Give quinoa a try and I promise you'll be nutty about it
Monday February 16 2009
Step outside your comfort zone and try something totally different. You never know -- you might even love it. Restaurants provide wonderful opportunities to taste something you have never tried and certainly had never considered cooking before.
As adults, we are always coaxing children to try new things, without realising that we might be totally stunted by our own idiosyncratic preferences or habits.
I judge a great restaurant through having a good memory of something special or different I ordered there. A few years ago, I went to an organic café, where I was intrigued by a Tian of quinoa and Mediterranean vegetables on the menu which I thought was worth a try.
I was delighted to be presented with a mound of warm grains (not dissimilar to couscous but with a crunchy texture and a far more nutty taste), dressed in seasoned olive oil with a melt-in-the-mouth medley of roasted peppers, red onion and courgette on top.
gold of the incas
Quinoa is an ancient grain and was once considered 'the gold of the Incas' in South America. All but forgotten, it is coming back into vogue on a global scale.
Like most whole grains, it is a great source of fibre, but what makes it really special, in my book, is that it is a complete protein, providing all essential amino acids (important for tissue building).
Specifically, it is a good source of calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, potassium, copper, zinc and iron. While most of us look to animal based protein sources such as meat and cheese for our daily intake of protein, quinoa provides a good option for people following a vegan diet who might feel slightly limited with beans, nuts and tofu.
An obvious substitute for pasta, rice or couscous, you can buy quinoa in all health food shops (and thankfully, it's gaining shelf space in many supermarkets). Rinse it before cooking to get rid of its bitter outer layer, then simply cook it like rice until it is light and fluffy.
For added flavour cook it in fish, chicken or vegetable stock instead of water.
In salads, it is terrific served with grated raw vegetables (beetroot and carrots being my favourites) with sautéed sliced red onions and a balsamic vinaigrette.
Tabbouleh is a great crowd-pleaser of a salad, full of freshly chopped herbs. Though traditionally made with bulghur in the middle east, I made this quinoa tabbouleh for a family buffet and was reassured when my 80- year-old aunt returned to the table for second helpings.
ingredients
Serves four
150g quinoa
400mls water
Pinch salt
Half cucumber, skin on, diced small
Half courgette, coarsely grated
2 tomatoes, deseeded and diced
1 red onion, finely diced
25g fresh mint, leaves chopped
25g flat leaf parsley, leaves chopped
Dressing
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp soy sauce (or tamari)
Pinch paprika
Salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste
Method
Vanessa Greenwood is the founder of Cooks Academy Cookery School
