Millet Fritters (or Scramble) with Feta, Spinach, and Golden Raisins

Here Millet Scramble with Feta, Spinach, and Golden Raisins
makes a great breakfast served with
 non-fat Greek yogurt with a bit of local maple syrup; ½ banana; local plum.

Here are a couple of Millet Fritters served with
Pasta with Chicken, Tomato and Feta

Serves 6

Recipe from Vegetarian Times

Husband-Tested in Alice’s Kitchen

We had never tried millet before and we were delighted to find a “new” food that we love!  I made these fritters as part of a lunch for friends, but saved half of the mixture and sautéed it for a delicious breakfast the next day.  Wow!  Millet will now be on our regular grocery list and I’m looking forward to trying other recipes that include this grain. Millet is a good source of some very important nutrients, including copper, manganese, phosphorus, and magnesium.  

2 cups cooked millet**(See recipe below for how to prepare millet.)

1 medium onion, chopped (1 ½ cups)

3 large eggs, lightly beaten

2 cloves garlic, minced (2 tsp.)

1 tsp. finely chopped fresh sage or ½ tsp. dried sage

½ tsp. kosher salt

2 cups finely chopped fresh spinach

½ cup gluten-free breadcrumbs, plus more if needed (regular breadcrumbs will work too.)

⅓ cup feta cheese

½ cup golden raisins

2 Tbs. olive oil

1. Stir together millet, onion, eggs, garlic, sage, and salt in medium bowl. Stir in spinach, breadcrumbs, feta, and raisins; let stand 5 minutes. If fritters still feel wet, add more breadcrumbs. You should be able to pinch together mixture and have it stick together without oozing. Shape into 12 1/2-cup fritters.

2. Heat oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add 6 fritters, making sure not to overcrowd pan; cover; and cook 5 to 10 minutes, or until bottoms of fritters are browned. Flip, and cook 5 minutes more, or until browned on second side. Repeat with remaining fritters.

Nutritional information per Serving (2 fritters or ½ cup scramble):

Calories: 253; Protein: 8 g; Total Fat: 10 g; Saturated Fat: 3 g; Carbohydrates: 33 g; Cholesterol: 106 mg; Sodium: 317 mg; Fiber: 3 g; Sugar: 10 g

**Basic Millet (Rice Cooker Method)

1 cup dry, raw millet yields about 3 ½ cups cooked millet.

Recipe from The Ultimate Rice Cooker Cookbook

Husband-Tested in Alice’s Kitchen

Millet is an ancient seed, originally hailing from Africa and northern China, and it remains a staple in the diets of about a third of the world's population. Rich in iron, B vitamins and calcium, millet has a nutty, mild corn flavor and is naturally gluten-free. Millet has a really lovely, light texture when cooked.  It’s relatively quick cooking because of the small size. Millet is incredibly versatile in dishes ranging all the way from breakfast to dinner. When preparing millet, toast it in a skillet before adding any liquid to enhance the nutty flavor of the grain.

1 cup whole millet

1 ¾ cup water or broth

1 Tablespoon unsalted butter

Pinch of Kosher salt

Place the millet in a dry skillet over medium-high heat. Toast, stirring constantly, until the color deepens a few shades and the grains pop, about 4 minutes.  Immediately place the hot millet in a deep boil, fill with cold water, and swirl with your fingers.  Drain in a fine strainer.

Place the millet in the rice cooker bowl.  Add the water (or broth), butter, and salt; swirl to combine. Close the cover and set for the regular/Brown Rice cycle.

When the machine switches to the Keep Warm cycle, let the millet steam for 10 minutes. Fluff the grains with a wooden or plastic rice paddle or wooden spoon.

This millet will hold on the Keep Warm for up to 1 hour. 

**Basic Millet (Stovetop Method)

Makes about 3 1/2 cups

Recipe from http://www.thekitchn.com

Ingredients

1 cup raw millet


2 cups water (or broth, if you'd prefer)


¼ teaspoon salt

1 Tablespoon unsalted butter

Instructions

1. Measure millet and cooking liquid: You'll need 1 cup of raw millet and 2 cups of cooking liquid (water or broth).

2. Toast millet: In a large, dry saucepan, toast the raw millet over medium heat for 4-5 minutes or until it turns a rich golden brown and the grains become fragrant. Be careful not to let them burn. 



3. Add the water and salt to the pan: Since the pan is hot, the water will sputter a bit when you pour it in. After adding water and salt, give the millet a good stir.

4. Bring the liquid to a boil: Increase the heat to high and bring the mixture to a boil.

5. Lower the heat and simmer: Decrease the heat to low, drop in the butter and cover the pot. Simmer until the grains absorb most of the water (they'll continue soaking it up as they sit), about 15 minutes. Avoid the temptation to peek a great deal or stir too much (unless its sticking to the bottom). Stirring too vigorously will break up the grains and change the texture.

6. Remove From Heat and Let Stand: Like most grains, millet needs a little time off the heat to fully absorb the liquid. Allow it to sit, covered and removed from heat, for 10 minutes.

7. Fluff and Serve! After millet sits, fluff it with a fork. Taste and add additional salt if you'd like. Millet does not keep well and is best served warm (see Additional Notes below). ]

Additional Notes:

• To make millet porridge, increase the liquid to 3 cups and stir every few minutes as the millet simmers.

• In terms of texture, some of millet's little beads will cook more quickly than others. You'll likely have some softer grains and some chewy or even crunchy grains. I find this to be a good thing!

• In addition, millet is one thirsty grain and doesn't keep incredibly well overnight. So while I often double or triple many grain recipes to have leftovers for the week, I don't do this with millet as I find leftovers to be quite dry.

• Millet is best served warm.