We are not used to considering oats as an ingredient in our everyday dishes. Once upon a time, however, this was not the case – and oats with tomato sauce became a typical dish of the Salento culinary tradition, widely demonstrating this fact. Oats with tomato sauce is actually one of the recipes from history and tradition that historically used whatever ingredients were available to people at the time.
Oats with Tomato Sauce – called ‘cranu stumpatu cu lu sucu’ in Salento dialect – is a traditional recipe from Puglia, but it also comes from the neighboring Basilicata and uses one of the few foods accessible to poor farmers: oats accompanied by a simple tomato sauce seasoned with basil and grated pecorino cheese.
The Recipe: Oats with Tomato Sauce
Ingredients:
2 cups whole oats, 4 cups tomato sauce, 2 white onions, ½ cup of grated pecorino cheese, Basil, Extra-virgin olive oil, Salt, Red pepper flakes
Method:
First soak the whole oats in cold water for about 12 hours – this essential step allows the oats to absorb water and softens them for cooking. The next day, the oats will be ready. Cook them for about an hour in a pot with salted water over medium heat, stirring frequently. While the oats cook, make a quick sauce with tomato sauce and basil. Add some lightly fried onion. The trick to preparing oats with the tastiest sauce is to making another onion sauté where you stir-fry the cooked oats for about 10 minutes before seasoning it with the sauce, making it completely absorb the water. After transferring the oats to a dish, pour the sauce over them and sprinkle with pecorino cheese before serving.