Citrus Quinoa

I've been feeling stuck in the creative doldrums lately. I haven't been taking pictures, haven't been cooking, and certainly haven't been blogging. I have been working like a mad woman on that event planning thing that pays the bills, so that's partially to blame. To combat this, I forced myself back into the kitchen this past weekend, behind the stove and lens, and ran tests on three separate dishes.

It was good to be back. I even removed the safety net of food experimentation and invited friends over to taste what could have been three separate disasters. Turns out I might actually know how to cook, so not only did I not burn my house down, I scored a home run on all three.

Or, maybe three touchdowns? I had football on the entire time. I have three fantasy teams to keep track of, after all! There's a theme here...

The most popular dish was a riff on a Food 52 recipe. Instead of couscous and olives I opted for quinoa and capers because why the hell not? I really had no other reason.

There's something elegant in simplicity. A handful of simple ingredients + 20 minutes = a big explosion of deliciousness in one's mouth. Those little green capers will do that to you. They're like teeny bombs of sour awesomeness.

I'd actually made the original recipe a few months back. It's good. This was better. Capers kicked it up a few notches.

And it's not the first time I've played with cooking quinoa in unconventional ways. Quinoa for breakfast, anyone? Cooking it in orange juice didn't seem like too far a stretch.

I was also testing a recipe full of roasted red peppers, so I cut one up and threw it in this dish for a nice dash of color. But you could just as easily use pimento for a sweeter kick. That's what would probably be stuffed in your olives anyway. Life is full of choices.

Thank you to my wonderful buddies Elise, DeShawn, and Rob for their input. To quote one of them, "the capers and orange juice did a dance on my tongue as they co-mingled together." How great is that? You can make your tongue DANCE with this!

And thanks also to my mom for this cute little dish. I love it.

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Citrus Quinoa

by adapted from Food 52 September-26-2012

A flavor combination that will make your tongue dance.

Ingredients

• 1 cup quinoa
• 1 3/4 cup orange juice (no pulp)
• 1 medium shallot, minced
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon capers
• 1 tablespoon roasted red pepper, minced

Instructions

1. Rinse the quinoa until the water runs clear (this removes the bitterness), then place in a pot with the orange juice. Cover, bring to a boil, then simmer for 20 minutes, until fully cooked.2. While the quinoa is cooking, sauté the minced shallot in olive oil until translucent. 3. Once the quinoa is finished cooking, fluff with a fork and fold in the shallot, capers, and pepper. Serve warm.

Details

Prep time: 5 mins Cook time: 20 mins Total time: 25 mins Yield: 2 cups

Quinoa Cereal

Quinoa is one of those magical protein-rich foods that dates back to the Inca civilization of pre-Hispanic Peru. The first time I had it I couldn't stand it. But that's because I was trying to make some sort of stew with spinach and it failed in every which way.

I finally learned how to cook it properly (hint: don't drown it in chicken broth like I did the first time) and now it has replaced rice in my kitchen. It basically cooks the same way: 1 part quinoa to 2 parts liquid. And since I usually make it to pair with meat, that liquid could be water or any number of broths. But when I decided to boil it in milk, that's when I realized what a great breakfast cereal this could be.

In a word: delicious. And a single bowl has so many nutrients, you may never die should you eat this regularly. Ok, that's a lie, but the health benefits are laid out in plain English on The World's Healthiest Foods.

A single serving is a quarter cup. Boil that up in the morning with your favorite type of milk (I like unsweetened almond milk), throw in some fruit, and you have breakfast:

Though I'd never seen a recipe call for this preparation, I know I couldn't be alone in my breakfast-y application. The very first time I made this, I went searching for other like-minded folks and found Sarah of Food Cite. Like me, she is trying to avoid death by cooking quinoa as often as possible.

Quinoa Cereal
yields 1 serving

1/4 cup quinoa
1/2 cup milk (rice, almond, cow, etc.)
Sugar or honey (optional)

1. Rinse the quinoa until the water runs clear. This helps remove some of the bitterness.

2. Place quinoa and milk in a small sauce pan and bring to boil. Simmer uncovered until all liquid is absorbed (about 5-10 minutes).

3. Serve piping hot and steam your pores at the same time. Or cool to a non-lethal temperature and sprinkle or drizzle in your sweetener of choice (if using, I find the almond milk has just enough natural sweetness).

This goes especially well topped with a sweet mango. Or bananas. Or blueberries. Pick a fresh fruit. You really can't go wrong.

The recipe doubles and triples really easily. Simply keep the 1:2 ratio of quinoa to liquid. Cooking time will increase as well. 2 cups of quinoa in 4 cups of milk will take about 15 minutes.

Moroccan-Inspired Braised Lamb Shank

I love lamb. I've never met a piece of lamb I didn't want to stuff directly into my mouth. I have friends who find it distasteful, because they think lambs are cute and cuddly. But lambs are not plush toys, there yummy goodness.

I've never made lamb myself. And I was in the mood for Moroccan spices, so I picked up a single shank and headed to the kitchen to experiment.

Google research led me to this recipe from the appropriately named Food & Wine Test Kitchen. I followed it almost exactly, except for a few minor substitutions: pomace oil for the olive oil, quinoa for couscous, and a deep cast-iron skillet in place of an enameled casserole. And even though the original recipe calls for 4 shanks and I was only making 1, I didn't mess with the amount of the spices. I certainly didn't want a bland dish.

Oh yeah, I also didn't chop the garden-fresh herbs. Not for any good reason, I just didn't. You can though.

The recipe looks long and complicated--it really isn't. Don't be overwhelmed by the ingredient list. The recipe is written in order for making the stew, then the quinoa as that is finishing up. I also separated the ingredient list so that it's a little easier to digest.

I like puns.

Moroccan-Inspired Braised Lamb Shank

Stew:
2 tablespoons pomace oil
1 boneless lamb shank (about 6 oz)
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 large onion, finely chopped
2 baby carrots, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 teaspoon harissa or other chile paste
2/3 cup dry red wine
One 14-ounce can whole peeled tomatoes, drained and coarsely chopped
1 cup chicken stock or canned low-sodium broth

Quinoa:
1/4 cup slivered almonds, chopped
2 tablespoons finely chopped mint
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
1/2 cup chicken stock or canned low-sodium broth
1 tablespoon pomace oil
1 shallot, minced
1/4 cup quinoa
1 cup water
1/4 cup raisins

1. Preheat the oven to 325°. In a deep cast-iron skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of the oil. Season the shank with salt and pepper and brown in the skillet, about 3-4 minutes each side. Transfer to a plate, leaving the fat in the skillet.
 
2. Add the onion, carrots and garlic and cook over moderate heat, stirring, until lightly browned, about 3 minutes. Add the cumin, coriander, cinnamon, allspice and nutmeg and cook, stirring until lightly toasted, about 1 minute. Add the tomato paste and harissa/chile paste and cook over moderately high heat, stirring, until lightly browned, about 2 minutes. Stir in the wine and boil until reduced to a thick syrup, about 4 minutes.

3. Add the tomatoes and 1 cup of the chicken stock to the skillet. Season with salt and pepper and bring to a boil. Nestle the lamb shank in the liquid. Cover tightly and braise in the oven for about 2 hours, basting occasionally, until the meat is almost falling apart. Transfer the shank to a platter and cover with foil. Leave the oven on.
  
4. Spread the almonds in a pie pan in an even layer and toast for about 10 minutes, or until golden.
  
5. Strain the sauce into a bowl, pressing on the vegetables; skim any fat. Return the sauce to the skillet and boil over high heat until reduced to 1 cup, about 10 minutes. Return the vegetables and lamb to the sauce and keep warm.
  
6. In a small bowl, mix the mint with the cilantro and almonds and season lightly with salt and pepper.
  
7. Heat 1 tablespoon of pomace oil in a medium saucepan. Add the shallot and cook over moderately high heat until softened, about 2 minutes. Stir in the quinoa and cook until lightly browned, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the remaining 1 cup of chicken stock, the water and 1/4 teaspoon of salt and bring to a boil. Cover and let simmer until all water has been absorbed (about 10 minutes). Remove from the heat and add the raisins. Cover and let stand for 10 minutes. Fluff with a fork and stir in half of the herb-almond mixture.
  
8. Mound the quinoa in the center of a platter. Place the lamb shank next to the quinoa and spoon the sauce on top. Sprinkle with the remaining herb-almond mixture and serve.