As promised in my Food x Fashion a Collaboration with The Wire Mannequin, I will be sharing the recipes created for the shoot throughout the next coming weeks. The first of the recipes is this impeccable Quinoa & Piccalilli Summer Salad – everyone loves a good superfood salad and I felt I just had to share this recipe because it literally turns heads.

Just some brief information about piccalilli, it is the first time I use it in a recipe here, it is an Anglicized version of traditional pickles from India and South Asia. The pickles are a milder version of the achars of Madras and Mumbai. Piccalilli’s distinctive yellow hue comes from the addition of turmeric. Mustard gives it a kick, with English mustard powder now a common addition instead of mustard seeds, and also contributing to its bright color. Traditional additions include onions and cauliflower. The final result is a mix of sweet & savoury.  It is common to use it as a dip for bell peppers and other vegetables so it made sense to use it as the dressing for this salad that is filled with colorful bell peppers.

Preparation time:  15 minutes

Cooking time:  30 minutes

Serves:  4 – 6

Ingredients

For thePiccalilli Sauce

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  • 1/4 small cauliflower head, cut into small florets
  • 25 g green beans, trimmed into 1 cm length pieces
  • 1/4 courgette, diced into 1 cm cubes
  • 1/4 onion, finely chopped
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp English mustard powder
  • 1/4 tsp ground ginger
  • 1/4 tsp turmeric
  • 150 ml cider vinegar
  • 1 tbsp sugar
  • 75 ml water
  • 1 tbsp cornflour
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For the Quinoa Salad

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  • 240 grams quinoa
  • 3 bell peppers, you can chose between green, yellow, orange or yellow, diced
  • 3 green onions, thinly sliced
  • 50 grams green olives, pitted
  • 150 grams marinated sweet corn, drained
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
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Directions

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  1. For the piccalilli sauce, place the vegetables in a large, heavy-bottomed or preserving pan. Pour in the vinegar and water and add the ground ginger and turmeric. Bring to the boil and then simmer for five minutes until the vegetables are tender but still firm. Pour through a sieve into a bowl, reserving the liquid. Put the vegetables to one side.
  2. Pour the liquid back into the pan, add the sugar. Bring to the boil then mix together the cornflour and mustard powder with a little water to form a paste and add to the liquid to thicken, repeating with more cornflour if necessary. Reduce the heat and simmer for around 5 minutes until you have a thick, dark yellow sauce. Add the vegetables to the pan and stir everything together well. Leave to cool completely at room temperature.
  3. In the mean time, in a saucepan over medium heat, bring quinoa to a boil with 480 ml of water. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 12 to 15 minutes.
  4. Remove from stove and set aside for 10 minutes. Fluff up with a fork. Let cool to room temperature.
  5. In a large bowl, combine the quinoa, bell peppers, onions, olives, and sweet corn.
  6. Mix in the piccalilli sauce and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.
  7. To serve, divide the quinoa salad on serving plates.
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Our twice-a-month installment of  Keys to My Kitchen,  a blog featuring delicious recipes, fun stories, and simple ideas from Lara Ariss.