Quinoa (pronounced /ˈkiːnoʊ.ə/ or kinwa) is a pseudocereal that’s been around for about 6000 years but is now of interest as a “supergrain” outside of Peru and the other Inca regions of South America. Why? it has an unusually high protein content (12-18%) and carries all 20 essential amino acids, meaning that it’s one of the few complete protein sources of vegetable origin. There’s also plenty of fibre, phosphorus, magnesium and iron, and it handles similarly to white rice, but I like it primarily for the nutty taste and texture.

The only really negative about quinoa that I can think of is that the stuff is freaking expensive outside of the Andes. Oh – there’s that little issue with the saponin (high fibre + saponin = funzies all around), but proper rinsing of quinoa takes away its laxative surprise.

Risotto? Classic Italian rice dish originating from Piedmont that everyone knows and many know how to make badly. However, when it’s made well, it’s one of the best rice dishes that’s available in the West. The boundaries of what constitutes a risotto is being pushed forward by Carlo Cracco, Heston Blumenthal and others, but I suspect that Cracco’s having a bit of difficulty right now over the molecular gastronomy ban. I’ve given risotto a bit of a push myself, and at some point I’ll finish writing up that post.

I was playing around with quinoa to see what else could be done with it ouside of classical Peruvian applications and what the vegans are touting, and as it is rice-like in how it cooks, tried it out in a risotto application.

Ingredients

• quinoa
• white onion, finely minced to a near-purée (can be regular white or sweet onion)
• green onion, finely minced
• white wine
• littleneck clams, shucked, clam liquor retained
• chicken broth (broth should be hot)
• Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
• unsalted butter
• olive oil
• pepper

Preparation

Proportions are approximate.

Heat 5 mL / 1 teaspoon each olive oil and butter in  a saucier. When the foaming of the butter starts to subside, add the minced white onion (approximately 1/4 cup) and soften. Add 250 mL / 1 cup quinoa, and stir to coat the quinoa grains. Continue to cook until quinoa is slightly browned. Add 250 mL / 1 cup white wine (something with a bit of acidity). Stir and continue to simmer quinoa until liquid is almost evaporated. Add chicken broth a ladle at a time to quinoa and continue stirring. Add additional broth as liquid in saucier continues to evaporate until quinoa is almost completely cooked. Add clam liquor and ground pepper to taste, remove from heat and fold in small cubes of cold butter and grated cheese.

Sauté clams quickly with minced green onion.

Service

Plate quinoa into middle of service vessel. Top with sautéed clams and grate over additional cheese. Serve immediately.

Notes

I thought it then and I think it now, but this is a dish that is very “brown” – the quinoa is brown, the clams are brown, the Parmigiano-Reggiano is beige, which is a pale brown.

The quinoa offers us very fluffly grains when cooked this way, but it is not “soupy” as there is inadequate starch content to produce that texture. This dish works very well as an opener in a tasting menu, but I can’t see it being served as a primo primarily because of the cost.

If I had to do this again, I’d probably use dashi and sake rather than chicken stock and wine to better harmonize with the clams since both will play to the marine umami that the clams bring. if I wasn’t using the clams, the “classic” method works very nicely. Oh, and something with color to break up the brown.

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