Spicy Breakfast Farina

There are so many different grains out there that I can’t even keep up. However, my mom always made this delicious breakfast to hide that fact we were eating something healthy.

Farina is a cereal food, and usually it is served as a sweet breakfast. But because I don’t like oatmeal, I knew I wouldn’t like farina. Somehow, my mom turned a sweet breakfast into a spice-crazed plate of deliciousness. I have always said that my mom is the best cook that I have ever met and no restaurant could compare, and this is just a very small example of why. I have borrowed this recipe from her.

Just some benefits of a few of the ingredients;

Farina : made from the germ and endosperm of the grain. Enriched with Vitamin B and iron. When enriched, it is one of the single best sources of dietary iron available.

Turmeric : a natural botanical compound that has a peppery, warm and bitter flavor and a mild fragrance slightly reminiscent of orange and ginger. Some benefits of turmeric include blocking an enzyme that promotes the growth of head and neck cancer, it is a very powerful antioxidant, and is one of the most potent natural anti-inflammatories available.

So now that the health benefits are listed, let’s start with the ingredients you will need;

1 cup of Farina
Virgin olive oil
1/2 onion
Dried red chilies (to your liking)
Ghost pepper salt (newest craze)
Salt (to your liking)
Pinch of turmeric
1 egg
1 cup of water

**Disclaimer:: What you see below is double the serving, in case you were confused. **

1. Start by taking the farina and sauteing it in a pan. (No oil). After a few minutes (roughly 5-6 minutes on a medium heat) of tossing it around, pull away from the heat and set it aside. 2. In a different pot, add the oil. Let it warm up over a medium heat. Once heated, add the onions. 3. As the onions brown, take the dried red chilies and cut them so the pepper flakes are out of their skin. Then add them to the onions. 4. After a few minutes of sauteing, add the egg. (Below you will see two due to the serving size). **I like to use organic or hen eggs. 5. Mix that up. I like to call it “the omelette stage”. Once mixed up, you will then add the farina. After adding the farina is when you will have to work fast.

6. After the farina is mixed in, add the salt and turmeric. You do not necessarily need to add ghost pepper salt. I am just obsessed with it after finding it at a local shop this past weekend. I am trying to add it to everything to bring that fire. The turmeric will bring a nice yellow coloring to your dish.

Advice:: add the salt in stages. It’s safer to add a little in the beginning so you can add more to your liking. 7. The last, but the most important step is adding the water. You do not want to add the water at once, but little by little. I like to sprinkle it on and then mix the farina. I do that a few times until the farina starts to clump up. If need be, you can add more water, but it is a dry a dish so you do not want to add a lot. Do not add more than 1.5 cup of water.