Minced free-range chicken and millets with peas, beans and roasted onion cream

 

Ingredients

Meatballs

250 g minced free-range chicken

1 egg

dash of milk

3 garlic cloves

2 small sweet onions

500 ml chicken broth

1⁄2 tbsp flour

1⁄4 tsp cumin

1⁄2 glass (approx. 75 ml) white wine

handful of chopped parsley

25 g breadcrumbs

flour

salt and pepper

extra virgin olive oil

Millets

100 g millets

Onion demi-glace

1 kg large onions

3 litres water

50 ml extra virgin olive oil

salt, to taste

Garnish

1 Moncayo truffle

50 g baby mushrooms

handful of bean sprouts and pea sprouts

1 oregano flower

Preparation

To cook the millets

1. Take the millets and rinse under running water until the water runs clear. Gently rub the seeds, then drain. Pass through a sieve to remove excess moisture.


2. To ensure the millet is perfectly cooked, the trick is to toast the grains before cooking. Once well drained, heat a pan over medium heat and add the millets. Stir occasionally with a wooden spoon until the millets turn golden and start to release a fragrance resembling butter or nuts.


3. Usually, millets are cooked with a water–millet ratio of 3:1 for a sticky texture. However, in this case, using less water with a ratio of 2:1 achieves a looser texture ideal for summer salads.

Onion demi-glace

1. Wrap the large onions in aluminium foil and place them in the oven at 180 °C for 90 minutes. They should become completely soft, and their juices should have caramelized at the bottom of the foil.


2. Add the onions to 3 litres of water, and cook until only one litre remains. Then, strain to remove the onions and reduce the liquid over medium heat until the sugars concentrate, obtaining a caramel-like texture.
3. Season with salt and pepper.

Meatballs

1. In a bowl, mix the minced chicken with salt and pepper. Add eggs, grated sweet onion, breadcrumbs, a dash of milk, parsley, two minced garlic cloves and cumin. Mix everything well.


2. Shape the mixture into balls (size depends on personal preference), coat them in flour, and sear them in a pan with olive oil. Remove the meatballs from the pan.


3. In the same pan, using the oil from frying the meatballs, sauté minced garlic and the other diced sweet onion. Season with salt and pepper.


4. Add the wine and let the alcohol evaporate, then add the chicken broth.


5. After a few minutes, mash the mixture until you achieve the desired texture.


6. In a casserole pot, place the meatballs in the sauce. Cook long enough to ensure they are cooked inside but not dry.

To serve the dish, arrange the millets on a plate, top it with the meatballs and drizzle the onion demi-glace over the dish. Garnish with Moncayo truffle slices, baby mushrooms, some bean sprouts and pea sprouts, and the oregano flower.

About the chef

Charo Val

Spain

Chef Charo Val promotes a more sustainable gastronomy, emphasizing the use of local, seasonal and regional products, with a special focus on wild products provided by forests. She is an ambassador for the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC Spain) and Marine Stewardship Council sustainable fishing, and is the chef of La Alacena del Gourmet in Ibiza. Charo was named Chef of the Year by the Spanish Federation of Chefs and Pastry Chefs in 2019, and her book El bosque en tu paladar received the International Gourmand Award for Best Sustainable Cookbook.