To be honest, the only thing I knew about millet was what I read in fairy tales
. You know, some evil, jealous stepmother or warty witch in the spooky woods would capture a flaxen haired and beautiful Princess down on her luck and pining for true love. The lovely but modest and misunderstood maiden would then be forced to find needles in haystacks or pluck wool off surly sheep or sort millet seeds.
Tasks any one of us can relate to, right?
I mean, who doesn't relate to the tedium of domestic chores? Just when you finish matching the last pair of spring fresh tube socks, the hamper begins to fill again in all its stinky glory. Mysteriously. It is never empty. Never. And the floor you finally got around to wiping clean and polishing until it gleams- if not twinkles- in the afternoon sunlight gets mauled by muddy rubber soles before you can count two shakes of a lamb's tail. And we won't even hint at the horrors that perpetuate in the so-called powder room. Mrs. Meyers
isn't rich by accident.
Fairy tales about feminine obedience and compliance in practicing our household chores (a skill set valued prior to Helen Gurley Brown
) instructed us -pre-kindergarten- that the dutiful are not only more comely than their whining, snarky counterparts, in the end- when push comes to shove- the gallant and toothsome Prince will actually prefer duty and obedience. We are persuaded that if we are patient and kind and willingly clean out the ashes in the fireplace, he will pick us. The good girl.
The exiled Princess missing a slipper.
His tender kiss will awaken us. His gaze becomes our prize. Our ultimate reward. So we can follow him back to the castle
.
And wash his underwear.
The sparkly fairy tales we are fed today play out differently. There's no millet or spindles or poisoned apples involved. Carrie Bradshaw
(not to mention, every female reality show
contestant for the last ten years) hungers not only for the timeless promise of love (and expensive shoes) but for fame. It isn't enough to snag a Prince.
The whole world has to watch
.
The contemporary Princess doesn't feel alive if she's not being observed, if she's not the center of media attention. She craves external validation and mirroring like an addict. Which- in a strange, if not Jungian way- circles 'round and reflects the old school fairy tales of my childhood. The neglected Princess locked away in a tower and the maiden drugged and sealed in a cold glass casket share the same root desire with her narcissistic sisters giggling in reality show hot tubs or throwing tantrums as if on cue, or dripping big fat tears of shame on their EatSmart Scales.
They want to be seen. And heard.
And I suspect, not simply for their lip implants, or how pearly white their teeth are, or what their opinion is on the latest gossip. They long to be valued. And yes, I suppose you could argue that it boils down to wanting love, but I think it's something deeper, more intimate.
I think it's about self-hood. And wrestling with authenticity.
Trying to figure out nothing less than Who am I? The hunger for that answer fuels their drive to be famous. As if we, the observer, possess the answer.
But we don't.
Individuation is a solitary task. You can try on attributes and bounce bits and pieces off those around you and see if they stick- or fall off. You can read and listen and observe and sleep on it. You can change the sheets or write in a journal. You can make a pot of soup or order sushi take-out.
You can find love and you can lose love and still not have a clue to who you really are.
The answer isn't out there. It's inside. And the bit by bit excavation is worth it. One might even say, the process is its own reward. Because how you value your true self is how the world will see you.
And that missing slipper?
It's right where you left it.
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| Spring millet side dish with carrots and fresh herbs. |
Spring Millet Recipe with Carrots, Mushrooms and Mint
Millet cooks up much like quinoa. The taste is a pleasant change from the usual white rice. It's more akin to brown rice, flavor wise, and can handle any herbs and seasonings you can throw at it.
Ingredients:
1 cup whole grain millet
Olive oil, as needed
1/4 cup white wine
1/4 cup white wine
1 and 3/4 cups hot water
Olive oil, as needed
1/4 cup red onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 cup sliced mushrooms
1 cup chopped carrots
Sea salt and ground pepper, to taste
A splash of white wine
Instructions:
First cook the millet. In a saucepan or pot with a cover, pour a little olive oil into the bottom and set it over medium heat. Add the millet grains and using a wooden spoon stir the millet to toast a bit. After a couple of minutes add in the wine. Stir. Add in the hot water, stir and cover. Lower the heat to a low simmer. Cook the millet for about 25 minutes, till all the liquid is evaporated.
First cook the millet. In a saucepan or pot with a cover, pour a little olive oil into the bottom and set it over medium heat. Add the millet grains and using a wooden spoon stir the millet to toast a bit. After a couple of minutes add in the wine. Stir. Add in the hot water, stir and cover. Lower the heat to a low simmer. Cook the millet for about 25 minutes, till all the liquid is evaporated.
Meanwhile cook up your vegetables. Drizzle some olive oil in a large skillet and heat over medium heat. Add the onion and stir for a minute or too. Add in the garlic; stir. Add the mushrooms and carrots. Season with sea salt and ground pepper. Add a splash of white wine. Stir and cook until the vegetables are tender.
When the millet is cooked, fluff with a fork and add it to the skillet mixture. Drizzle with more olive oil and season with sea salt and ground pepper, to taste.
Toss in:
Fresh chopped parsley
Fresh chopped mint
Pine nuts
Serve immediately as a side dish.
Yield: Serves 4
Recipe Source: glutenfreegoddess.blogspot.com
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32 comments:
I have been playing more with millet recently too - and it really is lovely. I will definitely try this recipe :) Enjoy!
This one is a very healthy recipe.. I have not been using this wonderful whole grain for quite awhile.. will definately try this one!
This looks delicious! And, I love millet. Thansk :)
Lovely post and the millet looks delicious too. I still have never eaten millet; someday you must cook it for me either in LA or in Utah!
Hey I adore your quote about 'individuation', and how we can find love and lose love and still not have a clue who we are, and how the slipper is out there just waiting for us. Very inspirational thanks. Thanks too for the gluten free recipe, it looks delicious and I will try it!
Lovely! I think I'd love some peas in here, just for fun. Yum.
I love how, in this post and maybe in life, millet is not just millet. It's a metaphor for so much more. Great post Karina! Really got me thinking. Plus an excellent side dish!
Add nuts and it is the main dish. I am going to make mine with some wild leeks we have growing "around" the bush!
Yea, this is great. Grain recipes are so essential and this looks yum. I so appreciate your blog, Ms. K. :D Thank you, thank you!
I love how this looks, its so colorful!
I recently started using millet and found the texture a bit rough, even when I soaked it overnight before cooking it. Is it possible to get it as soft as quinoa?
I have been reading your blog for years, sometimes a bit more off than on, as the life of a mother often dictates much of my quiet reading time. This post filled me in a way that food and recipes cannot. Thank you for sharing.
This looks so tasty. I love the simplicity, it really is gorgeous! :)
~Aubree Cherie
This is so simple and lovely, and it's one of those great recipes that can be adapted depending on what one has on hand. I had organic shallots instead of onion, Madeira instead of white wine, and I used organic baby bella mushrooms, parsley, and pinenuts. Fantastic! We paired it with a very simple Puree of Carrot Soup from Nava Atlas' book, "The Vegetarian 5-Ingredient Gourmet". Scrumptious! This is the first time I've commented (I think), Karina, and I thank you so much for all your wonderful words and recipes! :-)
Thank you! I bought millet recently as an alternative to rice and quinoa, and I've been at a loss as to what to do with it.
I loved this post so much I had to read it out loud to my husband.
I will try the millet this way. I normally prefer quinoa, as a bad millet for breakfast gig sent it off my list as whole grain. The flour is fabulous though so it must deserve a second chance with your endorsement.
You are fabulous, but you knew that already.
XXOO,
~Jenn Scott in Forest Grove,Oregon
Oh! How I love your posts. Such beautiful and intense thoughts conveyed in such simple words. You are awesome. Thanks for the recipe too, will try it soon. - Meenakshi.
Wonderful dish - I'd never had whole millet before, just the flour, and this was a great introduction. The mint is an interesting touch I wouldn't have thought of and made the dish "springy." Thanks for the awesome blog - it's been such a help for gf eating (since 2006). I'm going dairy free gf for tomorrow and your dairy-free recipes are an inspiration.
Thank you all for your wonderful comments. I had fun writing this post.
As for millet and its texture- I agree, millet can be a bit firm. Toasting it in olive oil first like I do here may help. Also- no reason why you couldn't add more water. Try adding 1/4 cup more water when you cook it. That trick works for quinoa.
One other thought- if the heat is too high the water will boil off fast--- so use low heat- this simmers the millet longer and more liquid gets absorbed- hence a softer grain.
Take care, everyone!
Karina
i just made this beautiful dish.. with quinoa instead and i posted it to my blog :) Thank you for the inspiration!
Karina,
This sounds delicious as so many of your other recipes are. Also loved your overall post and am wondering if you would mind if I posted the following quote on Facebook:
How you value your true self is how the world will see you. ~ Karina Allrich
Thank you for all you do!!
I don't even like millet, but the photos are so stunningly gorgeous that I now have run out and buy some for my pantry!
I prefer the story of Rumpelstilskin, where the canny heroine outsources the tedious tasks to other contractors, thus fulfilling her original contract and winning a permanent position at the palace. Workers wages were not only deferred indefinately, but finally negotiated, debated, and resolved with no out of pocket expenses and no union intervention either.
This is a woman who knows what she wants, and how to go about getting it!
I bet she would want this millet recipe too, thanks for sharing so generously with no lengthy contracts to sign, or small print to read either.
Yum, I love millet. I usually just cook it with water, so I'm interested to taste your recipe here that uses a little white wine too. Yum! I find millet is a great replacement for bulgur wheat in tabouli and millet meal makes a great gf porridge. I like to mix it with quinoa and rice flakes :-)
Also thank you so much for your lovely comments about my gf wedding cake and surprise wedding, it was such a fab day :-)
Thanks for your beautiful foods and beautiful words. My darling youngest is living in Italy and has finally discovered her years of belly pain, sometimes visiting anemia, and once upon a time hair loss is indeed Celiacs. Not the place to be for life changing revelation , but she is managing. She and I both love to cook and are fairly creative in our kitchens, but she still morns chewy, yummy, gluten filled baked goods and pastas. I have given up gluten for Lent in support of her and to ensure that I delve into the world of gluten free cooking and eating prior to her return. Doing so is just fine at home, it is the eating out that is very tricky. Anyway, I had already filled my overfull pantry with all the ingredients needed and one of those items was millet. I love a proven recipe with which to start. Many thanks for making this whole thing seem like a journey and making it beautiful, enticing and oh yes, delicious.
I loved your post today, and the millet looks delish! I am going to make that for dinner tonight. BTW, I love your dairy free recipes. As well as GF, I have to eat dairy and egg free, and have a number of other foods I must avoid. It makes it so much easier to start with a GF, DF recipe. So many of the GF cookbooks have recipes that are loaded with dairy and eggs. You are very appreciated in this household. xoxo
I didn't know what millet was but it looks delicious! It sounds like a dish I make but I use cous cous. It would be nice to switch up my grains every now and then!
Beverly you are a good mom!!!
I too have never eaten millet but just bought some to sprout. Excited to try it!
Wow this looks delicious! Can't wait to share it with my friends with gluten allergies! Thanks!
Gosh, I just love this post!!
Karina, I currently cook millet, amaranth, and flaxseed for a hot cereal in the morning. I get a bit put off by the gelatinous or slimy result. Is there a way to cure that? I'm thinking about deleting the amaranth.
Jim
Thanks so much Everyone- for your generous comments.
Darkredgoldwing- I hate to say it, but I suspect it's the flax seed that gets slimy. What I would do- don't cook it (it becomes gel). Add it as a topping with your brown sugar or chopped nuts, raisins etc.
Cheers- Karina
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