Hulled Millet

Widely cultivated in the Old World, millet is seeing a resurgence in our modern day food supply. This grass plant produces a white seed that is high in protein and certain trace minerals. Ours is hulled and ready to use.

Malia's Notes:

Pumpkin Millet Muffins

(with cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg)

Crunchy millet gives texture to these muffins, which are full of comforting spices and moist pumpkin sweetness. Toasting the millet and pumpkin seeds in a hot dry skillet imparts a wonderful nutty flavour. Serve for brunch with home-made apple butter.

Yields 15 large muffins

2 eggs, beaten

½ cup (120ml) vegetable oil

1 cup (240ml) buttermilk

¾ cup (180ml) brown sugar

½ tsp (2.5ml) vanilla

1 ½ cups (360ml) pumpkin purée

½ cup (120ml) rolled oats

½ cup (120ml) millet

¼ cup (60ml) pumpkin seeds

1 cup (240ml) unbleached flour

¾ cup (180ml) whole wheat flour

2 tsp (10ml) baking powder

1 ½ tsp (7.5ml) baking soda

½ tsp (2.5ml) salt

½ tsp (2.5ml) cinnamon

½ tsp (2.5ml) ground ginger

¼ tsp (1.2ml) freshly grated nutmeg

1. Pre-heat oven to 350°F. Grease a large muffin pan and line with muffin cups if you like. Set aside. Combine eggs, oil, buttermilk, sugar, vanilla and pumpkin in a large bowl and mix together, making sure there are no lumps of brown sugar. Stir in the oats. Toast millet in a hot dry skillet until lightly browned and fragrant. Toast the pumpkin seeds and add the millet and seeds to the bowl. Set aside.
2. In a separate bowl, sift the dry ingredients together. Add the dry mix to the wet mix and gently stir to combine. Do not overmix, or the muffins will be dry and tough.
3. Fill muffin cups generously with batter. Sprinkle tops with pumpkin seeds and bake for 25 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.

Helpful hint

Oat bran will be a good substitute for the oats, and even flax seeds, instead of the millet, in a pinch!

This is from the “Rebar Modern Food Cookbook”

Millet Pilaf

Millet is an interesting grain that somehow has never become a staple in this country – it is still waiting in the wings for its debut as a popular American grain. At Moosewood, we like it for a change of pace and for its quick cooking time. For variety, try using brown rice, couscous, or bulgur in place of the millet in this recipe.

Serves 4 (total time: 30 -40 minutes)

1 cup millet

2 cups boiling water

¼ teaspoon salt

Pinch of saffron

1 teaspoon olive oil

1 cup minced onions

2 garlic cloves, minced or pressed

½ cup minced celery

½ teaspoon oregano

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

½ cup minced red or green bell peppers

½ cup fresh or frozen green peas

¼ cup currants

1 to 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Salt and ground black pepper to taste

In a cast-iron skillet or other heavy pan, toast the millet on medium-high heat, stirring constantly, until it is fragrant and begins to brown, about 3-5 minutes. Carefully pour the boiling water into the very hot skillet in a thin, steady stream. Add the salt and saffron, cover, and cook on a very low heat for 15 minutes.

While the millet is cooking, warm the oil in a medium saucepan. Add the onions, garlic, celery, oregano, and cinnamon. Sauté for 2 minutes, stirring constantly, then cover and cook on low heat for 5 minutes. Add the bell peppers and peas, cover, and continue to cook until all of the vegetables are tender, about 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, fluff the millet with a fork, replace the cover, and remove it from the heat. When the vegetables are tender, stir in the currants and lemon juice and cook for another minute, until thoroughly hot. Mix the vegetables into the millet and add salt and black pepper to taste.

This recipe is from the "Mosewood Restaurant Low-Fat Favorites- The Moosewood collective"