Jun

15

Millet balls with cucumber salad

June 15, 2009 | 2 Comments

I usually eat carbs for lunch and a salad or vegetables, but I easily get bored of the same old pasta or rice so I like to vary my diet with different grains. During the summer it’s easier to prepare interesting and fanciful dishes thanks to the wide range of vegetables in season so the challenge not to prepare the same dish over and over again becomes easier.

I usually don’t plan my meals in advance and when it’s almost time to eat I have to come up with an idea and a FAST one if I don’t want to hear my hungry child yelling “I’m hungry I want to eat NOW”. I can’t help it but I sometimes risk and decide to prepare a more elaborate time consuming dish at the last minute like this millet balls with cucumber salad and he just has to wait though it’s definitely worth it.

Millet is one of my favorite grains and I would like to eat it more often but the preparation, which is actually not complicated at all blocks me, however I just don’t like to wash it. It’s probably due to the small seeds running everywhere except in the strainer argh… I’m getting better at it. Anyway I really like its flavor and versatility it’s perfect for winter or summer dishes. It can be prepared in many different ways: accompanied with stir fried vegetables, cold with fresh vegetables and herbs, baked in the oven, my favorites is baked millet with squash, in soups or shaped in small balls and fried like in this recipe.

Millet balls with cucumber salad

Ingredients

For the millet balls:
1 1/3 cups hulled millet
2 cloves of garlic
1/4 tsp. salt
1 carrot
1 zucchini
1/2 heaping cup fresh onions
3 tbsp. finely chopped parsley
1 Tbsp. finely chopped mint
1 Tbsp. finely chopped basil
1/2 tsp. sea salt
2 medium eggs
1 cup olive oil or more for frying

For the cucumber salad:
2 cucumbers
1 cup plain yogurt, low fat is also good
1/2 tsp. sea salt
a dust of white pepper
1-2 Tbsp. finely chopped chives or dill depending on your taste
1 clove of garlic

Preparation:

For the cucumber salad:
Cut the extremities of the cucumbers and rub ends to remove bitterness. Peal the cucumbers and cut them lengthwise. Scoop the seeds out and cut the cucumbers in small cubes.
Add the yogurt, the chives or dill and the garlic clove peeled and smashed so that it releases its flavor without being too strong. Season with salt and pepper, combine well and refrigerate until serving at least 30 minutes.

For the millet balls:

How to cook the millet

Wash the millet to eliminate dust, impurities and other seeds by putting it in a bowl covered with water. Drain it and repeat it until the water comes out clean. Toast the millet in a pan for few minutes until tan. Add the water, previously warmed up in a saucepan. The quantity of water is usually the double of the millet volume. Add 1/4 teaspoon salt, 2 cloves of garlic stuck on a toothpick and let it cook uncovered until it starts to boil. Reduce the heat, cover the pan and let it cook for about 20 minutes. The millet is ready when soft and all the water is absorbed. If it happens to be watery but already cooked, pour the extra water out and let it dry for few minutes. Not every millet is the same so check cooking directions on your package or at the store.
You can cook it few hours in advance to avoid it to get dry pour it in a bowl and wet the top with a little bit of water then cover it with plastic wrap.

Warm up the oil in a nonstick skillet, add the chopped onion and saute until translucent, about 8 minutes. Add the thinly shredded carrots and cook for 3 minutes then add the shredded zucchini as well and cook for 2 minutes. Add vegetables to the millet.
Finely chop the herbs and add them to the millet mix until well combined.
Add the eggs, salt and combine well using a wooden spoon.
Warm up the olive oil in a nonstick skillet. Scoop about 1 and a half tablespoons of millet mixture, carefully shape it into a ball and flatten it. When the oil is ready place the millet balls in the pan and let them cook at least 4-5 minute per side or until the surface becomes golden brown and crunchy.
Remove them from the pan and place them on a paper towel to eliminate the extra oil. Serve them accompanied with the refrigerated cucumber salad.

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Comments

2 Comments so far

  1. Michele Washam on June 17, 2009 9:05 am

    Hi Patti, first I want to tell you how much I LOVE your recipes. I live in the foothills of the Smokey Mountains in Tennessee, US and there are NO good Italian restaurants where we live! I was raised in NY in a VERY traditional Italian family (from Perugia!) – I LOVE reading about your grandmother’s recipe’s and love trying them too! It makes me long for those days past when I stood on the stool next to the stove watching my grandmother cook while all the other cousins were out playing. Her love for cooking and recipes from “home” are such a huge part of my life and the memories I have. Thank you so much for all you do here. It is like being with Family! – Love and blessings to you and yours – Shell Washam

  2. admin on June 19, 2009 3:13 am

    @Shell, thank you so much for your kind words, you just made my day brighter. I think we are both lucky to have kept memories of our grandmothers. When I make her recipes my memories of her are more vivid.

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