Cook With Us #4: Squid with black quinoa

Happy Easter and Happy Passover to everyone. I hope you all had a safe and happy and relaxing time in front of the oven baking and cooking nice things for your loved ones. I know I had a really busy time getting everything ready in time. So much so that I nearly missed putting an entry for @cookwithus Week #4 contest. To be honest I wasn’t sure I could pull an Italian dish worthy of the competition.

I initially thought of preparing a spaghetti Bolognese but didn’t think it would be fair for me to get a pre-made sauce from the shop. The next on my mind was a spaghetti in pesto sauce. I’ve done this a fair number of times in the past and it tasted particularly delicious. However while brainstorming the idea with my husband he mentioned reading a story about the Pesto World Championship in early March in Genova, Italy. Basically, it is said that a real pesto is made using a mortar and pestle and not blended in a mixer.

It was definitely a hard choice… until @cookwithus opened up the contest to include dishes that we may serve up over the Easter weekend. With this in mind, I opted for a squid recipe with black quinoa, considering all the chocolate we would ingurgitate over the weekend. As I’m writing this I also have an eye on the clock conscious that I’m really really late this time with my entry.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup peanut oil
• 650g squid hoods
• 3 crushed garlic cloves
• 2 tsp sweet soy sauce
• 2 tsp grated ginger
• 3 tsp Chinese black vinegar
• 1 tsp grated orange rind
• 2 thinly sliced red chillies
• 3 cups cooked black quinoa
• Lemon wedges for serving

Method:

1. In a bowl add 2 tsp of oil, the squid, ginger, garlic, sweet soy sauce, vinegar, orange rind and chilli and mixed together to coat. Cover the bowl and allow to marinate in the fridge for 1hr.





2. In a large pan, heat the remaining peanut oil over high heat. Gradually add in the squid and cook for 3 minutes each side. Set aside while keeping warm.










3. Add the quinoa in a sauce pan with water and cooked.










4. Add the marinade to the pan and cook for 3-4 minutes until it has thickened.





5. I also made a simple salad to accompany the dish. I used cucumber, cherry tomatoes, spring onions and coriander





6. On a plate place the quinoa, add the squid on top and pour the sticky sauce over. Sprinkle with salt and Sichuan pepper and serve with lemon wedges.

I hope you enjoy it!

Bon appétit!