A colorful spring dish: the millet and asparagus tartlet with lots and lots of sprouts.
Spring and summer are, par excellence, the season of millet: a refreshing super-grain that’s quick to prepare for many dishes.
Today I wanted to serve millet tartlets with asparagus, enriched with steamed baby carrots and a mix of Germogliamo sprouts.
Want to see more millet recipes? Try these:
- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Economical
- Preparation time: 10 Minutes
- Cooking time: 30 Minutes
- Portions: 2 tartlets
- Cooking methods: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Spring
Ingredients – Millet and Asparagus Tartlet
Here’s what you need to make 2 tartlets
- 1/2 cup millet, hulled
- 11 oz asparagus (trimmed)
- 1 carrot
- 1 shallot
- 2 tablespoons chia seeds
- 1 pinch sea salt
- 1 pinch pepper
- 2 oz alfalfa sprouts
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
Tools
- 1 Ring mold
Steps – Millet and Asparagus Tartlet
Thoroughly rinse the millet, put it in a pot with a pinch of salt and just cover it with water.
Cook for about thirty minutes, tasting to check the millet’s texture. Turn off the heat, drain well and set aside in a bowl.
Meanwhile, wash and trim the bottoms off the green asparagus; be sure to buy fresh spears.
Wash, peel and slice the carrot into rounds. Steam the asparagus with the carrot for about 15/20 minutes, checking for doneness.
When cooked, slice the asparagus into rounds, leaving the tips whole and set aside.
In a skillet heat one tablespoon of oil, add the chopped shallot and sweat it. Add the carrot and asparagus rounds, a pinch of salt and pepper and let them absorb the flavors. Remove the carrot rounds and gently mix the millet in a bowl only with the sautéed asparagus, add the hemp seeds and one teaspoon of lemon juice.
Prepare a plate, place the ring mold in the center, decorate the inside of the ring mold with carrot rounds. Using a spoon, pour the mixture in, leveling and pressing slightly almost to the rim of the ring mold. Carefully remove it.
Top the tartlet with a cascade of your sprouts and finish decorating with the asparagus tips.
Tips from Thyme and Lentils
If you prepare the tartlet in advance, keep the ingredients separate and assemble just before serving.
Store your sprouts in the refrigerator if you’re worried they’ll grow too much in the meantime.
