cute kitchen

I didn’t have any risotto rice in the pantry today but it seemed like one of those days where a comforting, warm rice dish would be a good idea for dinner. I decided to improvise and experiment a little with things I did have: Quinoa, white beans, chickpeas, Parmesan. I settled on a risotto-like dish, a flavoured tomato broth scattered with different pulses and a healthy amount of Parmesan. Topped with oniony chives.

The result was exactly what I wanted: subtle flavours, a light olive oil rim around the side of the dish, flavourful beans and chickpeas, a light sweetness to finish.

If you find that you want the dish to have a runnier consistency, buy an extra 400ml of vegetable stock, heat and add a little bit more to the final product – bit by bit until you reach the desired consistency. And of course: Don‘t skimp on the cheese! (Unless you want the recipe to be vegan 🙂 Then just leave the cheese out at the end!)

Ingredients for 4 people

4 shallots, diced

4 garlic cloves, diced

4 Tbsp. olive oil

330g chickpeas (215g once drained)

1/2 tsp. salt

1 Tbsp. sugar

1 Tbsp. tomato paste

800g tinned tomatoes (I prefer them when they’re from a glass jar or a cardboard carton)

800ml vegetable stock

330g white beans (240g once drained)

200g quinoa, washed thoroughly and drained in a sieve

250g Parmesan, grated

20g chives, chopped

• in a big sauce pan, heat the olive oil. Add shallots and fry for 8-10 minutes until glassy and only lightly coloured. add garlic and fry for a further 2 minutes.

• add chickpeas and fry for 4 minutes. Add sugar and salt, fry for another 3 minutes. Add tomato paste and fry for another 1-2 minutes.

• add chopped tomatoes and vegetable stock. Add 300ml of water plus the white beans and quinoa. Bring to a light boil.

• stir every now and then until the quinoa is cooked and the sauce has reached your desired consistency. Season with salt and pepper. Serve with lashings of Parmesan and chopped chives!