Author Notes
A little inspiration goes a long way.. I'm still fresh from the awesome cooking demo that Amanda & Merrill did at Sur la table last week. Came back home, tried to replicate the recipe using spinach, but it just wasn't as awesome, but on the other hand, I had fallen head over heel in love with the texture & mouth feel of quinoa! (Until then, for the most part, I'd been grinding up the quinoa into a batter!)
There is no interesting story to tell here...this was an experimental dish keeping with this weeks theme, that the family completely fell in love with and will be a regular at my table. Beluga lentils pair perfectly with the quinoa because of their tiny size. I'd substitute with French Puy lentils if beluga lentils aren't available.
—Panfusine
Ingredients
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1/2 cup
organic white Quinoa
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1/2 cup
Beluga lentils
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1 cup
Walnuts, toasted
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20-22
Sage leaves
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1/2 teaspoon
Kosher Salt
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2 cups
water
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2 tablespoons
unsalted butter
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1/2 cup
Crumbled Feta Cheese
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1-1 1/2 tablespoons
orange zest
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1-2 tablespoons
Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO)
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Juice of 1/2 a lemon
Directions
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In a large saucepan, combine the water & salt & bring to a boil. Add the beluga lentils, cover & cook for 5 minutes. Add the Quinoa and lower the heat to medium. cover & allow to cook till all the water is absorbed (~ 15 minutes). once cooked, fluff the lentil quinoa mix with a fork.
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Combine 1/2 a cup of toasted walnuts and about 15 torn sage leaves & coarsely mince in a food processor till they resemble coarse bread crumbs (albeit with a tantalizing aroma)
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Add 1 tablespoon of butter in a small skillet and add the minced walnut/sage mixture. Saute till the bits of sage begin to wilt.
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In a large mixing bowl, combine the remaining walnuts (broken into small bits), Lemon juice & orange zest. Add the feta cheese, quinoa/lentil mix, the sauteed walnut/sage blend and fold to combine all the ingredients. Drizzle with the EVOO, taste and adjust for seasonings as per your preference.
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Heat the remaining butter and add the remaining sage to it, sautee till the leaves crisp up and add the mix to the lentil quinoa pilaf as a garnish.
A biomedical engineer/ neuroscientist by training, currently a mommy blogger on a quest for all things food - Indian Palate, Global perspective!
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