For my final quinoa trick (at least for a while), I felt it was only appropriate to give a shout out to the ancestral origins of this seed/vegetable ingredient. That, and I think I’m truly obsessed with all things Peruvian these days – pisco, quinoa, Macchu Picchu, you name it. I first came across ‘quinotto’ (quinoa risotto…clever, or annoying? I’m undecided) during one of the best dinners I’ve had in Boston at Taranta and have been enamored with the idea of this dish ever since. Peruvian restaurants seem to be the new sexy thing in innovative haute cuisine and I for one am firmly seated and belted in to the bandwagon. Last week was a true Peruvian dining-lover’s paradise at my house: one roommate and I went to a cultural benefit dinner at a local restaurant where we sampled authentic cuisine and were treated to a demonstration on how to make ceviche (coming soon to an Esculent blog near you!), and another roommate returned from her trip to visit Peru bearing a wealth of spices for us to experiment with. Oh happy day! With that, the quinotto was finally ready to make its appearance.
Don’t be intimidated by the spices used in this dish. I ended up relying heavily on a recipe I found on Epicurious which calls for some pretty obscure ingredients but you can easily leave them out or substitute. Annato seeds are a yellow-orange seeds that are popular in Mexican and Caribbean cooking and are sometimes used as a substitute for saffron. I was just going to leave them out of the recipe, but then I glanced at my truly wondrous spice rack and realized we had some. Goya brand, so I bet they’re in the ‘ethnic cuisine’ aisle of the grocery store. If you don’t have them, use saffron or omit. Aji amarillo is a Peruvian yellow chile pepper. I haven’t seen them around here (admittedly I haven’t look very closely), but if you don’t have any on hand, you could probably make do with red pepper flakes or a mild chile powder. The aji amarillo powder I have tastes a bit more smoky hot than spicy hot to me so it’s not overwhelming.
I can’t remember if I’ve already mentioned this, but I’m not such a big fan of pasta. I know, I know…I think it’s some sort of density issue. Just try to forget I said anything about it, okay? Despite my clear character flaw, I do love me some risotto, although I still often fall victim to the heaviness of the arborio rice. The thing I appreciate about this quinoa risotto is that using quinoa instead lends a much lighter and subtle flavor. The only thing to be aware of is that traditional risottos tend to be creamy because of the nature of the rice and the starch, so with quinotto you have to add a little cream to get a similar consistency that the quinoa itself can’t provide.
Anyway, the point is that much like a regular and simple risotto recipe, you can add all sorts of extras to this quinotto to flavor it in different ways. This one was particularly delicious however, if you want to mix it up and create your own fantastic meal, I’ve put an asterisk next to the ingredients in the recipe that are unique to this type of quinoa risotto and can be substituted or omitted. Go to town. Hopefully the last week or so has illustrated just how versatile quinoa can be…burgers, creamy ‘pasta’ dishes, appetizers…this is definitely an ingredient where its fun, easy, and hopefully not too scary to get crazy and try something out. Even when I forgot to include a binding agent in my quinoa lentil burgers, they were still easily salvagable and definitely palatable. If you’ve got any other recipes to share, let me know. I’m taking a little break from quinoa for a while, but I am certain to return soon.
Peruvian Mushroom Quinotto
serves 3
1 1/2c. quinoa
4c. broth, or water
3T. olive oil
*1T. annato seeds
1 c. diced onion
*2c. mixed wild mushrooms (I used chanterelles and shitakes)
*1/2c. baby spinach
*2t. aji amarillo powder or paste
1/4c. heavy cream
1/2c. dry white wine
1/2c. parmesan cheese
*2T . cilantro
In a deep skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat and add the annato seeds. Cook for several minutes until the oil turns orange-yellow. With a slotted spatula or by draining through a sieve, remove the seeds and retain the oil in pan. Meanwhile, heat the broth or water to a low simmer in a saucepan. In the same skillet, saute the onions and the mushrooms with 1t. of the aji amarillo for abotu five minutes. Remove the mushrooms and most of the onions from the pan and set aside. Add the quinoa and mix to coat it with the remaining oil in the pan for about 2-3 minutes. Turn the heat up to medium-high and add the wine, mixing it in thoroughly.
Once the wine has evaporated, add about 1/2c. of the broth and mix in thoroughly. Add the remaining aji amarillo. Once the broth has almost evaporated add another 1/2c. Continue this process until the quinoa is plump and mostly translucent and separated from each other, about 20-25 minutes. There should be some broth remaining. Add the cream, spinach, onions, and mushrooms back into the pan and mix. Allow to cook,mixing occasionally, for about 2-3 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and add the parmesan and cilantro. Top with a cilantro sprig garnish and serve.
phenomenal recipe!!!