This salad will keep well in the refrigerator if prepared a day ahead. The trick is drying out the quinoa after cooking to maintain the intensity of flavour; excess moisture will dilute the dressing.
Quinoa with peas, beans, lemon and herb
Australian Gourmet Traveller recipe for quinoa with peas, beans, lemon and herbs.
- 30 mins preparation
- 20 mins cooking plus drying
- Serves 6
Print
Ingredients
- 300 gm quinoa
- 300 gm baby green beans, trimmed
- 200 gm podded peas (about 520gm unpodded)
- 2 cups coarsely torn flat-leaf parsley
- 1 cup coarsely torn dill
- 1 cup each coarsely chopped mint and chervil
- ¼ cup coarsely torn tarragon
- 125 ml extra-virgin olive oil (½ cup)
- 80 ml lemon juice, or to taste (1/3 cup)
- Rind of ½ preserved lemon, rinsed, finely chopped
- 1 cup (loosely packed) each pea tendrils and baby English spinach
- To serve: edible petals such as nasturtium
Method
Main
- 1Cook quinoa in a large saucepan of lightly salted boiling water until tender (13-15 minutes), drain well, then spread on a large tray to cool and dry (30 minutes).
- 2Meanwhile, blanch beans and peas until tender (2-3 minutes for beans, 3-4 minutes for peas). Drain and refresh (see cook’s notes), then drain well and transfer to a large bowl. Add herbs, oil, lemon juice, preserved lemon and quinoa, season generously to taste, toss to combine and refrigerate until required.
- 3Toss pea tendrils and spinach through salad, scatter with petals and serve.