Recipes

Tian of quinoa, beetroot, red onion and mozzarella

Vanessa Greenwood
Sat Jan 14 2017 - 06:00
Serves: 6
Course: Starter
Cooking Time: 0 hr 30 mins
Ingredients
  • Serves 6
  • 200g quinoa
  • 450ml vegetable stock
  • 2-3 tbsp olive oil, as required
  • Zest of 1 lemon (and a little juice)
  • 25g flat leaf parsley, leaves chopped
  • 2 beetroot, peeled
  • 2 red onion, sliced
  • 2 cloves garlic, crushed
  • Pinch sugar
  • 1-2 tbs balsamic vinegar
  • 50g pine nuts
  • 100g kale, washed and chopped
  • 100g Toonsbridge mozzarella, sliced into 6 rounds
  • Dressing:
  • 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
  • Salt and freshly cracked pepper</li><li/><li/></ul>

Using a fine sieve, rinse the quinoa under running water. Place the quinoa in a saucepan and add the stock. Cover and bring to a boil, then simmer for 12-15 minutes, until the grains burst, releasing a visible thread. Strain, then drizzle it with a dash of olive oil. Set the quinoa aside to cool before dividing it between two bowls.

In the first bowl stir in lemon zest, oil and parsley, and season. Grate one beetroot and stir it through the second bowl of quinoa; it will change colour.

Heat a little oil in a frying pan and gently toast the pine nuts until golden. Next, cut the second beetroot into fine dice. Heat the oil in the frying pan, add the red onion and diced beetroot, sweat for 5-10 minutes, then add the garlic. Increase heat, add the sugar followed by the balsamic vinegar. Lightly simmer to glaze the onions. Set aside.

Next, stir-fry the kale in the pan and season.

To serve at room temperature, place a metal ring on a plate and layer up in the following order with tightly packed red quinoa, a slice of mozzarella, fried kale, plain quinoa and top with the glazed red onion and pine nuts. Carefully remove the metal ring.

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