Millet pâté with sauerkraut: A surprising culinary delight

For many, such a combination may seem odd or even inedible. However, I assure you that nothing could be further from the truth. Millet pâté with sauerkraut and dried tomatoes gets applause even from meat lovers. My mother-in-law was initially skeptical when she saw me preparing this dish, but after a few bites, she was looking for a pen and paper to write down the recipe.

Many people shudder at the thought of millet pâté, unjustly considering everything based on grains to be tasteless. Slowly, however, we are warming up to grains and the dishes made from them. Meatballs, patties, and pâté – without meat but with grains – can also be delicious, especially when we talk about sauerkraut and dried tomato pâté. It's hard to forget such a flavour bomb.

Sauerkraut, millet, and dried tomato pâté don't need any quirks. Just add a bit of salt and pepper, a pinch of ground caraway to counteract the gas-producing effect of sauerkraut, and aromatic marjoram. Fresh garlic will also come in handy, blending wonderfully into this mix. Then bake and wait until it cools. I assure you, the sauerkraut pâté will disappear to the last crumb.

Ingredients:

• 85 grams of millet,
• 2 onions,
• 250 millilitres of sauerkraut,
• 140 grams of dried tomatoes drained of oil,
• 3 cloves of garlic,
• 140 grams of tomato puree,
• ground caraway and marjoram to taste,
• 2 teaspoons of maple syrup or cane sugar,
• salt, pepper.

Preparation:

1. Rinse the millet under cold water, then place it in a pot and cover it with water (about 375 millilitres). Cook the millet over low heat with a lid on until it absorbs the water.
2. Chop the onions and crush the garlic. Lightly sauté the vegetables in olive oil.
3. Rinse the sauerkraut (if it's too sour), then chop it. Add it to the vegetables. Then add chopped dried tomatoes and tomato puree, and simmer for about 15 minutes.
4. After that time, blend everything into a smooth mass. Then add the millet and mix everything, seasoning with salt, pepper, caraway, marjoram, maple syrup, or sugar.
5. Pour the prepared mixture into a baking dish lined with parchment paper. Smooth the top. Bake at 175°C for 60 minutes. Midway through baking, you can sprinkle the top of the pâté with sunflower seeds or pumpkin seeds.
6. Remove the finished pâté from the oven to cool. It's best for slicing when it is completely cool, preferably the next day after spending a night in the refrigerator.