Millet:- The Neglected Grain: A Recipe

Millet is a neglected food in North America. Many of us know it best as bird seed because it is often packaged as such. However, millet is an inexpensive and easy to use grain. The millets are a group of small-seeded species of cereal crops or grains that are widely grown around the world for food and fodder.

I buy millet at a local organic specialty food store but some bulk stores and larger grocery stores will also carry it.

Try the following recipe to see if millet is something that you can add to your menu.

Millet in Tomato sauce.

Ingredients:

1 C. (237 ml) millet grains

1 tsp. sea salt

3 1/2 to 4 C. (835 to 960 ml) water

Preparation.

1. Combine millet, salt, and water in a 2-quart (2 liter) saucepan.
2. Cover, and bring to a boil over high heat. Turn heat down to low and steam for 15 minutes.
3. Remove from heat, and set aside for 15 minutes without lifting lid.

Tomato sauce:

To Serve: Spoon millet into a large bowl or casserole. Ladle some of the tomato sauce over the top

You may have noticed that I use sea salt in my cooking rather than table salt. What is the difference?

Sea salt is a broad term that generally refers to unrefined salt derived directly from a living ocean or sea. It is harvested through channeling ocean water into large clay trays and allowing the sun and wind to evaporate it naturally. Manufacturers of sea salt typically do not refine sea salt as much as other kinds of salt, so it still contains traces of other minerals, including iron, magnesium, calcium, potassium, manganese, zinc and iodine.

I find that sea salt adds more flavour possibly because of the trace minerals that are still in it. Some of the most common sources for sea salt include the Mediterranean Sea, the North Sea, and the Atlantic Ocean (particularly in France, on the coast of Brittany). Sea salt is thought to be healthier and more flavorful that traditional table salt.

Sea salt can be purchased in most grocery stores and is available in coarse, fine & extra fine grain size.

Its mineral content gives it a different taste from table salt which is pure sodium chloride which is usually refined from mined rock salt.

If you are a low salt regime then using sea salt does not mean that you can use more. Your family doctor is your best source of information when it comes to making any dietary changes if you have any health conditions.