THE QUINOA CHRONICLES, PART TWO.

Because once you’ve had quinoa for lunch, you’ll want it for dinner.

Nope, not done with quinoa just yet. It’s like those people who just effortlessly know how to dress for a party. The ones that dress for themselves first and foremost, rather than making the mistake of trying to dress appropriately for the occasion.

They always end up being the coolest people in the room, because they didn’t try to be.

That’s quinoa.

Last week, I dressed it as a summery salad with red capsicum, tomato, avocado, cucumber and the gang, because that’s what it felt like wearing. This week, it’s more like a salad that could easily go to dinner from now until autumn, warmed up with the sweetness of roasted pumpkin, dried apricots and the crunch of pumpkin seeds.

It doesn’t need much more, although I did hear a suggestion or two in the background about how well it would go with sliced and sizzled chorizo sausages.

You’ll find last week’s recipe and how to cook quinoa here, but I’ve popped the basics below so that it’s one place for the future. Just remember – always rinse it first or it might retain some of its natural bitterness, and cook by the absorption method until the little tell-tale tails (the germs of the seed) pop out and waggle at you.

Again, I’ve made the dressed quinoa the base of the salad and strewn everything on top in the style of pizza, which makes it the life of the party.

QUINOA, PUMPKIN AND APRICOT SALAD

Add chopped cooked greens – broccolini, kale – to turn this into an easy dinner. Or sliced and sizzled chorizo, fine, okay. Two dressings below, but go for the pomegranate molasses one, it really needs that sort of feistiness.

• 1 butternut squash

• 8 dried apricots, softened in cold water or orange juice

• 200 g quinoa, any kind (mixed is fun)

• 350 ml cold water

• 1 punnet tiny toms or cherry tomatoes, halved if large

• 2 tbsp picked parsley leaves

• 2 tbsp pumpkin seeds

• Pomegranate molasses dressing below

Heat oven to 220C. Cut the butternut pumpkin crosswise into 1.5cm slices. If you can be bothered cutting off the skin, do so, otherwise leave it and peel it off once roasted.

Cut pumpkin into generous bite-sized pieces, toss in olive oil and bake on a tray lined with baking paper for 30 minutes or until tender and caramelised.

Toss the pumpkin seeds onto the tray for the final 10 minutes of baking to refresh them. Remove and leave to cool to warm or room temperature.

To cook the quinoa, rinse thoroughly in cold water, and drain. Cover with 350 ml cold water and a good pinch of sea salt and bring to the boil.

Reduce heat, partly cover and gently simmer for 15 minutes until the tiny white tails (the germ of the seed) have popped out.

Turn off the heat, cover, and leave for 10 minutes to steam, then fluff up the grains with a fork. Spread the cooked quinoa out on a tray and leave to cool.

Drain the apricots and cut in half to reveal the orange-toned insides.

Whisk the dressing together and pour over the quinoa, tossing with your hands until well-coated. Tip out onto a serving platter.

Toss the pumpkin, tomatoes, apricot halves, parsley and pumpkin seeds in an extra glug of olive oil and a little sea salt, arrange on top and serve.

Tip: You can serve this warm or at room temperature. Or warm the left-overs in a scrunch of foil in the oven the next day to serve with fish or chicken. Or chorizo.

POMEGRANATE MOLASSES DRESSING

‘Pom mol’ is super-sour, rich and syrupy, and you’ll either love it or hate it.  Or use balsamic vinegar mixed with your favourite wine vinegar instead.

• 1 tbsp pomegranate molasses

• 2 to 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

• 1 tbsp orange juice

• 1 tbsp honey

• Sea salt and pepper

Whisk everything together in a nice big bowl.

Or if you want something a bit gentler, try this.

PESTO HONEY DRESSING:

• 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

• 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar

• 2 tbsp pesto

• 1 tbsp honey

• Sea salt and pepper

Whisk everything together in a nice big bowl.

Which would also be a nice way to dress last week’s salad, shown here for those with short-term memory loss.

Thanks for dropping by! And as always, thanks for your comments and suggestions. Special thanks to Terry for opening the pomegranate molasses bottle, again.

I would also like to acknowledge the traditional owners of the lands and waters upon which I work, live, cook and play; the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation, and pay my respects to Elders past and present, and to the continuing strength and resilience of First Nations people, communities and cultures.