Millet is another one of those super grains, that I often used in porridge but then that’s about it. It’s a great source of plant protein and iron, which is how it became such a regular in my diet, as I was always looking for plant based sources of iron in my pregnancy. It’s also free from gluten, and very versatile in the kitchen. This is a vegan take on risotto using the millet grain. Baked leeks are my new discovery these last few weeks, in what is known as the hunger gap. Where the winter vegetables are over, but spring vegetables aren’t quite ready. It was a wonderful way to use up those last of the winter leeks, making them sweet and buttery. Herbs are now in abundance so I made a simple gremolata to brighten up this meal. Gremolata is an Italian seasoning that gives a burst of freshness and flavour to many dises, I love it on vegetables, risottos or soups. This is a quick meal prepared, using ingredients you often have to hand. The leeks can easily be prepared a day in advance. This makes about 6 servings.
Ingredients
2 large leeks
Olive oil
Salt
1 shallot
3 tbsp olive oil
300 g millet
100 ml white wine
About 1,1 L vegetable stock
1/2 tsp salt
2 tbsp yeast flakes
1 tbsp cashew butter
Squeeze of lemon juice
Salt and pepper to taste
For the gremolata:
1 bunch of flat leaf parsley
1 lemon, zest only
1 clove of garlic
Method
Preheat the oven to 175 ° C. Rinse the leeks, then place in a large baking tray, drizzle a little olive oil over the leeks and sprinkle a little salt. Bake in the oven for about 50 – 60 minutes. The outer leaves should be brown and the leek should be soft when prodded. Allow to cool before handling.
For the gremolata, finely chop the garlic and parsley, mix in a bowl with the zest of an lemon. This will keep in the fridge, in a glass jar, for about 5 days.
Finely chop the shallot. Put the stock in a saucepan and bring to the boil. Heat the olive oil in a medium sized saucepan, and gently sauté the shallot. Add in the millet and lightly roast, add in the wine and reduce down. Add in the salt and then slowly add in the stock, 1 or 2 ladles at a time, stirring regularly. Once the stock has been absorbed add some more, and continue until the millet is al dente, about 10 minutes or so. Whilst the millet is cooking, remove any brown woody layers from the leeks, and then roughly chop them into thin sices. Add the leek, the yeast flakes, the cashew butter, and a squeeze of lemon juice to the millet, mix well and check for seasoning. Add a little more stock before serving so that the misotto is creamy and loose. Serve with a good sprinkling of the gremolata.
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