Millet ~ The Secret Ingredient

Millet cannot be bought in stores here, so I did/do have to order this online.  Funny thing is, is that it arrived timely with Hubby's sugar issues.   This brand is non-gmo as well as organic.

Millet is what they call a "smart carb" so I wanted to try it for a healthy grain in our meals.  It is said to help maintain blood sugar levels.  And of course, it has a lot more benefits than that.

I dug out my handy dandy recipe books and found a recipe  for Millet Broccoli Souffle.  The nice part about this recipe, is that we grow broccoli.  Ours is not ready yet, so I did buy organic at the store for this. Now we did use our own goat's milk, but don't use the canned stuff from the store (it's nasty).  If you don't have access to fresh goat's milk, I would use organic milk. The bad part about this recipe, is it uses more time than I'd like, and more dishes.  The healthiness makes it worth it.

It's a self-sufficient recipe.  You can also grow your own millet, but of course we can't do everything.  

Adapted from Homegrown Whole Grains, by Sara Pitzer

Millet-Broccoli Souffle
1 large onion, chopped
1 Tbsp. butter, organic
4 eggs, separated
1/4 cup butter, organic
1/4 cup flour, organic
1 cup fresh goat's milk (or organic milk)
1 cup cooked and chopped broccoli, organic
1 cup cooked millet, organic, non-gmo
1 teaspoon salt

Saute the onion in the tablespoon of butter until tender, then set aside.  Beat the egg yolks and set aside.  Melt the 1/4 cup of butter, stir in flour, and cook over low heat until the mixture becomes light brown.  Gradually stir in the milk, beating with a whisk, to make a thick cream sauce.  Cook, stirring constantly, over low to medium heat, until the sauce is very thick, then add a little of the sauce to the egg yolks, stir in to temper the yolks, and mix the yolks into the sauce in the pan.

Beat the egg whites, which should be room temperature, until they are stiff but not dry, and set aside.

Preheat the oven to 350°F.  Combine the broccoli and the sauteed onion, being sure to drain off any water that may remain in the broccoli pan.  Mix in the millet, then the cream sauce.  Combine these ingredients thoroughly.  Season with the salt. Gently fold in the stiffly beaten egg whites. Do not over-mix.  Pour this mixture into a 6 cup ungreased baking dish and bake for 40 to 50 minutes, or until souffle is set.  Serve at once.  

Yield:  6 servings

This was very good.  It bakes up nice and light, and barely sticks to the pan on the sides.  I was worried, when it said "ungreased" baking dish.  

Tips:  This takes a lot of dishes and time.  While my millet was simmering, I was able to chop my onion, steam my broccoli and separate eggs etc.  Once my onion was browned, I scooped it into a bowl with the cooked broccoli, and used the same pan to make the sauce in.  

There are a few ways to prepare millet too.  I simply toasted mine for a minute or two in a tablespoon of butter (not letting it brown), then added 3 cups of water.  I brought it to a boil, covered it and let it simmer for about 45 minutes (taking the lid off during the last 10-15 minutes to evaporate any leftover liquid in it.  Also, only stir once in the end, then fluff with a fork.  Otherwise you will end up with a gooey millet.  There is no salt used.  The salt in the butter is enough.

Leftover millet can be used to make what's called "Skillet Millet" as well.   I'll share that process in another blog post too.  It turns into a side dish for pork chops or what not.

Which reminds me, while on the island, Hubby and I tried a Tabbouleh salad.  It was delicious.  I think one of the grains they used was actually barley, but it was really good.  I bet cooked millet could be added to something like that too.

I also made us a crock pot of breakfast steel cut oats with apples, raisins and locally grown walnuts.  I never lose with this meal either.  The kids eat it for a snack. And because I need new content for tomorrow's blog post (he he), I'll share that recipe too. I may have already, but will post it just in case.