Cardamom, Maple and Black Pepper Granola

Try as I might, I’ve never really been a savory breakfast kind of girl. Sure, I’ll eat an occasional slice of leftover pizza, and I’ll happily break this rule at brunch, but if it’s earlier than 10 AM, it has to be at least slightly sweet. Now don’t worry, it’s not like I subsist on caramels and cookies alone (although I have been known to eat cake for breakfast), most mornings I start off with a BIG bowl of oatmeal with some combination of fruit and nuts. Wholesome, right?

Cardamom pods

Like most relationships, it started with flirtation; sometime late in high-school I got over my fear of the gluey looking porridge and tried a spoonful. Now, I’m not going to lie and say that it was love at first bite* (let’s be real, I’m certain it was a packet of mushy instant oatmeal) but I saw the potential there, and trudged forward. Tinkering with seasonings turned into making oatmeal of the non-instant variety nearly every morning, and for awhile I was happy.

*ew, pun. sorry.

Sometime along the way boredom set in, routine turned to rut, and I tried to change things up. Some days I’d eat waffles, on others scrambled eggs, but inevitably come lunch time I’d be hit with a strong urge to eat a bowl of the steamy porridge.  So, like any good junkie, I’d rush to the stove; fill a pot with oats and water, and 10 minutes or so later dig in with a sense of relief.

Now, really I’m thankful to have my addiction come in the form as something as benign as a grain, but at the same time, I knew I had a problem on my hands when I started traveling with oatmeal in my suitcase (really). Rather than a true intervention (I mean, oats ARE good for you), I prefer to delude myself into thinking that starting my day off with the occasional bowl of granola is breaking the habit.

An observant viewer will notice that the nuts in these pictures are in fact walnuts, not pecans. The first few times (including when I took these snaps) I used walnuts, but something about the pecans just makes this even better. Really though, this is granola, more a technique than recipe, so use whatever pleases your taste buds (I imagine pistachios might be delightful as well), just know that this combination is fantastic. Granola makes a great snack out of hand, a hearty and relatively healthy breakfast when paired with plain yogurt and/or fruit, and a nice hostess or homemade Christmas gift when packaged up in a nice glass jar.

A variation on my Almond Granola

Yield: ≈ 8 servings

4 cups (13 oz/370 g) rolled oats
2 cups (8 oz/ 222 g) coarsely chopped pecans
½ teaspoon freshly ground cardamom (pre-ground will work in a pinch, but fresh is ideal)
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground ginger
¼ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
1 teaspoon kosher salt

3 tablespoons unsalted butter
¼ cup vegetable oil
½ cup dark brown sugar
¼ cup maple syrup (grade B is ideal)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

__________

Preheat oven to 325º.  Prep a half-sheet pan with parchment paper or a silpat for easy clean-up.

In a large bowl mix together oats, walnuts, cardamom, ginger, cinnamon, pepper, and salt.

In a small saucepan over medium-low heat melt the butter with the vegetable oil, brown sugar and maple syrup.  Cook until the sugar is dissolved and the mixture is boiling, stirring occasionally to prevent burning. Whisk in the vanilla extract off the heat.

Pour the caramel perfumed mixture over the dry ingredients and stir until evenly coated. Dump the mixture onto your prepared half-sheet pan and bake for approximately 18-25 minutes (checking around the half-way point to see how it’s coming along and stir a bit to promote even browning).

Take out of the oven when it has taken on a nice golden color and toasty aroma. Allow to cool for a few minutes and break into chunks, ENJOY.

Notes:

Like most granola, this is gluten-free with the caveat that you must use oats marked as gluten-free (Bob’s Red Mill for example). While oats themselves are a gluten-free product, many brands of oats process and package their oats in a manner that may be “contaminated” by other grains (such as wheat and barley) and therefore are not considered 100% gluten free. To read more on this confusing matter, click here.

I use a small inexpensive dedicated coffee grinder to grind my cardamom and other whole spices. Why bother with whole spices vs. pre ground? While it may be marginally less convenient, the essential oils and much of the flavor begins to dissipate from spices as soon as they are ground, therefore the pre-ground spices sold at the market are already much less flavorful than what you get if you grind them yourself. Whole cardamom is generally sold as pods; to process, smash the pods with the flat of a large knife (in the same way you might peel garlic) and remove the black seeds from the pods which can then be discarded. Grind the seeds til fine and powdery in consistency.