Quinotto from the Hidden Valley.

Risotto – with quinoa (quinotto) instead of rice, the Peruvian version of risotto.
We made this dish first in Valle Escondido in Panama. Since then we love it.
Another wonderful light and healthy Summer recipe.

The difference with this risotto is that the quinoa, the wonder grain of the Andes,
is previously boiled and then stirred until creamy with the remaining ingredients.
Quinoa is still healthier than normal rice due to high protein content. It tastes
creamy and has only a slight spiciness, which brings the earthy nutty flavor of
quinoa and mushrooms to a good effect.

Made this dish in Germany with brown quinoa and brown button mushrooms.
Quinoa from a health food store.

Ingredients.

200g quinoa
500ml cold water
1 tablespoon very good olive oil
30g butter
1 onion, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
125g mushrooms, thinly sliced
125ml white wine, same as you like to drink
125ml double cream
A little grated nutmeg
50g Parmesan, or bit more if you like
4 tablespoons finely chopped parsley
Salt to taste
Black pepper to taste

Don’t judge it by the brown color, judge by taste, it’s fantastic.

How to do.

Step 1
Cook the Quinoa as usual. Save a bit of the cooking water, if needed.
Don’t forget to wash and rinse well before cooking.
Step 2
Heat the oil and butter in a saucepan and melt over low heat.
Add onion, garlic and mushrooms and fry until the onion is translucent.
Add the wine and bring to a boil again.
Add cream and season with nutmeg and pepper.
Step 3
Bring it to a boil again and add the cooked quinoa.
Reduce heat and continue cooking, stirring constantly the Quinotto until
a creamy texture is formed.
Add half of the Parmesan and half of the parsley and season to taste.
At this stage add a bit of the cooking water, if needed. Dish should be
lovely creamy, not dry.
Step 4
Serve with remaining Parmesan and parsley sprinkled over it.

Tips.

A delicious variation of this recepie is, to add same amount of shrimps as mushrooms
to the dish. Serve with a „spicy“ salad (rucola, watercress etc.) and a cool white wine.
You also can try the variation, instead of mushrooms, with chopped zucchini, carrot, corn
and tomatoes, like shown in the picture on top of this post.
If you like it spicy add a bit chilli or curry and coriander. ENJOY !!