Quinoa pilaf
So, I got this box of quinoa. I'd heard quinoa described as culinarily useful, and I figured I'd check it out.
Quinoa is an odd little grain. A spherical endosperm, looking rather like a grain of couscous, is wrapped in a ring-like germ. The texture is varied, mostly because of the odd germ rings. The flavor is odd, too -- a subtle nuttiness underneath a distinctly grassy roasted-veggies note.
Being unfamiliar with it, I first tried the recipe on the box -- basically "cook quinoa like rice, sauteé some chicken, add quinoa to chicken pan, plus basil." This was unsatisfactory. The quinoa's flavor didn't speak loudly enough on its own behalf, and the chicken was too insipid to dominate, so the whole dish was dull. However, I was inspired by the notion that basically I should treat it like rice. I know just what to do with rice: I make a pilaf. The only question then was how to get the flavor of the quinoa to take a more active role.
You will need:
Melt butter over low heat. Wait unti it stops foaming (ie, the water is boiled off, only fat and milk solids remain). Add walnut oil. Let it get nice and warm.
Turn up the heat. Sauteé onion. When it is just starting to cook through, add garlic. Shortly later, add almonds. When the almonds show a hit of brownishness, add quinoa. Sauteé until you detect a slight color change in the quinoa; this means that the surface starches are beginning to cook, which is what will make the pilaf fluffy.
Add the stock. It will start boiling instantly. Add salt and pepper to taste. Reduce heat to simmer, cover, let cook 25 minutes or until liquid is absorbed. Fluff, mix, and serve (at this quantity, it's a side dish for two).
The nutty flavor of the walnut oil draws attention to the nutty note of the quinoa's flavor. And the pre-cooking spreads that flavor throughout the dish and really heightens it. Mushrooms might work nicely if you like that sort of thing. Next time I make this, though, I'll add some curry powder to see if I can get the vegetable note in the quinoa's flavor to speak more clearly.
Quinoa is an odd little grain. A spherical endosperm, looking rather like a grain of couscous, is wrapped in a ring-like germ. The texture is varied, mostly because of the odd germ rings. The flavor is odd, too -- a subtle nuttiness underneath a distinctly grassy roasted-veggies note.
Being unfamiliar with it, I first tried the recipe on the box -- basically "cook quinoa like rice, sauteé some chicken, add quinoa to chicken pan, plus basil." This was unsatisfactory. The quinoa's flavor didn't speak loudly enough on its own behalf, and the chicken was too insipid to dominate, so the whole dish was dull. However, I was inspired by the notion that basically I should treat it like rice. I know just what to do with rice: I make a pilaf. The only question then was how to get the flavor of the quinoa to take a more active role.
You will need:
- 1 Tbsp butter
- 1 Tbsp walnut oil
- 1 cup chicken stock (3 of my famous frozen cubes, plus water, heated in the microwave)
- 1/2 cup quinoa
- 1 small onion
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1/3 cup slivered almonds
Melt butter over low heat. Wait unti it stops foaming (ie, the water is boiled off, only fat and milk solids remain). Add walnut oil. Let it get nice and warm.
Turn up the heat. Sauteé onion. When it is just starting to cook through, add garlic. Shortly later, add almonds. When the almonds show a hit of brownishness, add quinoa. Sauteé until you detect a slight color change in the quinoa; this means that the surface starches are beginning to cook, which is what will make the pilaf fluffy.
Add the stock. It will start boiling instantly. Add salt and pepper to taste. Reduce heat to simmer, cover, let cook 25 minutes or until liquid is absorbed. Fluff, mix, and serve (at this quantity, it's a side dish for two).
The nutty flavor of the walnut oil draws attention to the nutty note of the quinoa's flavor. And the pre-cooking spreads that flavor throughout the dish and really heightens it. Mushrooms might work nicely if you like that sort of thing. Next time I make this, though, I'll add some curry powder to see if I can get the vegetable note in the quinoa's flavor to speak more clearly.