Millet and Swiss Chard Casserole
4 cups vegetable stock
salt and pepper, to taste
olive oil
1 tablespoon dried thyme, divided
1 bay leaf
2 cups millet
1 large onion, chopped finely
2 large garlic cloves, chopped finely
1 large bunch Swiss Chard, stems removed and chopped into small pieces
1 small semi-hot pepper, such as a Cherry Hot, seeds and ribs removed, chopped finely
1/4 cup pine nuts
sprinkle paprika
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. In a stockpot, bring vegetable stock, a sprinkle of salt and pepper, a dollop of olive oil, bay leaf and a teaspoon of the dried thyme to a boil.
2. Add millet, reduce heat and simmer until all stock is absorbed and millet is fluffy. Remove and discard bay leaf. In a large frying pan, add onion and garlic, cover with olive oil and saute until just translucent. Add pepper and Swiss chard, cook until chard is just wilted.
3. In a small frying pan, toast pine nuts over a low heat, stirring constantly to keep from burning. As soon as they begin to turn brown, remove pan from heat and set aside. Combine the contents of both frying pans into the millet, adding the remaining dried thyme. Stir to combine all ingredients thoroughly.
4. Grease a casserole dish with olive oil and spread millet and chard mixture evenly over the dish. Dust lightly with paprika. Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes. Uncover and bake for 5 minutes for a crispier top.
Source of recipe: I had some chard that was about to go bad, plus a whole boatload of millet, so after a little tinkering, I came up with this recipe.
SO HOW'D IT GO?
This was pretty good, but it made enough for like a bazillion people. Next time I will reduce the veg broth and millet by half.
I was looking for something I could eat for a while and this was a good find. Overall I enjoyed the dish, although I might try working w/ more than just thyme next time i make the dish. I also recommend using a 2 quart baking dish not the little circle one I used. the paprika on the top was a very enjoyable touch. Thank you for this clever little dish. The dish feeds about 6 people.
Thanks for sharing the recipe - this is a good way to enjoy millet.