Quinoa, part two.

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I finally did buy a very fine chinois.  Now, I suppose I could have gone with a lesser device.  The problem is, with less cost came less volume.  My hands are like sausages.  Oh, they don't look like it, oddly.  They seem to be fine, for the size, delicate almost.  I can hide a quarter with my thumb, for perspective.  So, reaching in to mess with stuff in a small device is, well, either very uncomfortable, often untenable, sometimes simply impossible.  The other thing about buying a fine enough device is that purer sauces may be made.

My goal for this year?  More cooking.  Using more humble foods, but not just living on rice cakes and sawdust, either.  How can you make an inexpensive cut of meat, or even a vegetable or grain meal, better?  Sauces!  Cook shoeleather to a tender state, add the right sauce, and you would be surprised.  The best sauces come from stocks.  I don't prefer vegetable stocks, but chicken, beef, lamb, venison... basically any foul or stock yard critter can make for a superior stock, which makes for a super sauce, gravy, or such.  And, once learned, sauces are among the easiest things to make, if there are many steps from stock to dish.  But those steps are separated through time, and can be done, to a degree I don't functionally understand quite yet, in batches. I have much to learn.  I have the rest of my life to learn and little else I can do. 

Oh, but the thing is, the chinois I purchased is that it is perfect for washing the rind, or husk, or whatever is on quinoa.  It does take a bit, but if you just play with it like a game, it seems to take no time at all.  I must admit, I was a bit fearful.  That first batch I made of it, long ago, was horrible.  I can't remember what all was wrong, because I took a bite, maybe two or three to be sure, then spit it all out, tossed the remnants, and swore the stuff off as a no-go.  Ignorance, is all.

I cooked it just as I do rice.  Two and a half doses of water, let it get to a boil under a lid, lift the lid after it the water is boiling, let it get down to only a bit of water in the bottom, stirring occasionally throughout, then turning off the heat and letting it steam out the last of the moisture not being absorbed.  As with my rice, I think I did this flawlessly.  And the results were quite pleasing.

So, what does quinoa taste like?  It is the oddest durned stuff I have ever eaten.  It has a slight "green" taste to it.  I'm thinking like a very mild green... turnip tops, mild spinach, you get the idea.  But it has a bit of a crunch to it, like fried rice, or small bits of bean.  It is the oddest looking grain, when cooked, as well.  It looks like very tiny shrimp, or... fern tips without the green color.  The type I purchased is tawny, even golden.  A bit of butter (unnecessary all the time), a touch of salt to the finished product, and down the hatch with a whimsical smile as one of the first results.  It is a satisfying meal.  A complete protein, from a grain?  Yes indeed.  I may have to store some of that.  It is spendy though, so I will need to look for deals on it.  That said, it has the Doom seal of approval.  I am going to have to see what all will work with it, including desserts perhaps.

My next taste treat for this (still) Christmas holiday?  Well, beside duck?  Clotted cream.  I'll... let you know how that works out.  Oh, I know, crazy stuff.  Doom is a fool, but a curious, inventive, active one, when I can be. 

Merry Christmas!