Quick Use-Your-Veggies Quinoa Soup

I know what you’re thinking. This chick went to Peru and came back plumb-quinoa-crazy since she just posted a quinoa recipe 2 weeks ago. I feel you guys deserve an explanation, so I’m going to level with you. I was actually working on an exciting recipe for some black sesame Arabic donuts with date molasses (sounds pretty delicious, no?), but I had a yeast malfunction issue. TWICE. And after 2 trips to the store in the cold and a bit of heartache (I’m not a yeast novice. I blame the yeast!), I decided to warm myself up with this soup and share it with you guys. Donuts tbd…

I did, in fact, learn a version of quinoa soup in the Sacred Valley in Peru. And I’ve made this soup a few times. What I LOVE about it is that it gives you a chance to use up all of the random vegetables you might have sitting in your fridge. I like to save onion scraps, carrot halves, any little bits of a vegetable – and all of that works well in the soup. Not overcooking the veggies also adds a beautiful, textural crunch.

The soup I had in Peru was super rich, cooked with evaporated milk, egg, and luscious cubes of cheese. I omit the egg, leave the cheese optional here and opt for a bit of heavy cream to thicken instead, but I have to admit the cheese is an amaaaazing part of the soup. It’s so warm and comforting and really pops with flavor (while you get your protein punch from the quinoa). If you keep cooked quinoa in your fridge like I do, this takes no time to make – 15 minutes (half an hour if you have to make the quinoa). Either way, this is a perfect winter weeknight meal – enjoy!

Ingredients

Serves 4 to 6

2-3 tbsps olive oil

1 red onion, finely chopped

1 jalapeno, finely chopped

2 scallions, thinly sliced

1 ½ cups finely chopped mixed vegetables (carrot, celery, zucchini, etc.)

4 to 6 garlic cloves, minced

4 cups cooked quinoa*

2 quarts vegetable or chicken stock

1 cup cubed Monterey jack cheese (optional)

½ cup heavy cream

Handful of fresh cilantro, roughly chopped

salt and freshly ground black pepper

Procedure

Heat a medium-sized pot over medium heat. Add olive oil and throw in the red onion and jalapeno as well as a bit of salt to draw out the moisture. Cook for a few minutes until the red onions start to turn translucent. Add in the scallions and mixed vegetables. You want to cook for another few minutes but you want the vegetables to retain some crunch (so don’t overcook).

Add the garlic and sauté another 30 seconds and then throw in the quinoa and stock. Bring the mixture up to a boil and then lower to a simmer. Add in the cheese, if using, and the heavy cream and simmer for another 2 minutes so the flavors come together. Add the cilantro and season to taste.

*As a rule of thumb, I assume quinoa triples in size. So I made 1 1/3 cups of quinoa (in 2 2/3 cups water) for this recipe.

Porcini Macaroni Pie

So I’m working on my second episode of Exotic Table, and this one is inspired by a nonna I met at Enoteca Maria, an Italian spot in Staten Island that has grandmas from all over Italy as chefs making specialties from their individual regions. How inviting is that? I found the concept so powerful – I had to dig deeper, and a nonna by the name of Rosa Turano showed me her simple and elegant porcini dish.

Of course, I can never leave well enough alone, so I did a bit of a double twist here drawing from my incredible day in the kitchen with Rosa and one of my favorites, Trinidadian Macaroni Pie. The result is this beautiful baked mac ‘n cheese threaded with porcinis. Cheesy, buttery, with a crust and that gorgeous porcini flavor…Enjoy and look out for the Exotic Table episode in a few weeks!

Ingredients

Serves 6 to 8 (yields (1) 3-quart baking dish)

olive oil or butter

1 cup fresh or rehydrated porcini mushrooms, thinly sliced*

1 yellow onion, finely diced

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 stick unsalted butter

½ cup all-purpose flour

1 quart milk

½ tsp white pepper

½ tsp black pepper

2 tsps salt

2 ½ cups grated gruyère

2 eggs

1 lb pasta (I used pappardelle here)

1 tbsp + 1 tsp fresh chives, finely chopped

1 ½ tsps fresh thyme, finely chopped

Procedure

Preheat oven to 350º F.

Heat a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add olive oil, and, when hot, add mushrooms. Leave them alone and let them brown for a minute or two and then throw in a pat of butter to help with the browning. Stir and add salt – browning the mushrooms will really bring out their earthy flavor and adding salt at the end will prevent moisture from ruining the browning process. Lower the heat to medium-low and throw in the onions. Cook for 3 to 5 minutes until the onions are translucent. Add garlic and cook for 30 seconds or so until fragrant. Remove from heat and cool in a bowl.

In a large sauté pan or pot over medium heat, melt butter. Add flour all at once and whisk vigorously to avoid lumps. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes. You just want to remove the raw taste. Add milk and spices and continue to whisk to prevent lumps (remember to get the corners!). Once the mixture starts to bubble, reduce heat to low and cook for 8 to 10 minutes whisking often. You want this to simmer gently while it’s thickening. Remove from heat.

To the onion mixture in the bowl, add 2 cups of the grated cheese as well as the eggs. Add a ladle full of the béchamel (milk mixture) and stir. Continue to add ladlefuls until the egg mixture is up to temperature with the béchamel. Add everything back to the béchamel in the sauté pan and stir to combine thoroughly and make sure cheese is completely melted.

Add pasta to boiling, heavily salted water and cook until it’s a bit underdone. It depends on what type of pasta you are using. I used fresh pappardelle, and it cooked in 2 to 3 minutes. It’s going to continue cooking in the oven, so leave it al dente. Drain pasta and add to the béchamel/cheese mixture. Add 1 tablespoon of the chopped chives and 1 teaspoon of the chopped thyme and combine thoroughly. Pour into a heavily greased, 3-quart baking dish.

In a bowl, combine remaining herbs, ½ cup of cheese, and breadcrumbs. Sprinkle on top of macaroni and either dot with butter or drizzle with olive oil. Bake for 35 minutes until top is browned and bubbly.

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Quick Use-Your-Veggies Quinoa Soup

Porcini Macaroni Pie