My wife tells me that when she was growing up in Peru, her grandmother would feed her and her siblings quinoa for lunch, telling her that it was the favorite food of astronauts and that one day it would be in great demand all around the world. No one believed her.
Nowadays, quinoa, which is a complete protein, is much prized by vegetarians for its nutritional properties and it fluffy, slightly crunchy grains. In fact, quinoa is so coveted in this country that it has become too expensive for its cultivators — the indigenous peoples of Peru and Bolivia for whom it was once a dietary staple.
Quinoa can be eaten many ways — steamed, with the grains nicely al dente and separate, sweetened as a dessert, cold in a salad with beans and vegetables, or in a creamy kind of risotto with butter and cheese, what Peruvians call a quinotto.
Francesca Ruiz, the owner of Los Cabos II in downtown Denver, gave me this recipe for quinotto. It calls for spinach and asparagus and a generous amount of butter and cheese. It also calls for achiote oil (available in any bodega or South American grocery) which gives the quinotto an appetizing red color.
Quinoa with Spinach, Asparagus, Butter and Cheese
Makes about 2 quarts.
Ingredients
1 pound quinoa
3 cloves garlic, minced
6 tablespoons achiote oil
1 1/2 large red onion, chopped
1/2 pound spinach, stemmed, washed and chopped
1/2 pound asparagus, diced and blanched
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Directions
Place the quinoa in a bowl and wash in running water until the water in the bowl runs clear. Drain the quinoa. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Boil the quinoa for 8-10 minutes. Drain well.
In a large skillet, heat the onion and garlic in the achiote oil over medium heat until softened but not colored.
Add the spinach and asparagus and toss to coat in the oil. Add the quinoa to the skillet, heat through, and stir in the parmesan and the butter. Season with salt and pepper and serve immediately.
