All it takes is a little creativity and a video camera and you, too, can enter Spar for the Spurtle. We’re not looking for a fancy high-budget video, any old smart phone will do. What we are looking for, however, is a creative dish using Steel Cut Oats. Whether it’s just a fancy version of your morning routine or a whole new culinary enterprise, show us what you’ve done and you might just win yourself a trip to Scotland for two and $2500 cash! You have until 7/22 to submit a video, so get cracking!
Check out videos from last year for some confidence building- if they can do it, so can you!
Get your spurtles ready, it’s time for the Third Annual Spar for the Spurtle American Porridge Making Championship!
Entering is easy — simply submit a short video demonstrating how to make your recipe and submit it via our entry page. Deadline to enter is July 22nd, 2013. Once we’ve reviewed the videos and selected the finalists, we’ll fly three lucky cooks to Portland, Oregon, to compete in a live cook-off. The cook-off winner scores the grand prize — $2500 cash and an all-expenses-paid adventure to Scotland to represent Bob’s Red Mill at the Golden Spurtle World Porridge Making Championship on Saturday, October 5th, 2013!
Be sure to read all the details, including the official rules on the About page, and if you need a little added inspiration, check out the videos. When you’ve done so, you’ll be ready to kick up your kilts and Spar for the Spurtle!
Visit Spar for the Spurtle for more information and to throw your porridge into the ring for a chance to spar for the spurtle!
Prizes
Based on the video submissions, three finalists will be chosen to receive the ultimate trip for Bob’s Red Mill fans. The finalist prize package includes:
Roundtrip airfare to Portland, Oregon
Three-nights’ accommodations at a downtown Portland hotel
A tour of Bob’s Red Mill led by company founder Bob Moore
A gift basket filled with Bob’s Red Mill products and merchandise
$100 Bob’s Red Mill Gift Card
A spot in the live cook-off for a chance at the Grand Prize
$100 for cook-off supplies
The winner of the live cook-off will receive the Grand Prize, which includes the following:
Round-trip airfare for two to Scotland to represent the Bob’s Red Mill team at the 20th annual Golden Spurtle World Porridge Making Championship in October 2013
Two nights’ accommodations in Edinburg, three nights’ accommodations in Carrbridge (for two)
Rail transportation between Edinburgh and Carrbridge (for two)
$2500 cash
Recipe Requirements
If you have an original recipe that makes use of Bob’s Red Mill Steel Cut Oats that you think could contend for the title, simply make a short (less than three-minute) video detailing the recipe and how to make the dish.
Recipe Tips
Flavor Matters
In case you didn’t know, flavor will rule the day. Judges will be looking for a dish that blends ingredients harmoniously and can be prepared in 30 minutes or less. They’ll also have on eye on flavors that have universal appeal and make oats really shine. Dishes can be sweet or savory, but steel cut oats should be the star of your dish.
Looks Matter
When it comes to porridge, taste is paramount. But how it looks is important, too. Get creative with your video and plating, with hundreds of entries, something that stands out will get the judges attention. Judges will be looking for something with flair to bring to Scotland.
Time Matters
Get creative, but know that the winning dish will need to be cooked on the stovetop using only two burners and able to be created from start to finish within 30 minutes. Oats may be soaked or toasted prior to the start of the 30 minutes, but they cannot be cooked in any way. Other ingredients can be prepped (sliced, diced, candied) and ready to go before the clock starts ticking.
In just a few short days, the Bob’s Red Mill team and Spar for the Spurtle winner Laurie Figone will embark on their journey to Carrbridge, Scotland to compete in the 19th Annual Golden Spurtle World Porridge Championship. This year, Laurie will compete with her Italian Pinhead Torta and our steel cut oats against 14 other oat connoisseurs to see if she can bring home an award in one of the three categories (heck, maybe she can bring home all three!).
Does Laurie Figone’s Italian Pinhead Torta have what it takes to win? We certainly think so.
Yes, you read that right, this year, unlike previous years, there will be not two categories, but three! Laurie will cook traditional porridge using our steel cut oats, water and salt in the Traditional category for a chance to take home the Golden Spurtle, the same award we secured in 2009. She’ll also pit her amazing Italian Pinhead Torta against all sorts of other culinary creations in the Specialty category. The third category, People’s Choice, is new this year and will allow three spectators to collaborate with the three official judges to select an additional specialty dish winner. You can view past winners and other specialty recipes that have competed at the Golden Spurtle here.
Wish Laurie luck in the comments.
The competition takes place on October 6th, this year and our team couldn’t be more excited. We’d like them to know just how excited we are for them- help us wish them luck in the comments. We’ll have a full recap after the competition. Check our Facebook page and Twitter feed to keep up to date on how the competition went.
This recipe comes from Kerri Willoughby, a finalist in our 2012 Spar for the Spurtle. These oatmeal dumplings make a special treat for a cool, Autumn morning and would also be a fabulous dessert served with ice cream. They come together easily, but give the effect of something that took hours to prepare. To make this gluten free, simply replace the steel cut oats and thick rolled oats with our gluten free versions and use our GF Biscuit Mix in place of the Buttermilk Biscuit Mix.
Drop the mixture by large tablespoons into the simmering raspberry liquid allowing room in between each. Cover; bring to an easy boil for 7 minutes. Turn off heat and allow to cool slightly. Remove lid and allow to rest for 10 minutes.
Serve dumplings warm with ice cream or freshly whipped cream, fresh raspberries, mint, oat granola (recipe follows), and cinnamon garnish.
OPTIONAL: For a delicious granola crunchy topping, combine:
We are so pleased to announce that Laurie Figone won first place in Spar for the Spurtle 2 on Friday. All three of the contenders delivered delicious and beautiful dishes and I think the judges had their work cut out for them. Ultimately, the panel of celebrity judges selected Figone’s recipe as the winner based on taste, creativity and overall presentation. The judges – New York Times “Recipe for Health” columnist Martha Rose Shulman; food journalist, best-selling author and former Iron Chef America judge Kim Sunée; and Whole Living magazine Executive Editor Jocelyn Zuckerman – said the decision was a tough one, but that Figone’s dish really shined.
“Wow, winning a competition like this is truly a dream come true for me!” said an emotional Figone following the competition. “I am just so excited to go to Scotland and compete in the World Porridge Championship on behalf of Bob’s Red Mill, and I thank Bob and everyone at the company for the opportunity.”
We wish Laurie the best of luck in the coming months as she prepares to take her dish to the international stage at the 19th Annual Golden Spurtle World Porridge Championship in October. Below is her winning recipe (watch her video here). From here, she plans to create a tomato coulis to top this dish and will begin honing her traditional porridge skills. We’ll share the tomato coulis when we get it, but for now, enjoy! [Note: This recipe can easily be made gluten free by using our Gluten Free Steel Cut Oats.]
Italian Pinhead Torta
My recipe for ‘Italian Pinhead Torta’ is reminiscent of a torta my Mother-in-Law used to make with white rice, eggs, oregano and Parmesan cheese.
By substituting Bob’s Red Mill Steel Cut Oats (or ‘pinheads’ as they are commonly called) for the rice, my torta now has an incredible texture that I love!! I have also added fresh zucchini, sun-dried tomatoes for a hint of sweetness, mushrooms for their earthiness, fresh oregano to awaken your taste buds and Parmesan cheese to bring it all together!!
Mangia!!
1 oz. dried Portabella mushrooms, rehydrated in 1-½ cups boiling water for 10 minutes (reserving the liquid to soak the oats in). After soaking; drain, squeeze dry and dice mushrooms.
1-½ cups Bob’s Red Mill Steel Cut Oats (also known as pinhead oats) soaked in reserved mushroom liquid for 10 minutes.
6 Tbsp Butter, divided
1 cup diced Onion
1 cup coarsely shredded Zucchini
½ cup diced Sun Dried Tomatoes in olive oil, drained
6 Eggs, room temperature
½ cup chopped fresh Oregano
1 tsp Garlic Salt with Parsley
1 cup dried Parmesan Cheese
Fresh Parmesano Reggiano for garnish
Heat 2 TBSP. butter in an 11 inch non-stick frying pan over medium heat. Sauté onion.
While onion is sautéing, heat 2 TBSP. butter in a 10 inch saucepan over medium-high heat. Add soaked steel cut oats and stir constantly for 2-3 minutes or until remaining liquid has evaporated. Remove from heat and set aside.
Once onion has become translucent; add the following to the pan: mushrooms, zucchini, sun dried tomatoes and steel cut oats; mix well. Remove from heat.
In a large mixing bowl; beat eggs and then add garlic salt, oregano and parmesan cheese. Mix well and then stir in steel cut oat mixture.
Return 11 inch frying pan to medium to medium-high heat and add remaining 2 TBSP. butter. When butter has melted, immediately pour in steel cut oat mixture and place a tight fitting lid on your pan. Cook covered for 10 minutes or until cooked through. Remove lid and remove pan from heat; invert onto a serving plate. Immediately top with freshly grated Parmesano Reggiano.
If you’re in the Portland area on Friday, come out and join us for the 2nd Annual Spar for the Spurtle Cook-off. Festivities begin at 2 pm on Friday, August 10th and wrap up around 3 pm. We’ll have a talented local bagpiper and celebrity judges including Kim Sunée, author of A Trail of Crumbs; Jocelyn Zuckerman, Executive Editor of Whole Living Magazine; and Martha Rose Shulman from The New York Times. Our three finalists will compete to see who will travel to Scotland this October to compete in the 19th Annual Golden Spurtle World Porridge Making Championship.
If you missed who our finalists are, we chose Lanie Smith with her Paradise Porridge Potstickers, Kerri Willoughby with her Raspberry Oatmeal Dumplings and Laurie Figone with her Italian Pinhead Torta. Check out their videos here.
Come on down to our Whole Grain Store, have lunch on the patio and join in the fun at 2 pm on Friday. We hope to see you!
The judges had their work cut out for them this year. With over 92 entries in Spar for the Spurtle, narrowing it down to just three finalists meant watching a lot of videos! There was a lot of discussion about whether the dish could really be done in 30 minutes and whether the ingredients chosen would be something that could be procured in Scotland. After all, the winner of Spar for the Spurtle will have to take their dish to an international arena for the Golden Spurtle World Porridge Making Championship and, as we learned in 2010, some ingredients are not available in Scotland.
I think the judges chose well with these three winners. If it were up to me, I’d fly everyone out and have a big spurtle party. There were so many creative videos and so many delicious dishes! We’ll be working to get recipes for each video and put them up on our site soon. Without further ado, here are our finalists. Congratulations to the three finalists and our most sincere thanks to everyone who entered and voted!
Paradise Porridge Potstickers from Lanie Smith, The Vintage Cook
The almost two months that we’ve had this competition running have flown by and the doors close on Spar for the Spurtle this Sunday night (7/22). That means you still have time to think of an idea and film your 3 minute-or-less video this weekend. I’ve been asking folks around the mill what they would enter if they could and many of us truly don’t know. It’s no easy task to come up with one of these ideas, so we’ve made a great little inspiration board on Pinterest to spark your creativity. In the meantime, entries are rolling in and here are some of my favorites from the last couple of days. As another reminder, I have no say in who gets to come to Portland.
Summer Savory Porridge from Anne of Apron Strings- this one has cheddar, chives, tomatoes AND bacon!
Creamy Eggnog Oatmeal from Jonathan (I love his enthusiasm!)
Finally, this video deserves some serious props. I don’t know who entered it, but they really went above and beyond on the video portion (plus, I happen to fancy rum balls).
The Spar for the Spurtle arbiters have graciously extended the deadline for entry into the contest to Sunday, July 22nd. That gives you a full extra weekend to whip up your entry. We’ve been getting some great entries, but it’s still anyone’s game. As a reminder, there are a lot of great prizes floating around for this competition. We’ll select three winners from all of the videos and fly them to Portland where they’ll compete in a live cook-off for our celebrity judges. Not only is that a trip to Portland, but three nights’ accommodations in beautiful downtown Portland (where you can visit iconic places like Powell’s City of Books and enjoy the plethora of food carts), a gift bag from Bob’s Red Mill that will contain a slew of goodies plus some lovely olive oils from our friends at California Olive Ranch, $100 Bob’s Red Mill Gift Card and $100 towards cooking supplies. Not to mention that you’ll get a behind-the-scenes tour of Bob’s Red Mill from Bob himself!
On top of all of this, the grand prize winner will be flown to Scotland with a guest for an all-expenses paid trip to Carrbridge to compete at the Golden Spurtle World Porridge Championship. This trip includes round-trip airfare for two, two nights’ accommodations in Edinburgh, three nights’ accommodations in Carrbridge at the lovely Fairwinds Hotel, rail transportation to the Scottish Highlands and $2500 cash.
To inspire you, here are some of our recent entries. There are so many great videos, it was hard to pick just three to feature here.
Cherry Almond Porridge from Rachel Kimbrow, one of the 2011 Spar for the Spurtle finalists.
Tuscan Oats with Basil and Prosciutto from Jamie Brown Miller
Poppy Seed Raisin Oatcakes with Ginger Spiced Pears from Darlene
We’ve had quite a slew of entries in Spar for the Spurtle come in since last week and I wanted to highlight some that are really fun. We’re not playing favorites and just because I pick these to feature does not mean they will win, in fact, I have no say in who will get flown to Portland. I just thought they were unique and the recipes sound delicious. We’ve received more savory dishes this year than sweet and I love that. I think it’s great that folks are thinking outside of the box with Steel Cut Oats.
Before we get to videos, I want to list off the winners from our giveaway. These folks were selected at random and will each receive a set of Bob’s Red Mill Steel Cut Oats and a spurtle. Thanks for voting and helping the judges see who you think should win. You still have 7 days to enter Spar for the Spurtle and throw your hat in the ring to win a trip to Scotland for two and $2500.
Our winners are: Athena, Mardell, Tanya, Ray and Renata. I’ll get in touch today to get your shipping info. Congratulations and thanks for playing!
I really liked this recipe from Maiah for Espresso Chip Pancakes. It’s creative and sounds delicious.
This recipe from Shawn Christopher of The Gluten Free Spouse uses steel cut oats to make hors d’oeuvres. I had to giggle at his creative solution when his video started running long.
Finally, this one just strikes my fancy with its savory flavors and use of salmon. This is Oat-kayu Porridge with Mirin Glazed Salmon from Bob (not THAT Bob).
Check out the rest of the innovative creations at www.sparforthespurtle.com and help us pick round one winners by voting.
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