Don't be fooled, amaranth is not a cereal. Instead it’s the grain from a dark red plant, precisely the amaranth, native to Central America. It has an ancient history with its name coming from Greek, meaning "that does not wither, that does not die". Aesop himself dedicated a story to it, called The Rose and Amaranth. Amaranth is gluten-free, therefore suitable for those suffering from celiac disease. It contains vitamins A, B and C and is rich in mineral salts such as phosphorus, magnesium and potassium.
Amaranth in the kitchen
Extremely versatile ingredient, amaranth is used to prepare tasty soups, finger food and desserts. Combined with flour it can be used to make fresh pasta. The seeds can also be blown to become an ingredient added to milk for breakfast. It can also become a filling to stuff vegetables or to prepare meat rolls. The most usual combination is with vegetables and legumes. It can be used instead of couscous and seasoned with spices, particularly with turmeric, cinnamon, and ginger. It’s also excellent with aromatic herbs such as basil, marjoram, and mint. A quick and very tasty dish to prepare is a kind of salad with borage and amaranth: to top up on vitamins and mineral salts.
How to cook it
First, the amaranth should be washed under running water. Then it boiled in a lot of water equal to three times the amount of amaranth, for 30-40 minutes. After cooking let it rest in a covered pot for 10 minutes without stirring it. To get the best out of this vegetable, the best thing to do is to combine it with a cereal such as rice or millet.