I love wheat. I love meat. I love sugary French desserts. But I also love quinoa! It's a "super seed" with a delightful crunch and a neutral taste. Toss it with sauteed leeks, fresh sage, and sun-dried tomatoes, as I did the other day, and BAM -- you'll have a Thanksgiving "stuffing" that even your gluten-avoiding friends can enjoy.
For this recipe, I used leeks and sage from my garden, and quinoa from my Lousy Local Supermarket®. The seed comes in three colors -- white, red, and black. You can use just one color, or do what I did, and purchase a tri-color mix. Quinoa cooks in the same easy manner as rice.
Hungry for a stuffing that won't make you feel stuffed? Need a Thanksgiving side dish that you can make well in advance? Need a touch of elegance for a pot-luck party? This flavor festival is for you.
Here's the step-by-step (you'll find a printable version with exact quantities at the end of the post):
To start, tip the quinoa into a 4-quart pot, and add some vegetable stock and salt. Bring to a full boil, then cover the pot, lower the heat, and let the seeds simmer quietly until the liquid is absorbed -- 15-25 minutes. Fluff with a fork.
While the quinoa is cooking, run out to the garden (or visit your farmers' market or grocery store), and fetch 2 fat leeks.
Wash the leeks (here's how), and dice the white and tender green parts.
Then dice up 4 or 5 garlic cloves...
And 7-10 sage leaves, which will give the stuffing a lovely "smoky" scent.
Next, obtain some beautiful-beautiful sun-dried tomatoes (about 4 oz), and chop them into small pieces. The tomatoes pictured above were a gift from my awesome friends Robert Bluman and David Deutsch, who grew and processed the fruit themselves. Don't pretend you're not impressed.
Oh. Be sure to use sun-dried tomatoes that are packed in olive oil. Any jarred version will work.
Then coarsely chop some flat-leaved parsley...
And kiss your beagle's nose.
Now heat some butter and olive oil in a large skillet (omit the butter is you must)...
And add the chopped leeks.
Also add the chopped sage...
Some dried thyme leaves...
And some salt and freshly-ground pepper.
Saute until the leeks soften and color slightly -- about 8 minutes.
Then stir in the garlic and the beautiful-beautiful sun-dried tomatoes, and let 'em cook for just 1 minute.
Pour the quinoa into a big bowl, add the contents of the skillet, and stir to mix. Taste carefully for seasonings -- you might like to add more salt.
Transfer the stuffing to an attractive baking dish, and garnish with the chopped parsley.
You can serve this deliciousness right away. Or, just let it cool to room temperature, and then cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 2 days. I found the stuffing reheated perfectly during a 4-minute sojourn in the microwave.
Think you'll give this recipe a go? You can let me know by leaving a comment. As always, I love hearing from you!
Here's the printable:
[amd-zlrecipe-recipe:22]
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