Alessandra Zecchini: quinoa

Showing posts with label quinoa. Show all posts

Monday, July 1, 2013

Saffron Quinotto

In Lima I heard a lot about quinotto, quinoa cooked like risotto. Many of my Italian blogger friends also make it, and I though of trying, starting with a classic saffron style 'quinotto'.

I chopped one onion and cooked it with a little olive oil (I wanted to make a vegan dish, but remember that butter is traditionally used for saffron risotto), then I added 450 g of quinoa. Once the quinoa was 'toasted' and 'greasy' with oil, I added one glass of white wine, and then, ladle by ladle, slowly slowly, and stirring often, one litre of vegetable stock. I added the saffron just at the end, when the quinotto was cooked.

How was it? Well, I liked it very much, my son liked it too, but my husband and daughter weren't so sure... they ate it, but are they are not going to beg me to make it again, they prefer risotto with rice :-).

And did you ever try to make quinotto?

Photos and Recipes by Alessandra Zecchini ©

Friday, November 30, 2012

Quinoa and cauliflower pie, gluten free

I got the idea from this Italian blog and although I changed almost everything in it, I kept the main ingredients: cauliflower and quinoa. I liked this idea because A: I really wanted to do something else with quinoa that didn't involve a salad or a risotto-type-of-dish, and B: I had cauliflower.

Ingredients

1 cup quinoa

1 small cauliflower

200 g feta cheese

2 free range eggs

Half tsp cumin seeds

salt and pepper to taste

olive oil

Wash the quinoa, then place in a good pot with 2 cups of water. I also decided to cook the cauliflower at the same time (save gas, flavour and nutrients). Cut and wash the cauliflower florets and place over the quinoa. Simmer for 20 minutes. turn the heat of and let it rest for 15. Cube the feta and add to the quinoa and cauliflower, mixing very well. Add the eggs and mix well. With a mortar and pestle lightly crush the cumin seeds and add to the mixture. Adjust with salt and pepper. Brush a terracotta or other oven dish with olive oil, them pour the mixture in, patting it down well. Level the top and drizzle with more olive oil. Bake at 180°C for 30 minutes. Let it cool down lightly before serving, so that it will cut well.

Even better the day after, re-heated.

Photos and Recipes by Alessandra Zecchini ©

Saturday, September 29, 2012

Spring, flowers, and quinoa

I like flowers.

Flowers in my garden, to decorate the statues.

Flowers to use for work.

Flowers of sugar, made by Arantxa to use for a school project.

Flowers in my quinoa

Quinoa with flowers

Ingredients

1 cup quinoa

2 cups water

1 small carrot

1 small cucumber

1 bunch onion weed (or spring onions)

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

juice from half a lemon

salt and pepper to taste

edible flowers

Cook one cup of quinoa with two cups of water for 20 minutes. In the meantime chop very finely a small carrot, a small cucumber and a bunch of onion weeds (or spring onions). Put the still hot quinoa into a serving bowl, add two tbsp of extra virgin olive oil, the chopped vegetables, the juice of half a lemon and salt and pepper to taste. This dish can be served warm or cold (yes, even if it has cucumber it can be served warm!). Just before serving add edible flowers: I used onion weed flowers, marigold, violets and bok choy flowers.