“It’s got a whole bunch of tastes,” columnist Bill O’Boyle said this week as he tried his first-ever serving of quinoa — in the latest dish from the Times Leader Test Kitchen. “I can taste the lemon. I can taste the asparagus. I can taste the peas.”
“It’s definitely different,” he said thoughtfully. “I do like it.”
I told him quinoa (pronounced KEEN-wah) has protein and minerals and fiber, and hadn’t even gotten to the part about it being gluten free, containing disease-fighting antioxidants or being known as “Incan gold” in the Andes Mountains, before he pronounced:
“A lot of things that are good for you don’t taste good, but this does taste good, and apparently it’s good for you.”
Earlier that day, I’d cooked the quinoa in vegetable broth plus a little olive oil, added such spring veggies as asparagus, peas and radishes, tossed it with parsley from the store and chives from the backyard, and topped it with a dollop of goat cheese.
When I brought it into the newsroom, I soon realized Bill wasn’t the only co-worker unfamiliar with quinoa, a somewhat trendy food that is classified as a whole grain although it is technically a seed.
“I’ve heard of it,” reporter Kevin Caroll said. “But to my knowledge I’ve never eaten it until now.”
“I wasn’t expecting to like it,” he added, “but it’s good. The goat cheese on top is my favorite part.”
In contrast to the quinoa newbies, reporter Patrick Kernan and editor Roger DuPuis have actually cooked it themselves.
“I am a big fan of quinoa,” Roger said, “and I like to make it savory and add chicken. This is more citrusy — is there lemongrass in it?”
Not lemongrass, I told him. The citrusy flavor is from lemon zest and lemon juice.
“It’s wonderful,” Roger said. “And Kevin is right. The goat cheese is like a cherry on top.”
When Patrick said he considers quinoa tricky to cook, I told him about the online advice I’d read — rinse it thoroughly, put it in water (or vegetable broth or chicken stock), bring it to a boil, then let it simmer — uncovered — for 10 to 20 minutes, until the water is just about gone. Remove from heat, put a lid on it and let it steam for 5 more minutes.
“You did it right,” Patrick said, adding he thought the quinoa with spring vegetables would be good picnic fare. As for flavor, he said, “the citrus is really powerful, which I think is good.”
Obituary clerk Maria DiBuo was the last person in the newsroom to try the dish, and she said it was much tastier than a quinoa salad she’d had in a restaurant.
I really like it, too. So did Mark. So did my mom. We all especially liked the cheese on top. (The recipe said to crumble it but I just put a dollop on top of each serving because I thought it would look better in a photo.)
And, maybe it’s just the power of suggestion, but when I read about how Incan warriors used to eat quinoa for strength and energy, I felt a burst of newfound stamina.
There are loads of recipes online for adding just about anything to quinoa, and you can use it just about any way you would use rice. The recipe I followed, “Quinoa with Chickpeas, Asparagus and Fresh Peas” comes from kitchn.com and a cook named Megan Gordon.
The only adaptations I made involved using vegetable broth instead of salted water and using frozen peas because I couldn’t find fresh sugar snap peas.
Spring Quinoa with Chickpeas, Asparagus, and Fresh Peas
Serves 4 to 6
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
3 1/2 cups water
1 teaspoon fine-grain sea salt, plus more to sprinkle on top
2 cups quinoa, well-rinsed and drained
1/2 pound fresh asparagus, cut into 1-inch segments
3/4 cup sugar snap peas
1 lemon
15-ounce can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1/4 cup radishes, rinsed and sliced thinly
1 bunch flat-leaf parsley, chopped (should yield about 1/2 cup)
2 tablespoons fresh chives, chopped
1/2 cup crumbled goat cheese
Instructions
In a medium saucepan, heat the olive oil and water over medium heat until it comes to a boil. Salt the water well, add the quinoa and stir. Bring back to a boil, then turn down the heat to low and simmer, covered, until the quinoa absorbs the water, about 20 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside for 10 minutes, still covered. This will allow the quinoa to fully absorb the water and become nice and fluffy.
In the meantime, heat a large pot of salted water on the stove on medium-high heat and prepare an ice water bath. Add the asparagus and sugar snap peas to the boiling water and cook for 3 minutes, or until they’ve just begun to soften. Once finished, drain the vegetables and toss them into the ice water bath to prevent further cooking.
Zest the lemon, and squeeze 3 tablespoons of lemon juice into a small bowl.
When the quinoa has cooled, add the asparagus, snap peas, chickpeas, radishes, lemon zest and juice, parsley, and chives. Stir to combine. Sprinkle the goat cheese and finishing salt (like Maldon) on top. Garnish with extra chives or parsley if you like.