You are looking for new ones recipes for autumn? Today we explain how to prepare a lentil and amaranth pie to be served as a main course with a side dish of seasonal vegetables of your choice. This pie keeps well in the refrigerator for a couple of days. It is also suitable for taking to work in an airtight container and for reheating on the spot.
Amaranth is considered the gold of the Incas. For decades it has been thought of as a mere decorative plant in the West, if not a weed. Now amaranth is being praised since can resist Monsanto's Roundup herbicide used in crops GM. It is believed that amaranth from common "weed" it will become the food of the future. Here's how to use it together with grains and lentils to make a tasty pie.
Ingredients for 6 servings
200 grams of lentils
100 gr of amaranth
100 gr of mixed grains
1 carrot
1 liter of water or vegetable broth
1 teaspoon of chopped oregano
1 teaspoon of chopped parsley
½ teaspoon of poppy seeds
½ teaspoon of curry powder
4 tablespoons of breadcrumbs
4 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
Sage leaves to decorate
Whole salt and pepper
Preparation
For the preparation of this pie it is necessary first of all to pay attention to cooking and soaking times (if necessary) the selected cereals and lentils. Keep in mind that not all varieties of lentils require soaking and that if you choose whole grains this operation will most likely be required. So check the instructions on the package carefully.
If you don't have time to wait for the ingredients to soak, you can opt for small red lentils and a quick-cooking cereal mix. Otherwise, calculate by leave the ingredients to soak for about 8 hours or in any case from morning to evening or all night. Let the lentils and cereals rest in water equal to double their volume in separate containers.
No soaking is required for amaranth, just a short rinse before cooking. Amaranth tends to be slightly mucilaginous like the Quinoa during cooking: it is a feature that will be useful for making the pie more compact. For the choice of cereals, you can combine two or more: for example spelled and barley, but also rice and oats or durum wheat grains.
This pie was prepared with the five cereals just mentioned and with the addition of amaranth, which you can easily buy in organic food stores and some supermarkets. Wash, peel and slice the carrot into cubes. If the carrot is organic, you can brush the peel well and use it for cooking without peeling it.
After selecting and weighing all the necessary ingredients, you can proceed to the preparation of your amaranth and lentil pie. Start from vegetable soup obtained according to your habits and bring it to a boil. Otherwise, simple lightly salted water will do as well as for the preparation of pasta.
Pour the ingredients into the pot with the broth starting with those with the times of cooking greater. Calculate that for lentils it takes about 30 minutes and 20 minutes for amaranth, for cereals it may depend on the type chosen, whether whole or pearled. In any case, all the ingredients must be cooked in the same pot.
If necessary, you can add a little more broth or simply boiling water during cooking. Add the spices and herbs indicated in your city to the pot: oregano, parsley, pepper, curry powder. Stir occasionally with a wooden spoon during cooking.
The lentils, amaranth and cereals will be ready when they are very soft. You will also find that they have absorbed almost all the cooking liquid. The advice is to extinguish the flame and leave it all to rest until the cooking liquid is completely or almost completely absorbed. If necessary, however, you can drain.
Line one with baking paper Rectangular baking tray. Sprinkle the bottom with two tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil and a thin layer of breadcrumbs. Pour in the lentils, amaranth and cereals and compact well with a spoon. Sprinkle the surface with grated bread, poppy seeds, oregano, parsley and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. If you want, you can replace the breadcrumbs with finely chopped almonds or make a mix of these two ingredients. Cook the lentil and amaranth pie in the oven at 180 ° C for about 25 minutes until golden brown. To serve it, divide it into six square or rectangular portions, to be decorated, if you like, with a few leaves of sage.
Bon appetit!
(Texts and photos)
Read also:
Cereal salads: 10 recipes for every day Amaranth: 10 recipes to enjoy it at its best
