Spring Garden Quinoa Risotto | Abel & Cole
Spring Garden Quinoa Risotto
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Prep: 20 mins
Cook: 30 mins
Quinoa makes a no-stir alternative to rice in this easy risotto that's bursting with early summer treats like pea shoots and asparagus.
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445 kcal
(per portion)
Ingredients you'll need
  • 1 onion
  • 1 garlic clove
  • 1 fennel bulb
  • 150g quinoa
  • 250g cherry vine tomatoes
  • 200g asparagus
  • 1 orange
  • 1 vegetable stock cube
  • 50g pea shoots
  • A handful of chives
From your kitchen
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • Sea salt
  • Freshly ground pepper
  • 500 ml boiling water
You'll need
  • Sieve
  • Baking tray
  • Pan
Step by step this way
  • 1.

    Heat your oven to 180°C/Fan 160°C/Gas 4. Tip the quinoa into a sieve and rinse well under cold water for a few mins. Shake any excess water off and leave to one side to dry a little.

  • 2.

    Trim the dry tips off the fennel bulb. Halve it, then cut into thin slices. Arrange on a baking tray with the cherry vine tomatoes. Drizzle over ½ tbsp oil and season with salt and pepper. Slide into the oven and roast for 20 mins.

  • 3.

    Peel and finely chop the onion. Peel and crush the garlic. Heat a pan for 1 min. Add ½ tbsp olive oil and the onion. Gently cook for 5 mins till glossy. Add a splash of water if it's sticking.

  • 4.

    Stir in the crushed garlic and cook for 1 min. Tip in the rinsed quinoa and stir for 1 min.

  • 5.

    Crumble in the stock cube. Pour in 500ml boiling water. Bring to a simmer, then cook on a low-medium heat for 20 mins, uncovered, till all the water is absorbed and the tendrils from the quinoa have unfurled. Stir every now and then.

  • 6.

    While the quinoa cooks, snap the woody ends from the asparagus. Once the fennel and tomatoes have cooked for 20 mins, remove the tray from the oven. Lay the asparagus in the tray. Slide back into the oven for another 10 mins.

  • 7.

    Grate the zest from the orange and stir this through the quinoa. Taste and season. Squeeze in a little orange juice if you like.

  • 8.

    Spoon the quinoa into 2 warm shallow bowls. Top with a tangle of pea shoots each. Arrange the veg on top. Snip over the chives with a pair of scissors. Serve with the rest of the zested orange, sliced into wedges for squeezing.

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