Vegetarian mains
Fennel, tomatoes and olives with quinoa and orange
Quinoa has been much heralded in the last few years. It cooks with little fuss and is high in nutrients, vitamins, fibre and proteins. There is a very mild bitter edge to its taste, but generally it makes a great bass note to a whole ensemble of ingredients. This dish can be thrown together warm, straight from the oven if you are in a hurry. The watercress will slightly wilt, which is fine. If you have the time you can leave the quinoa and roasted veg to cool for 10 minutes; the dish will come together more like a dressed salad.
Ingredients
- 2 fennel bulbs, thinly sliced
- olive oil
- 250g cherry tomatoes, halved
- 150g quinoa
- 500ml of hot vegetable stock
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- 1 tsp honey
- ½ tsp ground fennel
- 1 tbsp cider vinegar
- 1 orange, zested and juiced
- 60g black olives, halved
- 50g watercress
- salt and pepper
Method
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Step 1
Put a kettle on to boil. Preheat your oven to 200°C/Gas 6.
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Step 2
Throw the sliced fennel into a roasting tray with 2 tablespoons oil. Season with salt and pepper. Place the tomatoes in the roasting tray on top of the fennel. Drizzle with a little more oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast them in the oven for 20 minutes.
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Step 3
Rinse the quinoa in a sieve under cold water. Add it to a saucepan with the hot stock and bring to a simmer. Cook gently for approx. 15 minutes, until tender.
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Step 4
Make the dressing in a bowl by whisking the mustard, honey and ground fennel with the vinegar and 1 tablespoon orange juice. Slowly whisk in 3 tablespoons olive oil to make a thick, emulsified dressing.
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Step 5
When the quinoa is cooked, drain away any excess liquid and fluff the grains up with a fork.
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Step 6
Remove the fennel and tomatoes from the oven (see cook's note on serving warm or cold). Gently mix in the quinoa, olives and watercress.
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Step 7
Pile the mix onto serving plates and spoon over the dressing. Finish with a sprinkle of orange zest.