I grew up with and love risotto. However, I am not often in the mood for white arborio rice or the arduous task of making a good risotto. Wanting an easier and whole grain version I came up with "Quinotto" - risotto made from quinoa. This particular recipe is a nice spring version as it includes peas which are now in season.
Ingredients:
- 3/4 - 1 pound of medium shrimp, deveined and shelled
- 1 1/2 cups of quinoa
- 1 medium onion, finely chopped
- 3 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1 -2 tablespoons of olive oil
- 1 cup of white wine
- 1 1/2 -2 cups of vegetable or chicken stock or bouillon
- 1 cup of fresh peas or 1 cup of frozen peas, defrosted
- Zest of one lemon
- 1/2 cup of freshly grated parmesan (optional)
- Salt & pepper to taste
Preparation:
- Heat oil in large pan over medium heat. Add onion and cook, stirring, until soft.
- Add quinoa and garlic, cook, stirring for about 3 minutes.
- Add white wine, cook on low heat for 5 minutes
- Add stock, cover pot and simmer for about 15 minutes
- When the quinoa is almost but not quite done, add the shrimp and peas. Make sure to add more stock if necessary. Add lemon zest. Cook for about 4 minutes until the shrimp are done and peas are bright green.
- Remove from heat and add parmesan and another small ladle of hot stock if needed.
Serves 4
On this occasion I served the dish with steamed asparagus and shitake mushrooms sauteed in white wine.
If you want the dish to have more of a seafood flavor you can do the following (not necessary and a bit more time consuming):
Rinse the shrimp shells after removing them from the shrimp, combine them with 4 cups of water in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, skim off foam, simmer partly covered for 30 minutes on medium to low heat. Strain and add to the chicken/vegetable stock.
Enjoy!