- Course: Main Course
- Skill Level: Easy
- Cost: Moderate
- Favorited: 1 Time
Ingredients
For the Millet:
- 1 cup millet
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 cup chopped onion
- ¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground allspice
- 12 ounces ground lamb
- 1 teaspoon salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
For the Mint-Cucumber Salad:
- 3 cups thinly sliced, seeded cucumbers (2 medium)
- 1 cup low-fat plain yogurt
- 1/3 cup chopped fresh mint
- ¼ teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon harissa, or to taste (optional)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
Directions
For a fresh finish, accompany this millet-Lamb pilaf with thinly sliced cucumbers doused in yogurt and flecked with mint-dinner and a side salad all on one plate.
Set a heavy 3-quart Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the millet and toast, stirring frequently until aromatic, about 3 minutes.
Stir in the olive oil, onion, cinnamon, and allspice. Cook for 1 minute. Stir in the lamb. (It’s fine that the lamb will get coated with the millet.) Keep stirring and breaking up the lamb for 1 minute. Cover and continue cooking until the lamb loses its pink color, 1 or 2 minutes longer.
Stir in 2¼ cups of water and the salt. Cover and simmer over low heat until most or all of the water has been absorbed, and the millet is tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Turn off the heat and let stand for 5 to 10 minutes, or until ready to serve.
Meanwhile, make the mint-cucumber salad: In a bowl, combine the cucumber, yogurt, 14 cup of the mint, cumin, harissa (if using), and salt and pepper.
To serve, create a mound of the millet mixture on each plate. Surround with a generous amount of the mint-cucumber salad. Garnish with the remaining mint.
© 2009 Lorna Sass




