Author Notes
Quinoa has been a staple at our house for some time now, right up there with our beloved rice and pasta. Mr. Husband loves it, four-year-old loves it, I still like it and consume it in abundance but truth be told have somewhat grown tired of it, and the seven-year-old is on the brink of jumping the quinoa ship completely. So I'm always looking for ways to change it up and make it more interesting. Like this dish inspired by the traditional Spanish paella. This is a go to mid-week - use whatever you have on hand - one pan dish. I usually get a lot of help from my freezer staples - like frozen peas and corn. Instead of the shrimp you can also substitute in chicken, other types of seafood, sausage, crack an egg on top or keep it vegetarian. I also include some swiss chard in this and use the chard stalks to make a quick salsa to serve alongside the quinoa paella. Best part is it gets the seal of approval from everyone. —Naz Deravian
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Ingredients
- SHRIMP AND QUINOA PAELLA
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1 pound
shrimp, peeled and deveined, thawed if frozen
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1/2 teaspoon
paprika, divided
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1
lemon, halved
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4 tablespoons
olive oil, divided
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1/2
medium onion
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1
clove garlic
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2
anchovies, packed in oil
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2 tablespoons
tomato paste
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1 cup
quinoa, rinsed
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2 cups
chicken stock, or vegetable stock, or water
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1/2 bunch
chard, greens only, chopped
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1/8 teaspoon
ground saffron or a pinch of saffron threads
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1/2 cup
frozen peas, thawed
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1/2 cup
frozen corn, thawed
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salt
-
pepper
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1 handful
parsley, chooped for garnish
- Swiss Chard Stalk Salsa
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1 tablespoon
olive oil
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1/2
a medium onion
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1
clove garlic
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1/2 bunch
swiss chard stalks, chopped
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1 tablespoon
lemon, zested and halved
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1 tablespoon
yogurt
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1 handful
parsley, chopped
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salt
-
pepper
Directions
- SHRIMP AND QUINOA PAELLA
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In a medium sized bowl season shrimp with salt and pepper, 1/4 teaspoon paprika and the juice of half a lemon. Toss to coat well and set aside for 10-30 minutes if you have time otherwise cook right away.
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Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large pan over medium/high heat. Add shrimp and cook for 2-3 minutes on each side. Do in batches if necessary. Transfer shrimp to a plate and set aside.
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Turn the heat down to medium and add remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add onion and cook until onion softens. About 6 minutes.
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Add garlic and anchovies. Stir and break down the anchovies. Melting them into the onion and garlic. About 1 minute.
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Add the tomato paste and stir into the onion, garlic, anchovy mix. Cook until fragrant. About 2-4 minutes.
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Add quinoa and stir into the sofrito ( the tomato paste mixture). Toast the quinoa for 2 minutes.
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Add the chard, stock or water, remaining 1/4 teaspoon paprika, and saffron. Stir to incorporate and the heat up and bring to a quick boil. Cover and lower heat. Simmer for 10 minutes.
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Remove lid. Stir in the green peas and corn and warm through. About 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper according to taste. Add the shrimp back to the pan and warm through if necessary. Garnish with parsley and squeeze the other lemon half over the whole thing. Serve with Swiss Chard Stalk Salsa if desirable. Enjoy.
- Swiss Chard Stalk Salsa
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Heat the oilve oil in a small pan over medium heat. Add onion with a small pinch of salt cook until onion softens. About 6 minutes. Add swiss chard stalks, garlic and lemon zest. Saute until stalks soften a little and become fragrant. About 6-8 minutes.
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Remove from heat and allow to cool for a few minutes. Transfer to serving bowl and stir in yogurt, parsley and squeeze in juice from half a lemon. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add more yogurt or lemon juice as desired. Serve alongside Shrimp And Quinoa Paella.
Naz Deravian is a James Beard Award-nominated author of Bottom of the Pot. She is the recipient of The IACP Julia Child First Book Award, presented by The Julia Child Foundation for Gastronomy and the Culinary Arts. Bottom of the Pot was the 2018 Food52 Piglet Award winner, and also a Taste Canada Gold Award winner.
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