Sorghum & Vegetable Bowl
As a real-life millennial foodie, staying up to date on the latest grains is very important to my personal brand. We've all had quinoa and many of us have even dabbled in the likes of farro and wheat berries. So as I perused the grains aisle at my local grocery store for the latest, sorghum caught my eye. Yes, people across the world have been eating all of these grains since ancient times but if it's not part of the American millennial foodie diet and if it hasn't be photographed just so for Instagram, do we care? The answer is 'yes, you idiot' (I'm the idiot, not you. You're very smart and pretty, I'm sure) so here is what I learned about sorghum and a quick recipe, featuring some delicious vegetables.
According to the Whole Grains Council, "Sorghum is an ancient cereal grain and was collected 8000 years ago in Southern Egypt, in a place called Nabta Playa. Sorghum remains an important cereal grain in Africa. Sorghum also has a rich tradition in India, as evidence suggests that it has been cultivated there since the 3rd or 4th millennia BCE. It then continued to be disbursed along the silk trade routes, and most probably arrived in the Americas with slave traders from Africa in the 19th century." On a past season of PBS's Mind of Chef, Sean Brock explained the American Southern tradition of using syrup from the stalks of the sorghum plant as a sweetener. While sorghum is still primarily being used in the States as livestock feed and a source of ethanol, it's nutty flavor and gluten-free nature are helping it expand into more American pantries.
Like other hearty grains, sorghum takes 45-50 mins cook in boiling water. I have yet to try this myself but soaking it for 4-6 hours before you cook should reduce the cooking time in half. Since this was my first time cooking sorghum, I kept it very simple - roasted Brussels sprouts, seared mushrooms, and a handful of baby super greens. It was delicious and filling. I will be trying out more complex sorghum recipes soon, so make sure you're on #sorghumwatch2018.
Serves 1
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup sorghum
- 1 cup water
- 2 tsp olive oil
- 8-10 Brussels sprouts
- handful of mushrooms of your choice
- handful of greens of your choice
- juice of 1/4 lemon
- 2-4 parsley sprigs, finely chopped
- salt and pepper to taste
Method
- Add the sorghum to 1 cup of water and bring to a medium boil. Cover the pot with a lid and let cook for 40 to 45 mins, or until tender.
- Preheat the oven to 400 F. Slice the Brussels sprouts in half, toss in 1 tsp olive oil, salt, and pepper. Place the Brussels sprouts face down on a baking sheet and place in the oven. Cook for 30 mins.
- While the sorghum and Brussels sprouts cook, heat 1 tsp olive oil in a stainless steel skillet until the oil is slightly smoking. Add the mushrooms and sear for 3 mins. Toss the mushrooms and sear for another 3 mins. Add in the greens and cook until slightly wilted, about one minute. Turns off the heat, add the chopped parsley, and season with salt and pepper.
- Combine the cooked sorghum into the pan of mushrooms, add in the Brussels sprouts, and squeeze in the lemon juice. Season more with salt if needed and serve!
