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Saturday 8 November 2014

Trying to Pronounce 'Quinoa'

Bear has been falling on the floor in giggles as I try and work out the correct way to call the dratted stuff.  The Ainsley Harriott Lime and Chilli Quinoa and Basmati rice was on an incredible deal at Approved Food, and when we tried it the other day I worked out why.  It tastes like it is good for you, that is, not very warming.  Bear utterly rejected it.

I don't mind it so much when there is sufficient ketchup on it, so I will be having it for lunch until the last of the stuff runs out.  If I can get sufficient ketchup I may even order more at the very reasonable price on Approved Food.  It is apparently good for me.

Actually it is good for me in a non-nutritional sense.  You have to measure out water, put it on the stove, keep a half hearted eye on it for 16-18 minutes, leave it covered to stand and then serve.  These days my cooking style is 'bung'.  I 'bung' it in the oven/microwave/slowcooker and walk away until something goes ping.  Even the Spanish Tortilla (still a bit hit and miss but a huge favourite with bear and DH) while it may have a fiddly peeling stage still gets the 'bung' as I drop the sliced onions and potatoes in the remoska and walk away for fifteen to twenty minutes.  It is a miracle that anything gets peeled.

When my grandmother first started keeping house in 1937 this would have seemed like miracle food.  I read the old, economy cookbooks and there are a lot of long, slow, laborious recipes.  I love that I no longer have to make jelly by boiling up a calf's foot.  Actually I love that I can buy ready made jelly at a very reasonable price, and I have been known to do so.

So while I may be pathetically grateful for the convenience now, it will do me a lot of good to just stir something for a bit rather than just wait for something to go 'ping'.  Besides, I have worked out that I can just use the packet with the quinoa and basmati rice and leave out the flavouring, and a very small dash of gluten free soy sauce and some ketchup and I will have a very palatable lunch.  

2 comments:

  1. Think it is "keen-wa" but admit I spent years calling it kwin-oah.........who would know?!

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  2. Where I work 2 colleagues were discussing this & one used keen-wa & the other kwin-oah, but I'm sure my son in law who is a chef say's keen-wa.
    It's not something I would serve to my beloved as her would see it as a form of poison!

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