Tomato Basil Quinoa Risotto

Ron and I have really been digging quinoa lately. I love the texture and I love how good it is for you. However, like rice, it is something I enjoy finding different ways to prepare. I had tomato basil risotto on our menu this week, but forgot arborio rice at the store. I had some leftover red quinoa from when I made quinoa crusted chicken. I know that quinoa cooks similar to rice and I have seen a few recipes for quinoa risotto in the blogosphere.  I came to two conclusions: 1) this recipe is awesome 2) red quinoa is not very pretty to photograph. The first conclusion is most important....

I love tomato basil anything and this was a perfect side dish to our Italian grilled (yes grilled- as in OUTSIDE!) porkchops. I kept the recipe pretty close to a standard risotto recipe and it worked really well. If you make this do not be surprised if there is a little more liquid than traditional risotto- don't worry it will be absorbed once you stir in the cheese. I can't wait to make this again!


Ingredients

1 Tbl butter
1 Tbl olive oil
2 shallots, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 cup quinoa (I used red)
1/2 cup dry white wine
4 cups vegetable stock
2/3 cups tomato sauce
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
Salt and Pepper, to taste


Instructions

Place vegetable stock in a medium saucepan. Bring  to a simmer (do not boil). Keep warm over low-medium heat.

Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add 1 tablespoons olive oil and 1 tablespoon of butter to pan; swirl to coat. Add shallots and cook for 2 minutes and add garlic. Stir in quinoa, and cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring constantly. Increase heat to medium and add wine. Add 1/2 cup stock and cook 3-5 minutes or until liquid is nearly absorbed, stirring constantly.  Continue adding remaining stock, 1/2 cup at a time, stirring constantly until each portion of stock is absorbed before adding the next.  Add basil when last portion of stock is added. Right before you serve the risotto, stir in the cheese and season with salt and black pepper. Garnish with fresh basil and additional cheese if desired.

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