Ancient Grains Risotto
Turn back the hands of time and savour this ancient grains risotto. It’s a nourishing hearty dish you’re sure to enjoy!
I suppose by now you have realised that I enjoy cooking with ancient grains. Exhibit A – Millet Porridge. Exhibit B – Quinoa Bean Chili.
What’s the deal with ancient grains?
Ancient grains date back thousands of years and have remained practically unchanged since their origin. They are free of hybridization and GMO (Genetically Modified Organism) manipulation so we can safely say they remain just as nature designed them.
Ancient grains may have faded in popularity as their hybrid modern cousins wheat and corn produce much higher yields and profits, but thankfully they seem to be making a ‘comeback’ .
Ancient grains are nutrient dense, high in protein and chock full of fiber, phytonutrients, vitamins and minerals. Besides their nutritional profile I enjoy cooking with ancient grains for their flexibility and flavour.
List of Ancient Grains
This is not a complete list of “ancient” grains but the category includes:
amaranth
barley
emmer
farro
bulgur
buckwheat
kamut
millet
spelt
teff
quinoa.
Of these amaranth, buckwheat, millet, teff and quinoa are naturally gluten free.
For this risotto I chose to combine 3 of my favourite ancient grains; amaranth, buckwheat and millet. Each grain having its own health benefits.
When combined with mushrooms and a bit of spices this dish is a complete meal. Might I suggest you try this Ancient Grains Risotto on Meatless Monday?
Recipe inspired by this post from coconut and berries. :)
Here are some more Ancient Grains recipes for you to try!
Please share this post to give your family and friends a chance to try out the recipe too.
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Ancient Grains Risotto
Ingredients
- 1 cup buckwheat groats
- ½ cup millet
- ¼ cup amaranth
- ½ cup white wine
- 3 cups stock warm
- 2 ½ cups sliced mushrooms
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon herbs de provence
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil
- salt and pepper to taste
- grated goat cheese for garnish
Instructions
- Warm 1 tablespoon coconut oil in a cast iron skillet over medium heat.
- Add mushrooms to the skillet together with garlic and herbs de provence.
- Cook mushrooms until they have released all of their liquid.
- Remove from the skillet and set aside.
- Add the other tablespoon of coconut oil to the skillet and when warmed through add the amaranth, buckwheat and millet. Cook for a couple of minutes then add white wine.
- When the white wine has been totally absorbed add stock ½ cup at a time. Making sure it’s totally absorbed before adding more.
- After the addition of all of the stock the grains should be tender. If not add a bit more.
- Remove the skillet from the heat and serve topped with mushrooms and a sprinkling of grated goat’s cheese.
This looks delicious! I love risotto, what a creative way to incorporate the ancient grains.
I also love risotto Emily. I try not to eat too much rice so this is a nice alternative.
This dish looks amazing– so so appealing!! The garlic, mushrooms and wine, mmmm.
So many flavours going in there right, but they all play really well together… :)
This sounds so good! I would eat risotto everyday if my fiance would let me ;) I love the idea of using something other than arborio rice.
Thanks Tash, me too!
My family will love this! And your pictures are awesome.
Thank you Jessica, hope they enjoy it as much as mine did..:)
Ohhh! Look at those mushrooms ;) YUM!
Go ahead Renee, lick your monitor, I wont tell.. ;) :)
Looks absolutely delicious!!!!
Thank you Kirtz!!
Oh, this looks delicious! I would devour this! Now, I just need to get my husband on the mushroom train – he is missing out on some amazing food. Thank you for sharing! :)
Thanks Katie! I hope you can convince him. Mushrooms are just awesome!
Interesting… I’m mostly grain free, but need to do some more experimentation on how these ancient grains effect me!
Hi Krystal,
What a delectable way to shake things up at the dinner table! I can just imagine how amazing each chewy mouthful of millet, amaranth, buckwheat and mushroom will taste! I am delighted that you shared your healthy and delicious ancient grains risotto recipe with us on the Plant-Based Potluck Party Link Up. I appreciate it and I can’t wait to try your recipe. I’m pinning and sharing.
Thank you Deborah. It packs quite a bite indeed!
I’ve got to try this – I have all the ingredients!!
Excellent! Let me know how you like it.
I know thiamine post is a bit old, but I just found it and tried it. Works beautifully except for the millet – just couldn’t get it not to be in the crunchy side. Any suggestions? I added broth and cooked it longer (10 more minutes) but still too much “tooth”. I haven’t cooked with millet before. Any suggestions? Thanks!
Hi Becky, I haven’t had this issue with millet. Perhaps it’s the type/ brand of millet you’ve used?