Quinoa with Pine Nuts and Fried Shallots

Why, exactly, are grains trendy?  I remember, about 20 years ago, bulgar wheat was all the rage, and you couldn’t go to a barbecue or pot luck (remember, this was the 90s) without someone bringing a big bowl of tabbouleh.  I never really understood why everyone was so excited about bulgar wheat, and I certainly didn’t miss it after it stopped being popular.

Now it’s quinoa, and everyone is wetting themselves with joy because it has a lot of protein and is apparently quite healthy.  My first experience with quinoa was a pre-made salad at a place near my work that contained, among other things, a pile of red quinoa.  It tasted like sand.  That was my last experience with quinoa for a really long time.

But then my sister started talking up quinoa, and she tends to know what she is talking about.  (Also, she’s my older sister, so I can’t help but pay attention to what she says.  Old habits die hard). 

The quinoa I found in my store was sand-colored, which was not confidence inspiring.  But, when I cooked it like rice – with two parts water to one part quinoa – it came out fluffy and nutty, just like my sister promised.  While it was hot, I added a big shot of fresh lemon juice and my most expensive, fruitiest olive oil.  Then, I mixed in some tasty stuff: toasted pine nuts and fried shallots.

Let me just say a word about fried shallots.  Normally, I oppose frying at home.  I blame Hannukah for this state of affairs.  Every year, someone has a Hannukah party, and fries potato latkes, and then their house smells like burned oil for eleven and a half months, until shortly before the next Hannukah party.  Plus, frying is messy.  But if you thinly slice some shallots and toss them with a bit of flour, they will crisp up in a pan in about ¼ inch of oil.   The shallots turn golden before the oil can stink up the house.  There is very little mess, and they are ridiculously tasty.  In fact, only about half of the shallots I fried made it into the quinoa, since my husband kept eating them off the paper towel, where I had left them to drain.

When I asked my husband about the final dish, he shrugged and said, “It’s food,” which is hardly a ringing endorsement, but at this point I must mention that I served the quinoa with a green salad and a steak, which my husband loves.  We had leftover steak, and leftover salad, but no leftover quinoa.  Zero.  So, if I haven’t previously established that my husband doesn’t know what the hell he’s talking about when it comes to food, I think I have now.   

One more thing: I’ve made this a few times now, with different vegetable additions: once I threw in some sautéed greens, feta cheese and sliced scallions; another time I added roasted squash (which is the picture you see).  It always comes out tasty.  So, you can certainly throw vegetables or cheese into the mix, but in my opinion, the shallots and pine nuts are what makes this dish, so please don’t leave them out.

 QUINOA WITH PINE NUTS AND FRIED SHALLOTS

 1 cup quinoa

¼ pine nuts

2-3 shallots, thinly sliced

2 Tbsp flour

Vegetable oil

1 lemon

2 Tbsp best quality olive oil

2 Tbsp regular quality olive oil

Salt and pepper

Roated butternut squash (optional)

Cook quinoa according to the instructions on the package.  I cook it like rice, with a ratio of one part quinoa to two parts water.

While the quinoa is cooking, toast the pine nuts in a large dry pan until they are golden.  Watch the nuts carefully, because they will burn quickly.  When they are golden, remove them from the pan and set aside.  In the same pan, heat enough vegetable oil to coat the pan.

Dump the flour on a plate and add salt and pepper.  Coat the shallots in the flour and then fry in the pan until they are crunch and golden, moving them around and flipping them so that they don’t burn.  When they are finished, remove the shallots and set them to drain on paper towels.

When the quinoa is just finished and very hot, toss it with the juice of the lemon (you should get a couple of tablespoons of juice), a few tablespoons of your best olive oil, and a big sprinkle of salt and pepper.  Then toss it with the shallots and pine nuts, and serve either hot or at room temperature.

Serves two with leftovers.