I don't mean to brag or anything, but I'm pretty impressive in the kitchen. :-) Besides the fact that I made fabulous NY strip steaks without any kind of help besides a temperature guide, I made a new food without any help at all. How many of you all out there have ever had quinoa? Ever made it? Yeah, me neither...cooked it that is. I've eaten it once at a restaurant, and I really liked the texture of it. I do believe that once you learn a certain amount about food, you can usually wing it pretty well in most cases. I've been making risotto for a while, and I created the recipe below last week with that. That's when I decided I could do the same recipe with quinoa. It's a grain too, right? That worked for me in this case anyway.
Tomato and Onion Risotto/Quinoa
My original recipe
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp butter
1 yellow onion, chopped
Salt
2 garlic cloves, sliced
2 cup Arborio rice or quinoa
1 qrt chicken stock
1 can Italian style stewed tomatoes
1 1/2 cup cubed ham (more or less to your taste
Parmesan cheese, optional
Melt the butter in a pot with the oil. Add the chopped onions when the butter and oil is hot. Season with salt and allow to cook on medium heat until the onions are just caramelized, about 20 minutes. Add the garlic and let cook one minute. Add the rice or quinoa and let cook two minutes. Add all of the ham to the pot.
Turn the heat down to medium-low, pour in one cup of the chicken stock, deglaze the bottom of the pot, and let cook until the stock is just about all absorbed. Add another cup of stock and repeat until all of the stock is gone. Pour the tomatoes, juice and all, in, stir, and let that be absorbed as well. Scrape the bottom of the pan fpr the brown bits as needed. Once all the tomato juice is absorbed, take the pot off the heat and let stand for ten minutes. Serve with Parmesan cheese if desired.
I LOVE caramelizing onions. I love the smell, I love the taste, I love them! It takes a lot of time, but it is worth it.
Meet one of my top ten favorite shortcuts. Tinned tomatoes are great for pasta sauces, roasts, stews, and so much more. I prefer the Italian style over all the other varieties, but they're all good.
Quinoa has such an interesting texture. Look, it looks like birdseed when it's raw. Watch what happens over time, though.
I don't know if you can really see it here (sorry for the crappy quality), but, as the quinoa absorbs liquid, the outer part expands and becomes translucent, almost like tapioca.
Mmmm, tomatoes and ham and chickeny goodness. How can you go wrong?
Tomato and Onion Risotto/Quinoa
My original recipe
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp butter
1 yellow onion, chopped
Salt
2 garlic cloves, sliced
2 cup Arborio rice or quinoa
1 qrt chicken stock
1 can Italian style stewed tomatoes
1 1/2 cup cubed ham (more or less to your taste
Parmesan cheese, optional
Melt the butter in a pot with the oil. Add the chopped onions when the butter and oil is hot. Season with salt and allow to cook on medium heat until the onions are just caramelized, about 20 minutes. Add the garlic and let cook one minute. Add the rice or quinoa and let cook two minutes. Add all of the ham to the pot.
Turn the heat down to medium-low, pour in one cup of the chicken stock, deglaze the bottom of the pot, and let cook until the stock is just about all absorbed. Add another cup of stock and repeat until all of the stock is gone. Pour the tomatoes, juice and all, in, stir, and let that be absorbed as well. Scrape the bottom of the pan fpr the brown bits as needed. Once all the tomato juice is absorbed, take the pot off the heat and let stand for ten minutes. Serve with Parmesan cheese if desired.
I LOVE caramelizing onions. I love the smell, I love the taste, I love them! It takes a lot of time, but it is worth it.
Meet one of my top ten favorite shortcuts. Tinned tomatoes are great for pasta sauces, roasts, stews, and so much more. I prefer the Italian style over all the other varieties, but they're all good.
Quinoa has such an interesting texture. Look, it looks like birdseed when it's raw. Watch what happens over time, though.
I don't know if you can really see it here (sorry for the crappy quality), but, as the quinoa absorbs liquid, the outer part expands and becomes translucent, almost like tapioca.
Mmmm, tomatoes and ham and chickeny goodness. How can you go wrong?
I don't know because this turned out great! Mike especially liked it. Try creating some of your own original recipes using good, old staples and some new ingredients. Don't be afraid, just keep it simple and you'll be fine. :-)
No comments:
Post a Comment