Mushroom and quinoa ‘risotto’

Rinse the quinoa well and cook it in plenty of boiling water for about eight minutes and then drain, cool it under running water and set aside. You could do this the day or night before which will make the serving of this dish very quick.

Heat up the olive oil and butter and sweat the onion until it is really soft and translucent. You could put a lid on the pan to stop it from colouring. Season well, add the mushrooms and garlic. Turn the heat up and then add the white wine. Let it cook off and evaporate so that the mixture becomes a little less wet.

Add the cream and again, keep the heat up and let it simmer and reduce a little. Add a few scrapes of nutmeg and then add the cooked quinoa. Mix well and when it is good and hot, taste and season. Add the Parmesan and parsley, and you can sharpen it up with a little lemon juice if you want. Serve in big bowls with extra Parmesan.

The quinoa really seems to keep absorbing the liquid, so although it seems like quite a lot of liquid in this recipe, you’ll be surprised how much it takes in. If you feel you want a looser type of dish, simply let it down with another splash of cream or a little water.