Millet timbale with courgettes, turmeric and sesame. The recipe

Millet timbale with courgettes, turmeric and sesame. The recipe

Food · ·

A tasty recipe for enjoying millet — a nutritious and sustainable grain — in an easy-to-prepare timbale.

Nestled within tender courgettes, the millet in this timbale is fragrant with turmeric and given a satisfying crunch by sesame seeds.

Preparation

Begin preparing the timbale by boiling the millet in plenty of lightly salted water.
La cottura del miglio © Beatrice Spagoni
Cooking the millet © Beatrice Spagoni
 Meanwhile, trim and wash the courgettes, then slice them thinly using a mandoline. Trim the flowers too, gently removing the inner pistil.
La preparazione delle zucchine e dei loro fiori © Beatrice Spagoni
Preparing the courgettes and their flowers © Beatrice Spagoni
 Peel the garlic clove, remove the inner germ and let it brown for a few minutes in a frying pan with a tablespoon of oil, then add the courgette slices and let them absorb the flavours for just a moment. As soon as they begin to soften, remove them from the heat and add the flowers for a quick flash in the residual heat with the flame off. Preheat the oven to 180°C. Meanwhile, season the millet with turmeric, a pinch of pepper and dress it with a drizzle of oil.
La composizione dello sformatino © Beatrice Spagoni
Assembling the timbale © Beatrice Spagoni
 Oil 4 individual moulds, line them first with the courgette flowers, then the courgette slices, fill with the seasoned millet, pressing it down firmly with a spoon, and bake for approximately 20 minutes. Remove the timbales from the oven, carefully turn them out of the moulds and serve scattered with a handful of toasted sesame seeds.
Lo sformato di miglio in tavola © Beatrice Spagoni
The millet timbale at the table © Beatrice Spagoni

Tips and facts

Hulled millet is a gluten-free grain rich in nutrients. The year 2023 was declared by the UN (United Nations) the International Year of Millets, precisely because millet is highly nutritious and sustainable, capable of adapting to climate change (it requires very little water).

Steps

  • Boil the millet in plenty of lightly salted water.
  • Trim and wash the courgettes, then slice them thinly using a mandoline.
  • Trim the flowers too, gently removing the inner pistil.
  • Peel the garlic clove, remove the inner germ and let it brown for a few minutes in a frying pan with a tablespoon of oil.
  • Add the courgette slices and let them absorb the flavours for just a moment.
  • Remove them from the heat and add the flowers for a quick flash in the residual heat with the flame off.
  • Preheat the oven to 180°C.
  • Season the millet with turmeric, a pinch of pepper and dress it with a drizzle of oil.
  • Oil 4 individual moulds, line them first with the courgette flowers, then the courgette slices.
  • Fill with the seasoned millet and bake for approximately 20 minutes.
  • Remove the timbales from the oven, carefully turn them out of the moulds and serve scattered with a handful of toasted sesame seeds.