Quinoa recipes

[Guest guest]

It is not often that a daily newspaper features vegetarian food in its

main food column. These recipes are from the Ha'aretz Magazine 3 June

2005. I've cut out most of the comemntart. The whole thing can be

found at http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/583833.html

 

Shoshana

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

Quintessential quinoa

By Miri Hanoch and Eyal Shani

 

…Quinoa is not a grain, but it is cooked like one. Anything that a

human being ever put into a pot with water and saw expand gets called

a " grain " ….

Quinoa is a tiny fruit about the size of a sesame seed that grows on a

perennial plant that reaches a height of about four meters. In

cooking, its fate depends on a 2:1 ratio (in favor of water). In the

transition from parrots to Western man, it fell into the mouths of

those who like to call food that is dripping with life " health food. " …

When cooked the right way, the little flax-colored kernels become

translucent and sprout tiny curly white tails. Overcooking turns them

starchy, heavy and sticky. Proper cooking involves just enough water

to cover - that elusive point when you're not sure if the water is

floating over the grains or the grains are floating over the water.

This is where the whole secret lies.

 

Quinoa - the basic recipe

The following recipe will serve six.

1/2 kilo quinoa (1 bag)

3 med. carrots, peeled and coarsely grated

1 med. onion, minced

3-4 tbsp. olive oil

cold water to cover

 

1. Pour the oil into a heavy 24-cm. pot, add the carrot and onion and

turn up the fire to a high flame. Stir, cover with a lid and saute for

2 minutes. Open the lid and stir for about 2 more minutes, until the

color of the carrot intensifies and it becomes soft, and the first

pleasant aroma of caramel wafts from the pot.

 

2. Add the quinoa straight from the bag and stir. The quinoa turns

orange from the oil that has been colored by the carrots. Continue

stirring until the quinoa is very hot. Add the cold water. In an

instant, the water is bubbling strongly and the quinoa has imparted

its color and taste. Now the water will begin to be absorbed and will

yield what it received from the root vegetables.

 

3. Lower the fire to the minimum, cover the pot and let simmer for

about 20 minutes, without daring to lift the lid to check: The quinoa

will take this as a brazen intrusion into its inner world, the balance

of steam in relation to the contents of the pot will be upset and no

one will benefit.

 

4. After 20-25 minutes, open the lid and stick a fork in all the way

to the bottom of the pot, where you should hope to encounter a thin

layer that has started to stick there. This is the sign to turn off

the fire. Cover the pot with a kitchen towel and close it with the

lid. After 5-10 minutes, remove the lid and the towel and fluff the

quinoa with a fork.

 

No, no - we haven't forgotten to add salt. Every gram of salt will

detract from the quinoa's full, sweet flavor. And besides, if you

insist - then quinoa prefers soy sauce.

 

What else does it prefer?

 

White tehina from Nablus, with hardly any lemon; red ripe tomatoes

that have been finely minced together with hot green pepper; olive oil

and sea salt; fresh tomato puree - like the puree that usually

accompanies malawah (a flaky Yemenite bread), together with yogurt

seasoned with a little salt and finely minced hot green peppers.

 

Quinoa with green onion and soy sauce

The following recipe serves six.

1 pot of quinoa that finished cooking 15 minutes beforehand

3 minced green onions (white and green parts)

3 tbsp. high-quality olive oil

4 tbsp. soy sauce

 

Pour the oil onto the cooked quinoa and mix with your hands. The

quinoa is still quite hot but only your fingers will be able to reach

every grain. Add the soy sauce and continue mixing; by now it's not

quite as hot. Add the green onion and mix for another minute. …

 

Quinoa salad

Tabbouleh is made from cracked bulgur wheat mixed with Arab-style

salad whose juices, instead of spilling on the plate, are absorbed by

the grains, softening and flavoring them. What works well for wheat

works even better for quinoa. Instead of my providing an exact,

scientific and soulless recipe, just think about quinoa, about Arab

salad, about mint, za'atar (wild hyssop), hot peppers, crushed black

peppercorns, olive oil, fresh parsley and finally - the seeds squeezed

from two halves of a tomato.

 

Quinoa con leche

Recommended for babies

The following recipe will serve six.

1 cup quinoa

4 cups 3% milk

3 tbsp. sugar

1 tbsp. condensed milk

6 tbsp. warm apricot jam

 

Heat the quinoa in a heavy 24-cm. pot over a medium flame. When the

quinoa is well-heated, lower the flame, add a cup of milk and stir

until most of the milk is absorbed. Add another cup of milk and the

sugar, and continue stirring. Every time the milk is almost completely

absorbed, add a little more. After about 15 minutes of cooking, add

the condensed milk and the remaining milk. Cook for another few

minutes at a moderate boil. Turn off the heat when the quinoa cereal

is thin in texture and, if you stop stirring, the milk floats a little

above it. Divide among six small bowls. Dab 1 tbsp. of warm apricot

jam on top of each. Let cool for about 15 minutes, then cover with

tight plastic wrap and refrigerate for about two hours.

[Guest guest]

Thanks for the quinoa recipes Shoshana.

 

They all look good except the last one. Why would anyone give sugar to

babies? The government stopped baby food companies from adding sugar

years ago! The whole point of having something healthy like quinoa is

that it is not refined, even if it is not literally a grain.

 

from Maida

Citizens for Pets in Condos, http://www.petsincondos.org

South Florida Vegetarian Events, http://www.soflavegevents.net

[Guest guest]

Actually I would be far more concerned about the milk than the refined sugar.

BUT, I suppose it really depends on the age of the baby. It would be easy to

choose another sweetener than white sugar, if that is something you prefer for

your family. Too many people thing that dairy is an essential part of life and

that even young babies just starting to eat should have it.

 

And that is seeing all sorts of consequences from food allergies to diabetes

being linked to it.

 

BL