Amaranth porridge

I bought amaranth a few months ago, and decided that it was about time that I figure out how to use it. I wanted to really taste this grain (after all, I'm trying to compile a list of my favorites), so I needed a recipe that really highlighted it. This was somewhat difficult, but I did manage to find a recipe for porridge in one of the cookbooks of the month! And, given my recent love of oatmeal, I thought it would be perfect.

Amaranth porridge (adapted from "Whole Grains Every Day, Every Way" by Lorna Sass)

1 cup amaranth

3 cups water

1/2 Tbsp butter

1 Tbsp honey

dash of salt

dash of cinnamon

Soak amaranth overnight in water in small saucepan. Uncover and bring to a boil. Stir well, reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer until water is absorbed and amaranth is soft (about 22 min*). It will still have a bit of a crunch to it (it's very much like quinoa in terms of appearance, texture, and protein content). Add remaining ingredients. Serves 4.

* Usually Lorna is right on in terms of her timing. She said that if you soak the amaranth it only takes 3-5 min to cook (instead of the usual 22). I found that it didn't shorten the time at all (so it's fine to skip the overnight soak). Perhaps it was the batch of amaranth that I bought... who knows. Even still, it doesn't take a whole lot of time (and you can always do it the night before).

Exactly as Lorna describes, it has a "mildly sweet, earthy corn flavor." I have to admit that I didn't enjoy this nearly as much as a bowl of steal-cut oatmeal because it lacked the natural sweetness and has a weird consistency (similar to glue), but it was a nice change and a good experiment. I'm definitely planning to try amaranth in savory recipes to see what I think.