Tasting something new: quinoa with arugula pesto

At the beginning of this summer I had plenty of arugula in my garden. Apart from salads or on pizza, I used some of it for this delicious pesto.
Unusual dish, at least for me. But curiosity was strong and I had to try it.
Have you ever had quinoa? How do you prepare it?
It has a slightly nutty taste, and above all it's very healthy, so for me, that was a good enough excuse to try.



"Quinoa, a species of goosefoot (Chenopodium), is a grain-like crop grown primarily for its edible seeds. It is a pseudocereal rather than a true cereal, or grain, as it is not a member of the grass family. Quinoa is closely related to species such as beets, spinach, and tumbleweeds. Its leaves are also eaten as a leaf vegetable, much like amaranth.
Quinoa originated in the Andean region of South America, where it has been an important food for 6,000 years.
The Incas, who held the crop to be sacred, referred to quinoa as chisaya mama or mother of all grains, and it was the Inca emperor who would traditionally sow the first seeds of the season using 'golden implements'. During the European conquest of South America quinoa was scorned by the Spanish colonists as food for Indians, and even actively suppressed, due to its status within indigenous non-Christian ceremonies. In fact, the conquistadors forbade quinoa cultivation for a time and the Incas were forced to grow corn instead.
In contemporary times, this crop has become highly appreciated for its nutritional value, as its protein content is very high (12%–18%). Unlike wheat or rice (which are low in lysine), and like oats, quinoa contains a balanced set of essential amino acids for humans, making it an unusually complete protein source among plant foods. It is a good source of dietary fiber and phosphorus and is high in magnesium and iron. Quinoa is gluten-free and considered easy to digest." (source: Wikipedia)



Quinoa with Arugula and Pistachio Pesto
(2 servings)

180 g quinoa
100 g arugula
30 g pistachios
1,5 TBspoons oil (I used EVOO)

Put the quinoa in a pot with twice as much water, bring to boil, then lower the heat to minimum and cook until almost all liquid has been absorbed. Cover and let rest for 5 minutes.
Blanche the arugula for 30 seconds in boiling water, and then drain saving some water.
Put the arugula, the oil and the pistachios in a tall glass and purée using a stick blender. If necessary, add a little water you saved.
Mix the quinoa with the arugula pesto and serve. I served it with grilled chicken breast.




"La quinoa è una pianta erbacea annuale della famiglia delle Chenopodiaceae, come gli spinaci o la barbabietola. Per il suo buon apporto proteico costituisce l'alimento base per le popolazioni andine. Gli Inca chiamano la quinoa «chisiya mama» che in quechua vuol dire «madre di tutti i semi».
La quinoa è un alimento particolarmente dotato di proprietà nutritive. Contiene fibre e minerali, come fosforo, magnesio, ferro e zinco. È anche un'ottima fonte di proteine vegetali. Contiene inoltre grassi in prevalenza insaturi. La quinoa, inoltre, è particolarmente adatta per i celiaci, in quanto è totalmente priva di glutine, adatta sia agli adulti sia ai bambini." (fonte: Wikipedia)

Quinoa al pesto di rucola e pistacchi
(per 2 persone)

180 g di quinoa
100 g rucola
30 g pistacchi
1,5 cucchiai di olio (ho messo l’olio EVO)

Mettete a cuocere la quinoa in acqua leggermente salata (mettete il doppio volume dell’acqua rispetto la quinoa). Quando inizia a bollire abbassate la fiamma al minimo e cuocetela fino a quando avrà assorbito quasi tutta l’acqua (circa 10 minuti). Coprite il tegame e lasciate riposare 5 minuti.
Scottate la rucola per 30 secondi in acqua salata bollente. Scolatela conservando un po’ dell’acqua di cottura.
Frullate la rucola con i pistacchi e l’olio. Se necessario diluite la crema con un po’ d’acqua della rucola.
Condite la quinoa con il pesto alla rucola e servite.




Quinoa je "žitarica" koja se već 6000 godina uzgaja na južnoameričkim Andama. Populacija Inka smatrala ju je svetom hranom i nazivali je «chisiya mama», majkom svih sjemenki.
Kasnije je dolaskom Španjolaca potisnuta u drugi plan, u korist pšenice e kukuruza, i čak bila zabranjena.
Quinoa je bogata esencijalnim aminokiselinama, vlaknima, mineralima kao što su magnezij, cink, željezo i fosfor, a osim toga ima veliki procenat biljnih bjelančevina (12-18 %), a masnoće koje sadrži nezasićene su.
Quinoa je također u potponosti bez glutena, dakle idealna za osobe koje boluju od celijakije, i lako probavljiva.
Kombinacija u kojoj sam je ja prvi put isprobala je s pestom od rikule i pistacija.

Quinoa s pestom od rikule i pistacijama

180 g quinoe (sjemenke)
100 g rikule
30 g pistacija
1,5 žlica ulja

Kuhajte rikulu 30 sekundi u ključaloj, malo posoljenoj vodi. Ocijedite je i sačuvajte malo vode u kojoj se kuhala.
Izmiksajte rikulu štapnim mikserom zajedno s pistacijama i uljem (ja sam stavila maslinovo). Po potrebi dodajte malo vode u kojoj se kuhala, da dobijete glatku kremicu (ali ne prerijetku).
Stavite kuhati quinou u malo posoljenoj vodi (omjer vode je 2:1, 180 g quinoe je otprilike 1 šalica, znači 2 šalice vode). Kad prokuha smanjite vatru i kuhajte dok ne upije skoro svu vodu (oko 10 minuta). Poklopite i ostavite da odmara 5 minuta.
Pomiješajte quinou s pestom od rikule i poslužite.


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...more pictures from Sicily...
A beautiful, picturesque town of Cefalù, an hour drive from Palermo.





The day we visited we discovered it was a local feast, San Salvatore's Day. In the evening the streets were filled with people in traditional clothes, traditional Sicilian carts parade took place and you could hear women singing in almost dark streets near the cathedral.



Someone's lunch (not mine) ^__^



But the gelato al pistacchio di Bronte sure was for me ^__^ (still wondering why I didn't get a second one).