Recipe: Hopi Amaranth Greens & Grains
The following dish is a Southwestern Native American twist on wilted greens.
Because amaranth is a complete protein, this dish is a meal all by itself. Serve it up in a soup bowl.
Hopi Amaranth Greens & Grains
The Grains:
1½ cups amaranth grains
4¼ cups + 1 tablespoon water
½ teaspoon salt
In a medium-sized saucepan, bring water and salt to a boil. Add the amaranth, reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 25 minutes or until the water is absorbed. Keep warm, so that the amaranth doesn’t start to congeal.
Meanwhile…
The Greens:
6 cups fresh amaranth greens (you may substitute spinach if amaranth greens are unavailable to you)
½ cup unsweetened apple juice
½ cup fresh epazote, shredded (or 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon dried)**
½ cup fresh cilantro, shredded
½ cup Pinon (pine) nuts, lightly toasted
1 tablespoon sunflower oil
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
Salt and cracked black pepper to taste
Heat the apple juice in a large skillet. Add the amaranth or spinach and cook until just wilted. Remove from the heat and stir in the epazote leaves, cilantro, Pinon nuts, sunflower oil, and apple cider vinegar. Add salt and cracked black pepper to taste.
Serve the greens over the grains.
Yield: 6 servings
**Epazote is an herb with a flavor like no other that is quite common in Southwestern cuisine. It is most often used in bean dishes both for the flavor and to alleviate flatulence. It can be found fresh or dried in Mexican markets as well as some Farmers’ markets, depending on where you live. It is also available from the following:
The epazote available from MexGrocer is a 1/4 oz. package only:
The epazote available from MySpiceSage is in varying amounts from 1 oz. to several pounds:
To order a saucepan and skillet like the ones used in this recipe, flip through the carousel below:
