Beetroot & fennel quinoa with herb ricotta
Ingredients
Serves 2 as a main, 4 as a side
- 1 tablespoon rapeseed oil
- 100g quinoa
- 400ml hot water with 1 teaspoon vegetable bouillon dissolved in it
- 1 onion, peeled and diced
- 1 celery stalk, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, peeled and diced
- 3 small raw (or 2 medium) beetroots, washed, peeled and tails removed and grated on a large grate
- 1 fennel, cut in half lengthways, head stalks removed and herb ends saved for the ricotta (see below). Grate fennel on a large grate
- 10g Parmesan, grated
- 1 teaspoon soft butter
- Black pepper
- Juice 1/2 lemon
For the ricotta:
- 100g ricotta
- 1 clove garlic, peeled and crushed
- Heads of the fennel, chopped
- 1 tablespoon parsley, chopped
- Juice 1/2 lemon
- Drizzle of rapeseed oil
Timings
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cooking time: 25 minutes
Total time: 30 minutes
Beetroot & fennel quinoa with herb ricotta
I love a vegetarian recipe which is full of contrast, flavour and colour. The beetroot here adds depth and earthiness, the fennel in contrast keeps it fresh and the ricotta adds a light creaminess. It’s a bowl full of healthfulness and delight.
Method
Heat the rapeseed oil over a medium heat in a large frying pan. Add the onion and celery and sautƩ for 5 minutes. Add the garlic and stir for 2 minutes. Add the quinoa and stir for 1 minute.
Add a ladle of hot stock and give the quinoa and vegetable mix a good stir. Once the stock has evaporated add another ladle and repeat. After your third ladle of stock, add the grated beetroot and fennel. Continue to add a ladle of stock at a time, stirring in between, until the liquid has evaporated.
Once you have used up all of the stock, take the frying pan off the heat. Add the butter and Parmesan and stir. Squeeze over the lemon juice and leave on the side to rest for 5 minutes while you make the ricotta.
To make the ricotta, mix in all the ingredients and give it a good stir.
Serve the quinoa and ricotta either on its own as a nutritionally dense meal or as a carb accompaniment to the sweet ham or a roast chicken and green salad.
DOWNLOAD OR PRINT RECIPE HERE.
I make this like a risotto, sautĆ©ing off the onions, and then adding stock a ladle at a time. Any leftovers are delicious the next day and it will hold for up to 3 days in the fridge.”
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