Celeriac + Golden Quinoa Risotto

Make this Celeriac and Golden Quinoa Risotto for your next special weekend meal or dinner party. It’s a perfect showcase for our nutty Golden Quinoa and served with a salad can be a complete plant-based meal in itself.

We are delighted to bring you this recipe by our good friend Chef Jonathan Chovancek, who shared this with us at one of his recently launched series of cooking classes at Cook Culture. We highly recommend treating yourself to one of these evenings, as you’ll walk away with a full belly and a new roster of amazing recipes just like this one.

Celeriac + Golden Quinoa Risotto

400 grams Golden Quinoa

2 bay leaves

2 tbsp butter

1 small onion, diced

1/2 cup white wine

1 clove garlic, minced

1 lemon, zested

1 small celeriac (celery root), peeled and diced

4-6 cups of chicken or vegetable stock

2 cups shaved Pecorino cheese

For the mushrooms:

2 tbsp vegetable oil

2 tbsp butter

1 small onion, cut julienne

4 cups mixed mushrooms

2-6 tbsp sherry vinegar

1 small onion

Bring a pot of the stock (or water if you do not have stock) to a boil and keep hot on the back of the stove – a slow gentle simmer is best. While the stock heats, prepare all of your vegetables and set aside.

To make the risotto, heat 2 tbsp butter in a sauté pan and add the chopped onions. Cook until soft and fragrant. Add the quinoa, celery root, and minced garlic and stir until the quinoa is coated through with the butter. It should smell slightly toasty. Add the white wine and stir until absorbed. Add the stock to the pan one cup at a time, stirring to ensure the liquid is absorbed by the quinoa. Keep adding the hot stock one cup at a time until the quinoa is cooked, about 20 minutes – you do not need to use all of the liquid.

While the risotto is cooking, heat a separate fry pan and add 2 tbsp vegetable oil. Cook the julienned onions until they are caramelized, using sherry vinegar to taste as you go, about 10 minutes. Once the onions are nicely browned, add the chopped mushrooms and 2 tbsp butter. Cook until the mushrooms are golden brown, adding salt and pepper as you cook them. Once cooked, set the mushrooms aside and finish with a dash of sherry vinegar. Both the risotto and mushrooms should finish cooking around the same time.

Once the risotto is ready to serve (you should have a creamy cooked quinoa mixture), add the zest of lemon and 1 cup of shaved pecorino to the pan and and stir well to incorporate fully.

Serve the risotto in individual bowls topped generously with the browned mushrooms and remaining Pecorino cheese. Pass the salt and pepper at the table to season.

Thanks to EatGrain.ca for providing this delicious recipe!