Peruvian gastronomy has positioned itself at the very peak of international culinary trends in 2018. Roberto Sihuay, owner of Barcelona’s award-winner Ceviche 103 restaurant showcases for Sublime a dish based one of the country’s most representative crops
Quinoa salad with passion fruit dressing is a fresh, summery dish that’s perfect as a starter for a more substantial meal. Millennial, time-honoured yet easily accessible ingredients make up the following recipe. First and foremost is quinoa, a highly nourishing, gluten-free grain that is regarded as one of the essential Peruvian superfoods. Meanwhile, passion fruit is one of the most delicious of exotic fruits, and ají amarillo – yellow chilli peppers – bring an amazing spicy kick along with hardly any calories.
QUINOA SALAD WITH PASSION FRUIT DRESSING
For 4 people:
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: approx. 8 minutes
Difficulty: beginner
Ingredients:
300 g cooked quinoa
6 green asparagus spears, sliced in half lengthways
200 g mild fresh cheese, cut into sticks
4 cherry tomatoes
50 g puréed passion fruit
20 g finely minced ají amarillo –yellow chilli peppers-
20 g olive oil
Salt to taste
Preparation
Quinoa is becoming more and more prevalent across Europe and it’s very easy to find in specialist Latin American stores or supermarkets with a South American section. Thanks to the cultural wealth of the Americas it’s no longer difficult to find this kind of store. Once you’ve got your quinoa, and before you prepare the dressing, cook it for around 8 minutes in plenty of boiling water. The recommended texture for this dish is al dente, so cooking time may vary depending on the amount used and the temperature of the water.
Preparing the passion fruit dressing
Once the quinoa is cooked, drain it and keep it aside while you prepare the passion fruit dressing. Put the passion fruit pulp, minced yellow pepper, olive oil and salt in a blender or food processor and pulse to combine. When you have a smooth liquid, fold the dressing through the cooled quinoa.
Cut the cherry tomatoes into quarters, size permitting; slice the asparagus spears lengthways and then in half, and sauté very briefly in olive oil. Slice the cheese into sticks.
Finally, pile the quinoa and its dressing into a white serving bowl or platter as a base, then top with the sautéed tomatoes and asparagus and the cheese, resulting in a vivid contrast of flavours and colours with the darker quinoa against the white platter, the golden passion fruit dressing and the bright red and green of the tomatoes and asparagus.
Roberto Sihuay