Have you tried sorghum yet? Bob’s Red Mill asked me to create an original recipe using one of their ancient grains, and I took it as an opportunity to try something new. Sorghum is a gluten-free pseudo grain, like millet and quinoa. It’s actually a grass, but cooks up like a grain. It’s round like pearl couscous and a little chewy, like farro or wheat berries. I’ve been using sorghum as a substitute in recipes that typically call for couscous (like tabouli), other small pasta shapes and whole grains like farro. It has been nice to offer my gluten-free friends something other than rice and quinoa. Bonus? My bag of sorghum cost only three dollars, which is significantly less than the same sized bags of quinoa and rice.
I like to geek out on ingredients, so I thought I’d share some of the more interesting facts I’ve learned about sorghum. It’s one of those surprising “grains” that doesn’t get much attention, even though it’s the fifth most important cereal crop in the world. Sorghum first appeared near Egypt around 8000 years ago. It spread through Africa and eventually, China, via India. It’s grown primarily for human consumption in Africa and parts of Asia, but in the United States, it’s grown for livestock consumption and ethanol production. I happen to live in the state that produces the most sorghum of all, Kansas. We’ll probably hear more and more about sorghum as a crop, since it’s particularly drought resistant and requires less water than corn.
This recipe came to be after I got a hankering for sweet, roasted cherry tomatoes. I’m really excited about tomato season, so much so that I planted a cherry tomato plant in my back yard this weekend (grow, tomatoes, grow!). Once roasted, the cherry tomatoes turn from sweet-and-tart gems into concentrated sweet, saucy goodness. I balanced the sweetness of the tomatoes with bitter arugula, and added sorghum for substance. Salty feta, lemon and garlic round out this hearty and healthy, gluten-free salad. Sorghum is one of the more time-consuming grains to cook, so plan on having a pot on the stove for an hour, but the rest comes together quickly. As always, see my notes for substitution and storage suggestions!
Disclaimer: This post is sponsored by Bob’s Red Mill and I was compensated for recipe development. Thank you for supporting the brands that support Cookie and Kate!
