Recipe: Speckled Quinoa and Orzo

[lindrusso]

Emilycat - I tried a quinoa dish tonight and it was great! Aside from the very strange name...

With all this talk about healthy foods and trying new things lately, I thought I'd post the recipe for other members who might be interested. It came from www.foodtv.com . If you do a search for quinoa, you will find several yummy-sounding recipes. If anyone tries any of them, please post!

Speckled Quinoa and Orzo

1/3 cup olive oil (I successfully cut this down to 2 tablespoons)
3/4 cup quinoa, thoroughly rinsed
1 1/4 cups orzo
2 small cloves garlic, minced
10 sun-dried tomatoes, packed in olive oil, finely chopped (I used the kind without oil)
3 cups chicken broth
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
3/4 cup grated Parmesan
2 ripe tomatoes, seeded and cut into fine dice
1/4 cup chiffonade of basil

1. Heat olive oil in a medium size saucepan. Add quinoa and orzo and cook, stirring constantly, until quinoa turns golden, about 1 minute. Add the garlic and sun-dried tomatoes and continue to saute for 20 seconds until you smell their aroma. Add chicken broth, bring to simmer. Reduce heat to low, cover and cook for 12 minutes or until barely done. There should be a little liquid that has been absorbed by the grains and pasta and which will help the cheese turn creamy. Season to taste with salt and pepper, stir in basil and remove from heat. The recipe doesn't state when to add the fresh tomatoes, so I added them with the basil at the end.

2. Yield: 4 to 6 sidedishes
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes

Enjoy!

[SusanL]

I am not Emilycat, but that recipe certainly looks delicious as well as easy to prepare!! This is going to sound strange, but is the quinoa hidden? My DH hates it, well the looks of it. If the orzo is more prominent and I turn down the lights, I might just be able to sneak it past him!! If not, I will have side dishes for several days;) Thanks again!!

[lindrusso]

Hmmm...I don't know of the quinoa is exactly hidden, but the orzo is definitely more prominent and might steal his attention away from the offensive grain! And with the added color of tomatoes and basil, you might just get away with it! Worth a try!

[KValley]

This looks great, Alysha- thanks so much for posting the recipe. Quinoa has become my new target grain, after years of wrinkling my nose and saying "ewwwww" at the thought (a disastrous quinoa experience of my own making). DH may even eat this, since orzo is involved!

Cheers,

Julie

[emilycat]

Yes, thanks, Alysha! This looks delicious! Quinoa is my most favoritest grain. :p

[SandyM]

ummm a little embarrassed to ask, but what is it like? Barley? Rice? Not even close? This recipe sounds awesome, but I don't even think I've ever laid my eyes on such a thing...... :o

[Wendy w]

Like Julie, I'm not much of a quinoa fan as my singular experience with it was not positive, but this recipe looks really good. No offense but do you think the recipe would still be good without the quinoa, more orzo or a substitution for the quinoa?

[Jennett]

Sandy M--
I'd describe quinoa as being somewhere between bulghur and couscous--it's a small grain which has some crunchiness to it. It has a nutty, whole grain flavor. It's been referred to as a "supergrain", because it is one of the few (or only?) grains that is a complete protein. A serving of quinoa is equal in protein to a glass of milk. It's also a good source of fiber and vitamins.

Note to other quinoa lovers out there--it supposedly has a very short shelf life, like a month. I never knew this. I figured all grains keep for a while.

[SandyM]

Thanks Jennett - I appreciate the response.

[SusanMac]

Another thing I recently learned about quinoa is that it is gluten-free. If any of you have gluten/wheat intolerance, and just can't eat rice 7 days a week, this is the grain for you!

[lindrusso]

Thanks for the heads up Jennett about the shelf-life - I think I'll put mine in the freezer!

WendyW - This recipe would be just fine without the quinoa!

SandyM - I think the best way to approach quinoa is with no expectations because it is very different than other grains I have tried. It has an unusual flavor and is a bit stronger, to me, than say rice, couscous or orzo. I liked it very much!

I got my two boxes at Whole Foods in Chicago, so I'm hoping that some store around here carries it, or I'll be shopping on the Internet when this runs out!

Has anyone else read that quinoa is actually an herb seed (but is lumped in the grain family) I can't remember where I read that (maybe it was even on this board :D ), but thought it was quite interesting.

[KValley]

Here's what Epicurious says about Quinoa:

KEEN-wah]
Although quinoa is new to the American market, it was a staple of the ancient Incas, who called it "the mother grain." To this day it's an important food in South American cuisine. Hailed as the "supergrain of the future," quinoa contains more protein than any other grain. It's considered a complete protein because it contains all eight essential amino acids. Quinoa is also higher in unsaturated fats and lower in carbohydrates than most grains, and it provides a rich and balanced source of vital nutrients. Tiny and bead-shaped, the ivory-colored quinoa cooks like rice (taking half the time of regular rice) and expands to four times its original volume. Its flavor is delicate, almost bland, and has been compared to that of COUSCOUS. Quinoa is lighter than but can be used in any way suitable for rice — as part of a main dish, a side dish, in soups, in salads and even in puddings. It's available packaged as a grain, ground into flour and in several forms of pasta. Quinoa can be found in most health-food stores and some supermarkets.





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based on THE FOOD LOVER'S COMPANION, 2nd edition, by Sharon Tyler Herbst.