Tumeric and Herb Millet with Roasted Vegetables and a Poached Egg

It tastes as beautiful as it looks. Millet is the perfect wingman to shallots and garlic which are at the forefront of flavor but is grounded by turmeric and rosemary. The roasted vegetables bring a bit of sweetness and spice (thanks to ginger and cayenne) and a runny egg creates a richness you don’t want to miss. Top it off with bacon pieces and you have a crunch that cannot be beat.

4 - Servings
Herb Millet Instructions
1 c millet
5 c of milk (divided)
1 tsp Better than Chicken Bouillon
½ tsp salt
1 tsp parsley
1/2 tsp thyme
½ tsp rosemary
1 tsp turmeric
Garlic cloves (2 tsp minced)
1 large shallot (about ¾ c chopped)

Herb Millet Directions
Heat a 2 quart saucepan on the stove. Add 1 c of millet to the pot. Stir occasionally until the millet turns light brown.

Add 2 c of milk, 1 tsp Better than CHicken Bouillon, ½ tsp salt, 1 tsp parsley, ½ tsp thyme, ½ tsp rosemary, 1 tsp turmeric. Bring it to a boil and reduce to a simmer.  Stir about every 5 minutes. Millet will stick to the bottom, so don’t neglect it.

When it thickens to a porridge consistency, add 1 c of milk. Repeat.Taste. Add salt if needed.

Cut the dry ends off of the garlic. Lay the knife flat on top of the garlic and give the knife a good whack with the exterior of your fist. Remove the skin. Slice it into thin strips then rock the knife back and forth to get a mince. Add the final 1 c of milk with the garlic to the millet pot.

Slice off the two ends of the shallot. Remove the dry layer. Slice it thinly pole to pole then slice across it to get a fine dice. After the millet is finished cooking, stir in the shallot. Let sit for 5 minutes. Taste. Adjust salt and liquid if needed.

Roasted Vegetable Ingredients
8 ounces crimini mushrooms
1 large bell pepper
2 c grape tomatoes
2 Tbl avocado oil
⅛ tsp salt
½ tsp black pepper
¼ tsp cayenne
½ tsp garlic
½ tsp dried ginger

Roasted Vegetable Directions
Heat oven to 475.

Slice the mushrooms top to bottom including the stem about ¼” thick. Pile them on a rimmed baking sheet.

Remove the stem, seeds, and vein from the bell pepper. Cut it into 1” strips than cut the strips in half to make a shorter strip. Put it in a pile on a second rimmed baking sheet. Add the tomatoes in a second pile to this sheet.

Drizzle 1 Tbl of oil on the mushrooms. Divide the remaining 1 Tbl of oil between the pepper and tomatoes.

In a shallow dish, mix ⅛ tsp salt, ½ tsp black pepper, ¼ tsp cayenne, and ½ tsp garlic. Sprinkle it on the vegetable piles. Mix each vegetable pile separately to even coat. Spread out the pieces so they aren’t touching. Make sure the tomatoes and pepper are not mixed together (in case one of them cooks faster than the other).

Roast. Begin checking on the vegetables after 20 minutes. The mushrooms will likely brown first. Remove them from the oven. The bell peppers and tomatoes usually finish at the same time but might vary a little depending on the vegetable size. When they have a few black bits, they’re finished cooking.


Final Ingredients
Herb Millet
Roasted Vegetables
¾ lb of thin slice bacon
3-4 green onions
4-8 eggs depending on if people want 1 or 2 eggs.

Assembly Directions
Preheat the oven to 350. Put 3/4 lb bacon strips in a single layer in a rimmed baking sheet. Put it in the oven for about 40-50 minutes. The bacon should look dark, nearly burnt. You want it to easily crumble. Put the bacon on paper towels and gently pat with a paper towel to absorb grease. Crumble the bacon.

Poach the egg. I am far from an expert in poaching eggs. I recommend using Kenji Lopez-Alt’s method.

Only use the green tops of the green onions (make sure you save the bottoms for something else). Slice them on a diagonal.

Spoon the millet on the plate. Scatter the roasted vegetables on top.

Put the poach egg in the middle of the millet. Add bacon crumbles. Sprinkle with green onions – the more the merrier.


Notes
I find thin cut bacon works better to crumble as a garnish. Thick cut bacon tends to not get as crisp.

Use whatever vegetables you want. Winter squashes, kohlrabi, and mirliton are wonderful choices. Celery or fennel gives it an unexpected but delicious flavor.

If you don’t have avocado oil, use any high heat oil you have.

If you’re living life on the edge, you can cook your bacon first and use bacon grease on the vegetables.