Fran Gage has included a nice write-up about California Olive Ranch in her beautiful new book: “The New American Olive Oil: Profiles of Artisan Producers and 75 Recipes” (Stewart, Tabori & Chang, 2009). And she’s loaded the book with great recipes, which I’ve posted here previously. The gorgeous photos make you want to head to the kitchen and get cooking.
I want to include one more recipe: Quinoa salad with pistachios and cranberries. Quinoa is a cereal grain that’s native to the Andes Mountains. It’s super nutritious and packs roughly as much protein as milk.
“Best of all, it has a nutty, earthy taste,” Gage says. She dresses the quinoa with a sherry vinaigrette made from extra virgin olive oil. You can use the vinaigrette on any green salad. Because the quinoa salad contains scallions, you should omit the shallots in the vinaigrette.
Quinoa Salad with Pistachios and Cranberries
4 servings
1/3 cup (1-1/2 ounces by weight) pistachio nuts
1 cup (6-1/4 ounces by weight) quinoa
1-1/2 cups (12 ounces) water
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
2 stalks celery, sliced
3 scallions, green tops removed, sliced
1/4 cup (1-1/4 ounces by weight) dried cranberries, coarsely chopped
1 recipe Sherry Vinaigrette (see below)
1. To toast the pistachio nuts, preheat the oven to 350°F. Arrange the pistachio nuts in a single layer in a small pan and roast until you can just detect their aroma and they are lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Let them cool to room temperature, then chop them coarsely. (This can be done ahead.)
2. Toast the quinoa in a medium skillet over high heat, shaking the pan occasionally, until it lightly browns, starts to crackle, and smells a bit toasted, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a pot, add the water and the salt, cover, and bring to a simmer. Cook until the quinoa is soft but still has a little bite, about 15 minutes. The water should be gone.
3. Transfer the grain to a bowl and let it cool. Add the pistachio nuts, celery, scallions, and cranberries and toss everything together.
4. Dress with Sherry Vinaigrette.
5. If not serving immediately, refrigerate the salad, but bring it to room temperature before serving.
Sherry Vinaigrette
1/3 cup, enough to dress a salad for 4
2 teaspoons minced shallots (omit for Quinoa salad)
1 tablespoon (1/2 ounce) sherry vinegar
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt freshly ground black pepper
4 tablespoons (2 ounces) extra virgin olive oil, divided
2 teaspoons water
1. Put the shallots, vinegar, salt, and a few grindings of pepper into a small deep bowl, a coffee mug, or a 1-cup measure. Slowly pour 2 tablespoons of the extra-virgin olive oil into the bowl, beating constantly with the fork. Beat in the water, then the remaining 2 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil. Taste for seasoning.
Bon appétit,
Claude S. Weiller
Vice President of Sales & Marketing
California Olive Ranch
