As anyone with a gluten or wheat intolerance can attest, not all professional efforts aimed in that direction are worth revisiting. Yet the hours of R&D spent at Willow restaurant have paid off in mouthwatering ways.
“We try to come up with something different every week,” say chef Tracy O’Grady and co-owner and pastry chef Kate Jansen, who, along with partner Julie Mounts, produce remarkable GF savouries, breads and sweets for the Arlington, Virginia, restaurant and under the umbrella of Wheatless by Willow.
O’Grady’s quinoa cakes could be a poster child for their project: filling without being dense, studded with bits of sautéed vegetables, kept moist inside with goat cheese.
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Crispy Quinoa Cakes
4 servings (makes 8 pieces)
Ingredients
1 tbs extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup finely diced celery
1/4 cup finely diced carrot
1/4 cup finely diced onion
Canola oil, for frying
1 cup potato flour, for coating
1 1/2 cups cooked quinoa (see NOTE)
3/4 cup chopped scallions (green parts)
1/2 cup soft goat cheese
2 large eggs
1/3 cup instant potato flakes, or more as needed
1 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp freshly cracked black pepper
Sea salt, for sprinkling (optional)
Steps
1 Heat extra-virgin olive oil in a large skillet until the oil shimmers. Add finely diced celery, carrot and onion, stirring to coat; cook until tender, then transfer to a large mixing bowl to cool completely.
2 Add the cooked quinoa, chopped scallions (green parts), goat cheese and eggs. Mix by hand until well incorporated, then add instant potato flakes, until the mixture is firm enough to hold together. Season with kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper. Form the mixture into 8 balls of equal size, which will look like uncooked matzoh balls.
3 Pour enough canola oil in a nonstick skillet so it measures 1 inch deep; heat the oil to 350 degrees. Line a platter with paper towels. Pour about 1 cup potato flour in a small, deep bowl. Coat each ball evenly with the potato flour, shaking off any excess.
4 Cook two or three quinoa cakes at a time (which will flatten ever so slightly) in the hot oil until golden brown all over, turning as needed, for about 5 minutes. Use a slotted spatula to transfer them to the paper-towel-lined plate.
5 Serve warm, sprinkled with a little sea salt, if desired.
Note: 1/2 cup of dried quinoa yields about 1 1/2 cups cooked.
Tip: When made with fresh eggs, the uncooked cakes can be refrigerated for 1 to 2 days.
— Washington Post
