Millet Au Gratin with Vegetables and Mushrooms

This is the kind of dish I've been cooking often lately. Cereals, vegetables and some king of protein, whether it's mushrooms or cheese or chicken for example. Delicious and healthy combination, not to mention it's easy to prepare and serve.
Millet is an ancient cereal that has been unjustly ignored and forgotten for a long time. It is a cereal extremely rich in minerals (iron, calcium, potassium, zink, fluorine) and B vitamins  (folic acid, B1, B2, B6), along with other elements like silicic acid . It is gluten free, so it's suitable for persons suffering from coeliac disease.
If you eat millet regularly you are very likely to notice positive changes on your hair and finger nails.

I've tried millet in other recipes (prepared it like risotto, and also made a bread), but this one is so far my favourite recipe. Really delicious and nutricious, you may add other vegetables, but I do recommend you stick to the basic ones (zucchini, carrot, fennel), because they fit so perfectly with mushrooms in this dish.

Millet Au Gratin with Vegetables and Mushrooms
(4 servings)

* 200 g millet
* 750 ml vegetable stock
* 1 zucchini
* 2 carrots
* 4 big champignon mushrooms (crimini / button mushrooms)
* 1 small fennel
* a handfull of green beans
* 1 onion
* 1 teaspoon dried thyme
* 40 g ground almonds
* extra virgin olive oil
* salt

Clean and wash all the vegetables. With particular care clean the mushrooms, remove all dirt (if necessary quickly wash under the running water and dry).
Cut everything into small (ok, not too small) pieces.
Heat 2-3 TBspoons of olive oil in a deep skillet, add the finely chopped onion, the thyme and the chopped vegetables and mushrooms. Sautee for about 15 minutes on medium heat stirring often.
Add the millet, sautee for 5 more minutes and then add the vegetable stock, salt to your taste, and cook covered for about 35 minutes or until almost all liquid has been absorbed.
Pour the millet and vegetable mixture into a shallow baking dish and spread evenly in a 1,5-2 cm layer.

Sprinkle with ground almonds and drizzle with little olive oil.
Put the dish in a hot oven preheated to 210°C for 10-15 minutes.
Serve warm or cold with a seasonal salad.

Miglio grattinato con verdure e funghi
(per 4 persone)

* 200 g di miglio
* 750 ml brodo vegetale
* 1 zucchina
* 2 carote
* 4 funghi champignon grandi
* 1 finocchio piccolo
* una manciata di fagiolini
* 1 cipolla
* 1 cucchiaino di timo secco
* 40 g mandorle tritate
* olio extra vergine d'oliva
* sale



Pulite e lavate le verdure. Pulite con particolare attenzione i funghi, tagliando via la parte terrosa del gambo.
Tagliate tutto a pezzettini non troppo piccoli.
Trittate finemente la cipolla e soffriggetela con 2-3 cucchiai di olio EVO e timo secco. Aggiungete le verdure e lasciate cuocere a fuoco medio per circa 15 minuti mescolando spesso.
Unite il miglio e lasciate insaporire per 5 minuti ancora. Poi versateci il brodo, salate e lasciate cuocere coperto per circa 35 minuti o finché quasi tutto il liquido si sarà asciugato.
Ungete leggermente con l'olio una pirofila e versateci dentro il miglio con le verdure. Stendetelo in uno strato di circa 1,5-2 cm.
Cospargete la superficie con le mandorle tritate e gratinate nel forno già caldo a 210°C per 10-15 minuti.
Servitelo tiepido o freddo, accompagnato da un'insalata di stagione.

Ovaj mjesec u igri Ajme koliko nas je, domaćica nam je Katarina s bloga Laka kuharica a igramo se s timijanom (majčinom dušicom), začinskom biljkom koju obožavam i već godinama sadim na balkonu. Ove godine sam na moju veliku radost uspjela pronaći i limun timijan. Nažalost svake jeseni se moram oprostiti sa svojim biljčicama jer ne prežive hladnoću (jedini koji prilično dobro odolijeva je ružmarin).

Zapečeno proso s povrćem i gljivama
(za 4 osobe)


* 200 g prosa (prošene kaše)
* 750 ml povrtnog temeljca
* 1 tikvica
* 2 mrkve
* 4 velika šampinjona
* 1 manji koromač
* mahune (otprilike jednu šaku zelenih ili drugih)
* 1 glavica crvenog luka
* 1 žličica suhog timijana (majčine dušice)
* 40 g badema
* maslinovo ulje
* sol


Očistite i operite sve povrće, posebno pažljivo očistite gljive.
Nasjeckajte sve povrće na manje komadiće i sameljite bademe.
Stavite 3-4 žlice maslinovog ulja u dublju tavu, popržite sitno nasjeckan luk, dodajte timijan i narezano povrće pa pirjajte 15-ak minuta često miješajući, na srednje jakoj vatri.
Dodajte proso, pirjajte još 5 minuta, posolite i zalijte povrtnim temeljcem i kuhajte pokriveno oko 35 minuta, dok se tekućina skoro sasvim ne osuši. Naročite pripazite pred kraj da ne zagori.
Stavite kuhanu smjesu u malo nauljen pleh da bude u sloju otprilike 1,5-2 cm debljine. Pospite površinu mljevenim bademima i zapecite 10-15 minuta u pećnici zagrijanoj na 210°C.
Poslužite ovaj složenac topao ili hladan uz sezonsku salatu.

Thyme