jam or whipped cream.
Instead of a berry layer, you can make a chocolate layer - for this, boil the semolina in milk with the addition of cocoa powder.
Semolina without milk: berry mousse
To prepare this dessert, take:
- 200 g cranberries or blueberries,
- 200 g sugar
- 4 tablespoons semolina.
Mash the berries, add half a glass of boiling water and let it brew for 10-15 minutes. Strain, squeeze the berry through cheesecloth. Put the resulting juice in the refrigerator.
The remaining berry cake should be poured with water (0.5 liters), brought to a boil, boiled for 5-10 minutes and filtered. Add sugar to the resulting broth, bring to a boil, add semolina. Boil for 1-2 minutes, let it brew.
After that, the finished porridge must be cooled, pour cranberry juice into it (it was not heat-treated and retained all the vitamins) and beat with a mixer until it increases in volume by one and a half to two times.
Spread the finished mousse in the bowls and refrigerate for 3-4 hours.
Recipe for semolina porridge on water: "fried" semolina
Classic semolina porridge is cooked in milk. But semolina can also be cooked in water by boiling savory porridge, the taste of which will be completely different from "baby food".
To prepare semolina porridge in water, take:
- 1 glass of semolina,
- 50 grams of butter
- bulb,
- vegetable oil, salt to taste.
Peel the onion, chop and fry in vegetable oil until golden brown.
Fry the semolina in a dry frying pan until light brown.
Pour the prepared cereal into boiling salted water and cook, stirring vigorously, for 2-3 minutes. Let it brew under the lid, then season with fried onions.
