Cook4me Quinoa With Clams Recipes

CLAMS WITH QUINOA

Steps:

• Wash and vigorously scrub the littlenecks under cold running water. Place them on a tray, cover with a damp cloth, and set aside until ready to serve. Finely chop the shucked cherrystones and set them aside, refrigerate. Pour the clam liquor through a strainer lined with a double thickness of dampened cheesecloth. Add enough additional clam juice or water to make the liquid up to 5 1/2 cups. Set aside, refrigerate. Place the quinoa in a bowl and add enough cold water to cover by about 2 inches. Let soak for 5 minutes, then massage the grain between the palms of your hands for a moment. Strain through a fine strainer, rinse with cold running water, and repeat the soaking and rubbing process. Set the quinoa aside to drain.
• In a large casserole with a cover, preferably earthenware, heat the olive oil over medium-low heat. Add the onion and saute until it is totally translucent but not browned, about 8 minutes. Increase the heat to medium and add the garlic, chiles, bay leaf, cumin, and pepper. Stir over the heat for 2 minutes more, or until the aroma of the garlic is released. Add the tomato paste, chopped clams, and potatoes and stir together to mix. Pour in 4 1/2 cups of the reserved clam juice, bring up to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes. Stir in the quinoa and cook for 25 minutes more, stirring occasionally.
• While the quinoa is cooking, in another large saucepan reduce the white wine by half over medium heat. Add the garlic, salt, pepper flakes, julienned red pepper, and the remaining 1/2 cup clam juice and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the littlenecks, cover the pan and reduce the heat to low, and cook for 10 to 15 minutes, or until the clams have barely opened, gently stirring the mixture once during the cooking time. Mound the quinoa mixture onto a large platter and spoon the littlenecks, with all of their juice and the peppers, over the top. Scatter the cilantro over and serve immediately.

SHRIMP AND MUSHROOM QUINOA RISOTTO

Steps:

• Make clam broth:
• Combine all broth ingredients in a 4- to 6-quart heavy pot and simmer, partially covered, 30 minutes. Pour through a fine-mesh sieve, then discard solids. Transfer broth to a 3-quart heavy saucepan and cover.
• Prepare quinoa:
• Wash quinoa in 3 changes of cold water in a bowl, draining in fine-mesh sieve between changes of water. Return quinoa to bowl.
• Pat shrimp dry and sprinkle with teaspoon salt.
• Heat vegetable oil and achiote seeds in a 1 1/2- to 2-quart heavy saucepan over low heat until oil is bright yellow, about 10 minutes. Pour oil through sieve into cleaned 4- to 6-quart heavy pot, discarding seeds.
• Add 1 tablespoon butter to oil in pot and heat over moderately high heat until foam subsides, then cook shrimp and 1/4 teaspoon pepper, stirring, until shrimp are almost cooked through, 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl using a slotted spoon. (Do not clean pot.)
• Heat 2 tablespoons butter in pot over moderate heat until foam subsides, then cook mushrooms with 1/2 teaspoon salt and remaining 1/4 teaspoon pepper, stirring and scraping up any brown bits from bottom of pot, until mushrooms are softened and exude liquid, about 5 minutes. (If mushrooms do not exude liquid, add 1/2 cup water to help scrape up any brown bits.) Add mushrooms with liquid to shrimp. (Do not clean pot.)
• Heat olive oil and remaining tablespoon butter in pot over moderate heat until foam subsides, then cook onion, garlic, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, stirring occasionally, until onion is softened, about 5 minutes. Add quinoa and aj amarillo and cook, stirring, 5 minutes. Add wine and saffron, then simmer briskly, stirring constantly, until wine is absorbed, about 5 minutes.
• Meanwhile, bring clam broth to a simmer and stir, then keep at a bare simmer.
• Add 1/2 cup broth to quinoa and simmer briskly, stirring constantly, until broth is absorbed. Continue simmering and adding hot broth, about 1/2 cup at a time, stirring quinoa frequently and letting each addition be absorbed before adding the next, until quinoa is tender and its germs separate from grains, about 30 minutes total. (There will be some broth left over.)
• Stir cream into risotto and bring to a simmer over moderate heat, then add shrimp mixture with any juices and cook, stirring, until shrimp are just cooked through, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in cheese and 2 tablespoons basil, then season with salt and pepper. Serve sprinkled with remaining tablespoon basil.