Tag Archives: Peas

A Picture A Day: May 4, 2015

About this project…

This month I will be celebrating this beautiful season by publishing a picture a day of fresh ingredients….Let’s see what is going to happen! 🙂 Hopefully these pictures might inspire new recipes or simply give me an opportunity to interact with you, receiving advice and feedback, while I am building my photographic portfolio.

And you never know, I might continue with this project if I can manage with this daily task.

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Special Stuffed Calamari (Quinoa Recipe)

February 22, 2014Dairy-free, Gluten-free, Pescetarian, SeafoodAppetisers, Calamari, Calamari Ripieni, Dairy-free, Fish, Food, Gluten-free, Peas, Quinoa, Recipe, Seafood, Squid, Step by step, StuffedSerena @ foodfulife

Stuffed calamari (calamari ripieni) is a very popular dish in Italy. Normally, the recipe is made with bread stuffing and some variation on the other ingredients. This time, we are going to prepare a quinoa stuffing with peas, anchovies and garlic. It is a wonderful starter and a great main meal served with vegetables. It might seem a little complex to prepare, but it’s such a delicious full-flavoured dish that it’s worth a try!

Tip. Calamari ( squid) should be fresh and properly cleaned before you start the preparation. It’s very important not to over cook the seafood, because calamari can become very chewy and unpleasant to eat. If that happens continue to cook them until they become tender again (in this case, remember to add more wine and some vegetable or fish stock).

Stuffed Calamari (quinoa recipe)

Ingredients

for 3 servings

Preparation: 40 minutes

400g (14.1 oz) cleaned calamari (squid)

1 clove of garlic

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 splash of white wine (non-acidic)

salt and pepper to taste

For the filling

50 g (1.76 oz) quinoa (uncooked)

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

2 cloves of garlic

2 anchovies

3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley

20 g (0.7 oz) of frozen peas

1 egg

30 g (1.05 oz) grated Parmesan cheese

White wine (good quality)

Salt and pepper to taste

Method

1. Wash the quinoa, using a strainer under running water, for a few minutes (to remove the natural bitter taste).

2 . Cook for 15 minutes in 200 ml (6.76 us oz fl, 0.35 uk pt) of water, then cover with a lid and set aside.

3. Separate the tentacles from the top of the body of the calamari. Finely chop the tentacles.

4. Chop two cloves of garlic and two anchovies and gently fry them over a low heat with three tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil.

5. Add the chopped tentacles with the peas and (after a couple of minutes) drizzle with a little bit of white wine.

6. Add the quinoa with two tablespoons of parsley, then stir and after a few minutes turn off the heat.

7. Combine the ingredients with an egg, the Parmesan cheese, some salt and pepper and mix well. Stuff the calamari using a teaspoon (and your fingers) or a piping bag ( fill only 2/3 to avoid braking the calamari during the cooking time) . Seal the calamari with toothpicks.

8. Put the calamari in a frying pan with two tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil, a chopped clove of garlic, a splash of white wine and season with salt and pepper. Cook for 10 minutes at a medium heat, after 5 minutes add a tablespoon of parsley and stir. Serve warm.

Calamari ripieni con quinoa.

Ingredienti

per 3 persone

400 g di calamari puliti (senza dente)

1 spicchio d’aglio

2 cucchiai di olio extra vergine d’oliva

1 spruzzata di vino bianco (non acido)

sale e pepe q b

Per il ripieno

50 g quinoa (cruda)

3 cucchiai di olio extra vergine d’oliva

2 spicchi d’aglio

3 cucchiai di prezzemolo (tritato finemente)

20 g di piselli surgelati

Sale e pepe q b

1 uova

30 g Parmigiano Reggiano grattugiato

vino bianco (non acido) q b

2 acciughe sott’ olio (alici)

Preparazione

1. Lavate la quinoa, utilizzando un colino sotto l’acqua del rubinetto, per qualche minuto (questa operazione serve a togliere il sapore amaro della quinoa).

2. Fate bollire per 15 minuti in 200 ml d’acqua, poi spegnete il fuoco, coprite con un coperchio e mettete da parte.

3. Usando un coltello, separate i tentacoli dalle tasche dei calamari. Tritate finemente i tentacoli.

4. Tritate e fate soffriggere a fuoco basso due spicchi d’aglio e due acciughe con tre cucchiai di olio extra vergine d’oliva.

5. Aggiungete i tentacoli tritati con i piselli e annaffiate con un po’ di buon vino. Fate ritirare a fuoco lento.

6. Aggiungete la quinoa con due cucchiai di prezzemolo, mescolando per qualche minuto e poi spegnete il fuoco.

7. Unite agli ingredienti un uovo, del parmigiano, sale, pepe e mescolate bene. Riempite i calamari usando un cucchiaino o la saccapoche (riempite solo 2/3, per evitare che si rompano durante la cottura). Chiudete con degli stuzzicadenti.

8. Mettete i calamari in una padella con due cucchiai d’olio, uno spicchio d’aglio tritato, uno spruzzo di vino bianco e un po’ di sale e pepe. Fate cuocere per 10 minuti a fuoco medio, aggiungendo un cucchiaio di prezzemolo dopo 5 minuti. Spegnete e servite.

Amazing Artichoke and Pea Quinoa.

Quinoa has become a very popular ingredient in recent years. Besides being very versatile, it’s considered by nutritionists to be one of the most important super foods for its numerous nutritional properties and it’s often used as a substitute for couscous in gluten-free recipes. Quinoa is also an excellent source of protein and amino acids, therefore is perfect for vegetarian and vegan diets.

I must thank my mother for this awesome recipe! She usually prepares meat dishes using artichokes, peas and potatoes. Being a vegetarian, I thought of using this amazing combination of flavours in a quinoa recipe, in order to create a delicious and perfectly balanced meal.

Cooking tip. After cutting the artichokes dip them in cold water and some lemon juice for a few minutes, to preserve the colour.

Artichoke and Pea Quinoa.

Ingredients

for 4 servings

4 artichokes

200 g ( 7 oz) of peas

1 large potato

1 organic vegetable stock cube

1 large onion

1 clove of garlic

a bunch of parsley

a sprig of fresh marjoram

5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

400 ml (14 fl. oz) of vegetable stock (made with 400 ml of hot water and 1 organic vegetable stock cube)

For the quinoa.

1 cup quinoa

2 cups water

a pinch of salt

Quinoa preparation.

1. Wash the quinoa, using a strainer, under running water for a few minutes.

2. Put 1 cup of quinoa, 2 cups of water and a pinch of salt in a small pan, then cook for 15 minutes.

3. Turn off the heat and cover with the lid.

How to prepare the Vegetables.

1. Peel, wash and finely cut the onion. Fry over a low heat for a few minutes. Cut the garlic clove, remove the green core, then chop and fry with the onion.

2. Wash and trim the artichokes, removing all the sharp, hard and hairy bits. Cut each artichoke into 8 parts (also peel and cut the stems into small pieces) then add to the ingredients.

3. Wash, peel and cut the potato into very small cubes. Add the potato, pour 400 ml of vegetable stock into the pan and mix well.

4. Then add the peas and cook for about 30 minutes over a low heat (cover with the lid and stir from time to time).

5. Five minutes before the end of the cooking time, add the herbs ( finely chopped) and season with salt and pepper.

6. Turn off the heat and serve the vegetables with the quinoa in the middle.

Quinoa con Carciofi e Piselli.

Ingredienti

per 4 persone

4 carciofi

200 g di piselli

1 patata grande

1 cipolla grande

1 spicchio d’aglio

1 dado vegetale biologico

un mazzetto di prezzemolo

un mazzetto di maggiorana fresca

5 cucchiai di olio extra vergine d’ oliva

400 ml di brodo vegetale (fatto con 400 ml d’acqua bollente e un dado vegetale)

sale e pepe q b

per la quinoa

80 g di quinoa

200 ml d’acqua (ancora meglio se usate del brodo vegetale)

un pizzico di sale

Preparazione della quinoa.

1. Lavate la quinoa, usando un colino, sotto il getto d’acqua del rubinetto per qualche minuto.

2. Fate cuocere in acqua leggermente salata (o brodo) la quinoa per circa 15 minuti.

3. Spegnete il fuoco, coprite con il coperchio e lasciate riposare.

Preparazione delle verdure.

1. Pulite, tagliate finemente la cipolla e fate soffriggere a fuoco basso. Tagliate in due lo spicchio d’aglio, togliete l’anima, tritate e aggiungete al soffritto.

2. Lavate e pulite i carciofi, togliendo tutte le spine, le parti dure e fastidiose. Tagliate ciascun carciofo in 8 parti, tagliate anche il gambo a pezzetti e aggiungete al soffritto.

3. Pelate, lavate e tagliate la patata a cubetti molto piccoli. Mettete a cuocere la patata e aggiungete del brodo vegetale. Mescolate bene.

4. Aggiungete i piselli e fate cuocere a fuoco lento per 30 minuti con il coperchio semi chiuso, mescolando occasionalmente.

5. Quasi a fine cottura, aggiungete le erbe tritate finemente e condite con il sale e pepe.

6. A cottura terminata, spegnete il fuoco e servite le verdure con la quinoa nel centro.