Eat Fresh - Sorghum

Published October 4, 2006 in The Spectrum & Daily News

By Kathryn van Roosendaal

The Sorghum Festival is coming up this weekend in LaVerkin, and one thing is on everyone’s mind: What the blazes is sorghum? I’ve been asked this exact question several times this week, and fortunately I have an answer.

Sorghum is a cereal grass grown mainly for livestock fodder and it was a cash crop in the Hurricane Valley in the past. But this plant isn’t just for cows. When processed it makes a syrup that is like molasses, only sweeter and lighter. The rich, golden syrup is delicious in recipes or poured straight onto ice cream or pancakes. It can be used in place of molasses in any recipe — although you may want to cut the sugar amount just a bit because the sorghum is sweeter — and, best of all, sorghum has more nutritional value than most other sweeteners.

Don’t miss out on the Sorghum Festival this year, and be sure to pick up a jar or two of the syrup while you’re there. I’ll see you there.

Ginger snaps

These are the best ginger snaps I have ever had. The sorghum makes them lighter and crisper than those made with molasses.

1/2 cup Sorghum syrup

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup shortening

1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 egg

1/2 cup sugar

2 teaspoons ground ginger

2 cups sifted graham flour or whole wheat flour.

Cream sugar and shortening. Add the egg and sorghum and beat well. Add sifted dry ingredients and mix well. Chill dough several hours. Roll into small balls, dip in sugar, then flatten by stamping cookies with flat bottomed glass covered with a damp cloth. Bake in moderate oven at 370 degrees F for 15 minutes.

Barbecue Beef

This dish makes the best sloppy joes and the tangy, spicy barbecue sauce can be used on anything you would grill.

1/2 cup ketchup

1/4 cup sorghum syrup

1/4 cup mustard

2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

3/4 teaspoon groung pepper

1/8 teaspoon Tabasco Sauce

3 tablespoons cider vinegar

1 pound Ground Beef

Blend together sorghum and mustard. Stir in vinegar, Worchstershire sauce, Tabasco and ketchup. Sprinkle beef with salt. Brown beef in skillet, breaking up with a fork, add sauce and heat to serving temperature.