The Scope

Andreae Prozesky is totally keen on quinoa.

Sometimes, an attempt to solve one problem ends up creating new problems altogether.

Like, for example, if you were to make a Big Pot of Chili—as described in my column of some weeks ago—and were now finding yourself in possession of a large quantity of quinoa.

There are worse things a person can have happen than a quinoa glut. The little grain—which is really a “pseudocereal,” if you want to get into it—is so tasty, and so nutritious, that once you have a few recipes under your belt, you’ll be cooking it up all the time. Those tadpole-looking nubs are your versatile little friends, eager to fill you up with complete protein, a big pile of minerals, and delicious, nutty goodness.

If you and quinoa haven’t yet been formally introduced, allow me to do the honours: Quinoa was at one time a traditional food of the Incas, and was revered as the “mother of all grains.” Enter the Spanish conquistadors, who suppressed the cultivation of traditional foods as part of their scheme to conquer the Incan people… Quinoa’s popularity diminished throughout the Andes as the colonial forces took hold, and even today it is considered second-class food in its native countries, according to the literature I’ve come across.

Were it not for some dedicated hippies in the 1970s and 1980s, quinoa would be unknown in North America today. When the marketing powers of the health foods movement were applied to the tastiness and authenticity of the wee quinoa seed, magic happened. While much of the quinoa we get here is grown in the US, the seeds are imported mainly from Bolivia, encouraging a return to quinoa cultivation in the Andes. If you’ve ever eaten anything made with “ancient grains,” you’ve probably eaten quinoa. It’s not exactly a popular food, but it’s not unheard-of either.

Now. Introductions aside, here’s the big question: what do you do with quinoa?

Well, the possibilities may not be endless, but they are impressive in number. Quinoa cooks up nice and fluffy, and you can substitute it for couscous in many salad recipes. One favourite salad of mine comes together when you combine cooked brown rice with cooked quinoa (cook them separately, since brown rice takes about forty minutes, and quinoa only takes about fifteen), throw in handfuls of raw, unsalted cashews, raw pumpkin seeds, mandarin orange pieces, chopped red pepper, chopped green onion, and douse it all in a red wine vinaigrette (one part red wine vinegar, one part olive oil, one part grapeseed or canola oil, salt and pepper). Let the salad sit a few hours for the grains to soak up a dressing, and dig in.

And speaking of dressing, let us consider dressing in the vernacular sense, the one which comes between “chips” and ”gravy” in local parlance. Were one wishing to take this classic C-D-G to a new level, one could consider making some summer-savoury-flecked dressing using cooked quinoa in the place of breadcrumbs. This could be adapted to stuff a chicken or a turkey, but would be just fine atop some hand-cut oven fries—russet potatoes are the best for this—drowned in a stylish green peppercorn gravy. Quinoa, by the way, is gluten-free. What better way to tell your gluten-sensitive friends you love them than with a big pile of chips, dressing, and gravy that they can actually enjoy? (Just make sure you make the gravy gluten-free too though, or it’s all for naught.)

If you have some cold, already-cooked quinoa staring at you, here’s a favourite use: put on a pot of rolled oats as though you’re making normal oatmeal, but when they’re half-cooked, add in your cooked quinoa (about ½ cup per cup of oats). Add up to ¼ cup extra water if it looks like it needs it. When the oats are cooked to your liking, stir in some dried fruit, some nuts if you like, and then eat your quinoa porridge like any other hot cereal—with milk, butter, brown sugar, maple syrup, whatever you like. There’s not much can stop you when you’ve eaten a breakfast like that.

…Once more, with measurements!

Berry muffins with quinoa and cornmeal The quinoa and cornmeal give these a wonderful nubbly texture and a grand crunch. My daughter just ate three of them in a row.

1/2 cup unbleached white flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup cornmeal (yellow or white)
1 egg, beaten
2 – 4 tablespoons honey
4 tablespoons melted butter
1 cup milk
1/2 cup quinoa, rinsed well and cooked in 1 cup water for 15 minutes, and allowed to cool slightly.
1 cup blueberries, partridgeberries, raspberries, or a combination. If frozen, do not thaw.

Preheat oven to 425F. Oil a muffin tin and place it in the oven while you prepare the batter. You want it to be smokin’ hot, for extra-crispy muffin bottoms.

In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt, and cornmeal. In a separate bowl, whisk together egg, honey, butter and milk. Add milk mixture to flour mixture and stir just to combine. Add quinoa and berries and stir together with a few quick strokes. You don’t want to over-mix the batter, or the muffins will turn out rubbery.

Remove the hot tin from the oven and spoon the batter into it, filling the cups 3/4 full. Return to the oven and bake about 25 minutes, until the tops are cracked and the edges are golden.

Send your questions, comments, and protein-packed suggestions to dreae@thescope.ca