Spicendipity: Recipes for Irish Artisan Spice Mixes, Sauces and Baking Mixes

Quinoa, pronounced keen-wah is a grain from South America that is becoming quite popular in the West.  It’s an incredibly healthy grain as it’s full of amino acids, magnesium and iron.  To be honest I have neglected it until now considering it a trendy health food.  I only decided to cook some the other day when my pantry search for couscous came up empty.  I had no idea what to do with it.

I boiled it per the instructions on the package and was quite amused to find myself comparing the scent to asparagus.  It was actually quite evocative and my negative feelings toward the strange grain seemed to dissipate with the steam coming from the pot.  When it was done I tried it plain and suprised myself by really liking it.  It had a unique pop to it - crunchy, yet soft - meaty, yet light.

I had initially envisioned a sort of Moroccan themed dish flavoured with some ras-el-hanout, but once I had tasted the ubiquitous substance I changed my mind.  I envisioned it with some fresh crunchy vegetables and knew just what I’d do.  A salad themed on chilli con carne.  Despite the resounding pitter-patter of rain we’ve endured all week, it’s not quite chilli and beans weather, so this seemed a good option.

Technically this is a vegan dish but as a hat tip to it’s carnivorous predecessor I had to add a dollop of crème fraiche!

• 1 cup quinoa, cooked per package directions
• 1 can kidney beans, drained
• 1/2 cup cooked sweetcorn
• 4 scallions, diced
• 2 tomatoes, diced
• juice of a lemon
• 1-3 tsp chilli seasoning, to your taste
• drizzle olive oil
• 1 tsp sugar or honey
• salt and pepper to season
• handful fresh parsley, chopped
• crème fraiche (optional)

Mix all ingredients in a large bowl, with the exeption of the creme fraiche.

Allow to rest in refrigerator for an hour or two to let flavours mingle.

Serve as is or with salsa and creme fraiche.

Devilled Eggs are one of the most versatile and easy hors d’oeuvres you can make.  Just hard boiled eggs, mayonnaise (or crème fraiche for a lighter version) and the seasoning of your choice and you’re away!  I love making these with the Italian seasoning for a lunch-time occasion, whereas the Chilli or Tex-Mex seasoning would work well for a dinner buffet or barbecue.  You can make these as casual or elegant as you like.  Top them with caviar for a fancy cocktail party or just sprinkle some more seasoning on top for a picnic lunch.

Ingredients:
(makes 12)

• 1/2 dozen free range eggs
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise* or creme fraiche
• 1 tsp honey (omit for Italian seasoning)
• 1 heaped teaspoon Italian, Tex-Mex or Chilli Seasoning
• salt and pepper to season
• Garnish of your choice

Boil the eggs until cooked through.

Shell the eggs and slice them in half. Remove the yolk from each half and place in a bowl. Make sure the remaining whites are clean of yolk. Set aside.

Mash the yolks and add the rest of the ingredients. Mix thoroughly until creamy. Season generously, as you are seasoning the whites by using the mixture as well.

Either use a piping bag and pipe the yellow mixture back into the whites, or gently spoon it in.

Garnish as you like.

This is one of my favourite recipes ever. You can make these large for a hearty lunch or miniature for an impressive hors d’oeuvre or appetiser.

Ingredients:

• 1 lb lump crab meat
• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• 1 medium red onion, diced
• 1 red pepper, diced
• 3 celery stalks, diced
• 2 cups dry breadcrumbs
• 1 egg
• 3 tbsp fresh flat leaf parsley, chopped
• 1 tbsp Chilli Seasoning
• 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
• grating of lemon zest
• salt and pepper to taste
• Vegetable oil, for frying

Mix all ingredients, save 1 cup of breadcrumbs. Form into cakes, you can make small ones for hors d’oeuvres or larger ones for appetizers. Once formed, coat in remaining cup of breadcrumbs.

Heat oil in medium saucepan and fry crab cakes for 2-3 minutes a side, until golden brown. Serve as is or with a baby green salad and some remoulade or honey mustard dressing and a wedge of lemon.