Asparagus with Quinoa & Chervil
New season Asparagus with Quinoa & delicate chervil
Aparagus is in season and what better way to enjoy the goodness of this great vegetable than with something equally as interesting as quinoa. Together this combination is a powerhouse of taste and nutritional goodness.
Quinoa is a great protein that can easily replace a starchy carb like risotto. It’s easier to cook then you think and seasoned correctly can be a very tasty and healthy ingredient. It’s equally diminutive cooking time, makes it a big hit with me, its then finished with salty pecorino cheese and the delicate liquorice flavoured chervil; yielding, soft flavours and textures of spring. I originally found this recipe on the ‘food 52’ blog site but I have adjusted it to my preference and used quinoa instead of couscous.
Serves 2
Ingredients:
4 tablespoons salted butter divided into 2
1 tsp of finely chopped garlic
200g quinoa
150 ml good white wine
200 ml chicken or vegetable stock
1 bunch of asparagus, trimmed and cut into ½-inch pieces
100g finely grated Pecorino
50g chopped pistachios, toasted if desired
3 finger pinch roughly chopped chervil leaves
Cooking Instructions:
Toast the quinoa in the oven at 120 degrees for about 8 minutes to enrich the flavour.
Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the quinoa and garlic and gently toast again, this time with the butter for about 2 minutes.
Add the wine and half of the stock bring to boil then drop the temperature to very low and cook with the lid on for about 5 minutes. When the liquid is nearly absorbed add the asparagus and the rest of the stock and cook for a further 5 minutes or until the liquid has been absorbed.
Once the quinoa and asparagus are tender, stir in the Pecorino, pistachios, chervil and remaining butter. Sprinkle servings with additional Pecorino, pistachios and chervil, if desired.
Kumud Gandhi is a Nutritional Food Scientist bestselling Author, Broadcaster, and Keynote Speaker on the subject of nutritional health for productivity & performance in the workplace. In 2010 Kumud founded ‘The Cooking Academy’ a cookery school that focusses on cooking for nutritional health and wellbeing. Kumud regularly presents to international audiences on a variety of topics such as ‘Eating for Immunity and a Lifetime of Wellness’. She is an expert in the field of Wellness in the Workplace and works with organizations to create transformational change in employee health & well-being through nutrition and health coaching.
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