Quinoa Salad
Reprinted with permission. © CITY HARVEST: 100 Recipes From Great New York Restaurants by Florence Fabricant, Rizzoli New York, 2015. Images from CITY HARVEST © Noah Fecks.
- Servings: 4.
From City Harvest: 100 Recipes from Great New York Restaurants and The Regency Bar & Grill. With nutty red quinoa, pecans, and a lime-pomegranate vinaigrette, author Florence Fabricant suggests this as a good choice to add to your Thanksgiving table.
Ingredients
- 1 cup quinoa, preferably red
- Salt
- 1 medium-size red onion, peeled and cut into 12 wedges
- 5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 star anise
- 1/2 cup shelled pecans, broken into large pieces
- 1 1/2 tablespoons lime juice
- 1 tablespoon pomegranate molasses
- 2 tablespoons sherry vinegar
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 pound thick asparagus; zucchini or cucumber can be used instead
- 2 cups baby arugula
Directions
- Bring 2 quarts of water to a boil in a saucepan. Add the quinoa and 1-tablespoon salt. Cook the quinoa until just tender, about 15 minutes. Drain it thoroughly and let it cool.
- Preheat the oven to 350° F. Rub the onion wedges with 1 tablespoon of the oil, place them on a sheet of foil with the star anise and a sprinkling of salt, enclose the onion in the foil, and bake until the onion is tender, about 20 minutes. Meanwhile, toss the pecans with 2 teaspoons of the oil and a little salt, place them on a sheet of foil, and toast them in the oven alongside the onions for about 10 minutes.
- Combine the lime juice, pomegranate molasses, sherry vinegar, and remaining oil in a small bowl. Beat to mix. Season with salt and pepper.
- In a large bowl, mix the quinoa with the onions and pecans. Add about half of the vinaigrette. Set the mixture aside.
- If you’re using asparagus, snap off the ends; for zucchini, trim the top and bottom; for the cucumber, peel it. Then, using a mandoline or a vegetable peeler, cut thin vertical strips from whatever green vegetable you have chosen. Mix the strips with the arugula and toss the greens with as much of the remaining dressing as needed.
To serve, place a mound of the quinoa on each of four salad plates. Top it with the vegetable and arugula salad.
You can tell when quinoa is done when you see little white “halos” appear on the seeds.
Second Helpings:
Double the dressing recipe, and you have a nice vinaigrette to keep on hand in the refrigerator for other salads or to use as a marinade for lamb or chicken.