Last time we were in Los Angeles, we stopped in at Gjusta (pronounced “Juice-ta”) in Venice for breakfast. We like to take out-of-town friends here when we can, to show off our (air quotes) “totally cool California local food scene”, and maybe even spot a celebrity.
Gjusta is a bakery/café/market known for its creative, fresh, seasonal food and gorgeous baked goods. The breads are incredible! The food is simple but made with sophisticated ingredients and combinations. For breakfast I like the Ham & Cheese Sandwich: pan de mie bun, tasso ham, arugula, white cheddar and harissa ketchup. Delicious!!
My favorite thing to take home from Gjusta (aside from the bread!) is their packaged dry porridge. It’s oatmeal elevated: steel cut oats combined with other grains for a hot, healthy, delicious, everyday breakfast. With Covid, we haven’t been to the restaurant lately, and I haven’t seen their porridge online, so I decided to recreate the recipe myself. This may not be the exact mix of grains Gjusta uses, but I think it’s close, and just as tasty!
(Recreated) Gjusta Porridge
(Makes 12 servings)
2 cups dry steel cut oats
1/3 cup dry millet
1/3 cup dry farro
1/3 cup dry quinoa
Add all four ingredients into a large glass jar. Stir well to mix the grains.
To prepare the porridge:
Add ¼ cup of the mixed grains to 1 ¼ cup of hot water. Bring mixture to a boil, then turn heat down to a low simmer, and cook uncovered for approximately 20-25 minutes, until the porridge is thickened and not overly chewy.
There’s lots of ways to serve this:
-Gjusta suggests adding a splash of vanilla extract; I like a sprinkle of cinnamon or nutmeg
-Top with fresh fruit or berries and chopped nuts;
-Add a teaspoon of brown sugar, honey or maple syrup;
-Drizzle with cow’s milk/almond milk/oat milk/half & half or cream;
-Add raisins, dried cranberries or other dried fruit to the porridge as it’s cooking;
-Stir in sliced bananas and a couple teaspoons of nut butter—peanut, almond, even hazelnut
Notes
-You can experiment with the ratio of oats/water or milk/cooking time until you figure out exactly how you like your porridge.
-I use Bob’s Red Mill dry grains in this mix, although other brands are fine. Tri-color quinoa makes the mix more attractive but doesn’t affect the taste.
-I usually double or triple the dry recipe and store it in a large glass jar. That way I can just scoop out whatever number of servings I want to prepare, without measuring all the individual ingredients.
-Gjusta is located at 320 Sunset Avenue, Venice, 90291 (https://gjusta.com/).
It’s sister restaurant, Gjelina is located around the corner at 1427 Abbot Kinney Blvd, Venice, CA 90291 (https://www.gjelinatakeaway.com/).