Quinoa served with a sauce made from fresh tomatoes, onions, garlic and fresh farmhouse cheese is a nutritious and delicious dish.
While quinoa has only recently become popular in North America, this cereal-like seed has been cultivated for thousands of years in South America, where it originated.
When it comes to cooking quinoa and all of its delicious uses, we’re way behind!
I came across a recipe for “quinoa con queso,” or quinoa with fresh farmer’s cheese, in Culinaria: The United States: A Culinary Discovery, and have since found many other variations online.
As I was playing around and experimenting with this recipe, I had two epiphanies. First, quinoa tastes great when milk is poured over it. It is therefore ideal as a breakfast cereal.
The second revelation is that quinoa tastes great with cheese (queso)!
Here we use queso fresco, a Mexican farmer’s cream cheese, but you can also use cotija, feta, or mozzarella.
You can keep it simple with tomatoes, onions, garlic, and cheese, or spice it up with zucchini, roasted chilies, or potatoes.
Quinoa with tomato and cheese
If you wish, you can add more vegetables to this dish beforehand, e.g. B. Fry some chopped zucchini together with the onions. And/or serve with new potatoes, either chopped and mixed in (cooked of course) or served alongside.
ingredients
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1 Cup Andean milletrinsed well
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2 cups water
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1 tablespoon Extra virgin olive oil
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1 tablespoon butter
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1 Cup chopped onions
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1 teaspoon chopped garlic
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1 big fresh tomatoseeded, chopped (about 1 1/4 cups)
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1 Roasted, peeled, cored and chopped big green chilieither Anaheim or Poblano (optional) (see How to Roast Chili Peppers over a Gas Flame)
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2 teaspoon tomato paste
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Kosher salt
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Freshly ground black pepper
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1/4 teaspoon dried oregano (or 1/2 teaspoon fresh, finely chopped)
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1/4 lb (4 ounces) fresh farmhouse cheeseor queso fresco, cut into small cubes
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1 Cup milk
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Fresh basilcoriander or chives for garnish (optional)
method
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Cook quinoa:
Place 1 cup quinoa and 2 cups water in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce to a gentle simmer, cover and cook for 10 minutes. Remove from the stove and let rest for 10 minutes.
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Prepare sauce:
While the quinoa is cooking, prepare the sauce. Heat olive oil and butter in a medium-sized skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onions and cook for a few minutes. Add the garlic, saute for a minute more.
Add the chopped tomato, about 1/2 teaspoon salt, dried oregano, and tomato paste. Add chopped green chillies (cooked), if using. Sprinkle with freshly ground black pepper. Stir until everything is well mixed.
Let simmer until the tomatoes are cooked and the sauce has reduced a little. Then stir in the cheese. Taste and add more salt or pepper if needed.
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Stir in milk and top with sauce:
Stir 1 cup milk into the now cooked quinoa. Arrange quinoa in bowls and garnish with sauce.
Garnish with chopped basil, parsley, coriander or chives.
| nutritional information (per serving) | |
|---|---|
| 265 | calories |
| 15g | Fat |
| 24g | carbohydrates |
| 11g | protein |
