LITMIR.BIZ

      Porridge originates in Scotland, where the climate is such that oats grow well. The first porridge was probably made of oats, winnowed to remove most of the husks, and then bashed with a rock and boiled in water. In Britain you can still get old-fashioned stone-ground porridge, just as in the old days when grains were ground between big flat stones in wind- or water-powered mills. To this day, in parts of Scotland and Narnia, porridge is eaten with salt, as a savory food. Many of the people of northern Ireland originally came from Scotland, and Jack sometimes liked his porridge with salt and sometimes sweet. In Narnia quite a few of the creatures like porridge—Giants, Dwarfs, Fauns, Centaurs, and others—and because sugar is imported from Calormen, and there is honey in Narnia and salt from the sea, they eat their porridge either way.

       “And here’s porridge—and here’s a jug of cream—and here’s a spoon.”

       —THE HORSE AND HIS BOY

Quick Porridge

      4 SERVINGS

       2 cups milk

       1½ cups water

       ¼ teaspoon salt

       2 cups rolled oats, 5-minute style

      1. In a medium saucepan, bring the milk, water, and salt to a boil.

      2. Stir in the oats and return to the boil.

      3. Lower heat and cook slowly for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Old-fashioned Porridge

      4 SERVINGS

       4 cups water

       ¼ teaspoon salt

       1 scant cup steel-cut oats

      1. In a medium saucepan, bring the water and salt to a boil.

      2. Stir in the oats and return to the boil, continuing to stir for a minute or so.

      3. Lower heat and simmer until the oats are tender and the water is absorbed, adding more water if necessary, about 20–30 minutes.

      Either version of porridge should be served hot with milk or cream and honey and, if you like, a sprinkle of salt. For a delicious change in flavor try a spoonful of brown sugar or cane syrup.

       BACON, EGGS, AND MUSHROOMS

      One of the most delicious smells in the entire world is the smell of smoked bacon frying in a pan on a frosty morning. You can get hungry just thinking about it. Put in some fresh free-range eggs and it gets even better. Add some English button mushrooms, and you have a feast almost too good to eat only at breakfast time. Bacon, eggs, and mushrooms with fresh bread and butter and a glass of fresh milk is one of my very favorite meals. Jack liked mushrooms probably more than anything else, and he loved this particular recipe. In Narnia the Dwarfs are wonderful cooks, and this meal is one their most favorite dishes.

      “It was, in fact, the smell of bacon and eggs and mushrooms all frying in a pan.”

       —THE HORSE AND HIS BOY

      PER PERSON:

       2 pieces thick sliced bacon

       2 white button mushrooms, cleaned, stems trimmed even with base of cap

       2 large eggs

       2 slices bread, toasted, lightly buttered, and halved diagonally

      1. In a nonstick frying pan over medium heat, cook the bacon, turning now and then, until firm but not crispy. Add the mushrooms and cook until they are wilted. Push the bacon and mushrooms to one side of the pan, and tilt the pan so the fat runs down to the other side. Crack the eggs into a saucer and slide them into the fat, keeping the pan tilted until the eggs are set. When they are firm enough to stay in place, set the pan flat on the stove, cover, and cook until the eggs are done.

      2. Drain off the excess fat and place on a warmed plate. Serve with the toast.

       SCRAMBLED EGGS AND TOAST (MUMBLED EGGS)

      For a light meal, you can’t beat scrambled eggs. What we have here is the basic scrambled eggs recipe that has been used for ages and ages all over Narnia. If you want to get adventurous, you can add a few different herbs and spices. But be careful—too much garlic or too much chili could ruin the flavor. Faun Orruns would probably toss in a few finely chopped chives or a touch of garlic because Fauns have delicate and well-refined tastes, though they are light eaters. One interesting thing about scrambled eggs is that you can eat a lot more eggs when they are scrambled than you can if they are fried or boiled.

      Breakfast was scrambled eggs and toast and Eustace tackled it just as if he had not had a very large supper in the middle of the night.

       —THE SILVER CHAIR

      PER PERSON:

       2 slices firm white or wheat bread, toasted, lightly buttered, and halved diagonally

       2 tablespoons butter

       2 large eggs

       Salt and pepper to taste

      1. Keep the toast warm while preparing the eggs.

      2. Warm a nonstick pan and melt the butter over low heat. Break the eggs into the pan and cook over medium heat, stirring in one direction until the mixture begins to set.

      3. With a wooden spoon, pull the egg mixture away from the sides of the pan, and stir the eggs just enough to keep from sticking to the pan.

      4. When the eggs are cooked but still soft, sprinkle with a little salt and pepper and turn out onto warm plates. Tuck a triangle of toast on each side of the eggs and serve while piping hot.

       BUTTERED EGGS

      It was not such a breakfast as they would have chosen, for Caspian and Cornelius were thinking of venison pasties, and Peter and Edmund of buttered eggs and hot coffee.

       —PRINCE CASPIAN

      6 SERVINGS

       6 slices firm white or wheat bread,

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