Meat Free Monday

Founded by Rose Gray and Ruth Rogers almost 25 years ago, the River Café on the edge of the Thames River in Hammersmith is renowned for its simple food made with the freshest and most beautiful seasonal produce. Sadly, Rose died last year from cancer, but her legacy lives on in the restaurant and in her cookbooks. Leafing through my own copy of a River Cafe cookbook this weekend, I came across this recipe to share with you today.

Quinoa with lime, chilli and coriander

Serves 4

300g quinoa

2 onions, very finely sliced

6 tbsp olive oil

2 tsp ground cumin

675ml stock or water

1 bunch spring onions

3 cloves garlic

Salt and pepper

1 jar of roasted red peppers, or you can roast and skin about six red peppers

Zest and juice of 3 limes

Bunch coriander

3 tsp oregano

3 tbsp cider vinegar

Good squeeze of honey

Put the quinoa in a large saucepan on the heat and dry roast it for a minute on its own until you can start to smell nuttiness. Remove it to a bowl for a few minutes while you sweat the onion in the olive oil in the pan for about five minutes until it is very soft. Add the cumin and mix well, then add the quinoa back to the saucepan, add the stock and simmer with a lid on for about 10 minutes. Then remove the lid and let it dry off, if there is an excess of stock or water. Add the garlic and allow it to cool down.

When you are ready to serve, add the remaining ingredients, mix well and adjust the seasoning as necessary.