Quinoa Risotto with Carrots, Sage, and Parmesan

17/11/2023

Here is a recipe for a tasty quinoa risotto with carrots, sage, and Parmesan. It’s an alternative to the classic Italian risotto, substituting the rice with quinoa, a very nutritious grain. Quinoa has the advantage of being gluten-free and is rich in proteins, making this dish also suitable for those following vegetarian or vegan diets (omitting the Parmesan or replacing it with a vegan alternative).

Ingredients

1 cup of quinoa
2 medium carrots
1 liter of vegetable broth
1 small onion
2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
8 fresh sage leaves
1/2 glass of white wine (optional)
Salt and pepper to taste
Grated Parmesan to taste (or vegan substitute if necessary)
Butter for creaming (optional, can be omitted or replaced with oil for a lighter or vegan version)

Preparation

Start by thoroughly washing the quinoa under cold running water to remove the saponin, which can give it a bitter taste.
Peel and dice the carrots into small cubes.
Heat the broth in a pot and keep it warm.
In a wide pan, sauté the finely chopped onion in extra virgin olive oil. When it becomes transparent, add the sage leaves and sauté for a minute to flavor the oil.
Add the quinoa into the pan with the onion and carrots, and toast it for about 2 minutes, stirring frequently.
If you have chosen to use wine, pour it in now and let the alcohol evaporate.
Start adding the hot broth, one ladle at a time, waiting for the quinoa to absorb the liquid before adding the next ladle. Continue in this manner for about 15-20 minutes, until the quinoa is cooked but still al dente.
When the quinoa is almost done, adjust with salt and pepper. If your diet permits, you can cream the risotto with a knob of butter and grated Parmesan, to make the dish even more creamy and tasty.
Let the risotto rest for a couple of minutes before serving.

Your quinoa risotto with carrots, sage, and Parmesan is now ready. For an even more Italian touch, you can finish the dish with a drizzle of raw oil and some fried sage leaves for decoration.

Curiosity: Quinoa is not a grain but a seed, and is considered a “pseudocereal”. It has Andean origins and was important in the diet of the Incas, who called it the “mother of all seeds”.