Chupe de Quinoa

If you haven't tried quinoa, this is your chance! Quinoa is a quick cooking, extremely healthful grain. It contains a balanced set of essential amino acids which make it a complete protein source. What more could you ask for? Besides delicious. Which is where this soup comes into play.

Although this is a lengthy recipe, it is quite simple and comes together rather quickly.

Chupe de Quinoa, Quinoa Soup
(adapted from The Art of South American Cooking)

2 T oil
2 large cloves of garlic, minced
1 jalapeño, chopped
2 t cumin
1/8 t white pepper, or 1/2 t black pepper
1 T coarse sea salt, or 2 t regular table salt
1 lb potatoes cut into 1" cubes, peeled or unpeeled
1/2 lb fresh spinach, shredded
1 c raw quinoa
5 c stock or water
Juice of an orange
8 oz feta cheese
Hard boiled eggs, one per person

Heat your oil on medium heat, in a large pot. Add garlic and jalapeño. Be careful not to let the garlic brown. Add cumin, pepper and salt, cook until fragrant, 1-2 min. Pour in your 5 c water or stock and bring to a boil. Add potatoes and cook until soft. About 15 min. While potatoes are cooking, make your quinoa and eggs.

Quinoa: You should always thoroughly rinse your grains before cooking. (Bob's Red Mill sells pre-rinsed quinoa!) Place 1 c quinoa and 2 c water in a pot, bring to a boil. Place lid on, turn off heat. Leave the pan on the hot burner. It should be done in about 10 minutes.

Eggs: This method is from Martha, and produces the most perfectly cooked egg. You know when you have over cooked eggs when your yolk is green. That wont happen when following these directions. Place eggs in a pot, add cold water to cover by about 1 inch. Bring to a rolling boil, cover pan and remove from heat. Let stand for 12 minutes, then drain and run under cold water. I like to cook more than I need so that there are some left for a quick protein snack.

Back to the Soup!

Once your potatoes are soft, stir in the spinach and cooked quinoa. Pour in the orange juice and cook for 5 minutes more. Serve with feta and boiled egg on top. Bon Appétit!

A few additional notes:

*I don't always have jalapeño or oranges on hand and the soup still tastes delicious with out these ingredients.

*For less spice, remove the pith and seeds from the jalapeño before cutting. A spoon works great for this. Cut jalapeño in half and use a spoon to scrape out the insides.

*Choose feta made with goat or sheep's milk, it is much more flavorful. You will find that you use less, which counters the higher price.

*You can substitute any green leaf vegetable for the spinach.

*If you want to add meat, brown it in the pan before adding the garlic.

*If you want to add other vegetables, add them with the potatoes.