Pea, kale and quinoa ‘tabbouleh’
Ah, quinoa. Remember the tiresome mania for quinoa? When the Western world ‘discovered’ it (despite about 7000 years of quinoa domestication) and hipsters practically snorted it for breakfast? Who can forget how the price for the poor bloody Bolivians, who rely on it as a nutrient-rich staple, went utterly bonkers? We hate food trends. We just use ingredients because we happen to like them. Who cares what the bright, shiny things of Insta and The Tok think? Here’s how we use quinoa and call us boring, but it’s in a salad with lots of green stuff, lashings of EVOO, lemon juice and a finishing smatter of sumac. Instead of the peas you could use frozen broad beans (or fresh broad beans in season but either way, peel them after cooking)... or a mix of both.
SERVES 6
135g (⅔ cup) quinoa
215g (1½ cups) frozen or fresh, podded peas
3-4 kale leaves, washed and stems removed
4 spring onions, trimmed and finely sliced
1 bunch mint, leaves coarsely chopped or torn
1 bunch flat-leaf parsley, coarsely chopped
Juice of 1-2 lemons, to taste
80ml (⅓ cup) extra virgin olive oil, approximately, plus extra for massaging the kale
sumac, for sprinkling
Rinse the quinoa well; this rids it of a soapy-tasting substance called saponin. Combine in a medium saucepan with 330ml (1⅓ cups) cold water. Bring to the boil, cover the pan, then reduce the heat to medium-low and cook the quinoa for 15 minutes or until the water is all absorbed. Remove the pan from the heat then stand, covered, for another 10 minutes for the quinoa to completely soften. Transfer to a large bowl, then cool to room temperature.
Meanwhile, bring a small saucepan of lightly salted water to the boil for the peas. Cook the peas for 2 minutes or until tender, then drain well. Run the peas under cold water to cool, then drain again. Transfer to a bowl, then using a potato masher, coarsely smash the peas. Using a large, sharp knife, very finely shred the kale. Place it in a bowl, drizzle with a few teaspoons of extra virgin olive oil, then use your hands to vigorously massage the kale for 2 minutes or until it has softened. Add the peas, kale, spring onions and herbs to the quinoa in the bowl and toss to combine. Drizzle with the juice of a lemon and the olive oil, season well with sea salt and frehsl;y ground black pepper, then toss to mix well. Taste and add more lemon juice and olive oil if desired. Serve sprinkled with sumac.
