Ingredients
| 450g spinach or 250g spinach leaves | |
| 250g soft bread, cut into small cubes | |
| 100ml milk, warm | |
| 2 eggs, whisked together | |
| 150g feta, crumbled | |
| 1 loose cup (about 10g) parsley leaves | |
| 1 loose cup (about 10g) coriander leaves | |
| 2 tablespoons oregano leaves | |
| 2 green chillies, chopped (discard seeds for less heat) | |
| 100ml olive oil plus 3 tablespoons extra | |
| 3 cloves garlic, chopped | |
| 1 onion, finely chopped | |
| 1 large carrot, finely chopped | |
| 1 stalk celery, finely chopped | |
| 200g quinoa, rinsed | |
| 1½ litres vegetable stock | |
| 2 x 400g cans cherry tomatoes in juice |
While travelling in the Galapagos Islands we had a version of quinoa soup nearly every day for lunch. The hearty combinations set us up well for an afternoon exploring. This is best cooked in a wide pan so you can cook all the dumplings at once. If you think you can’t fit them all in together, start cooking them in batches after the quinoa has been cooking for 15 minutes and stir the first batch back through at the end to reheat for a minute or two.
View the recipe collection here
Instructions
| 1. | If you have whole spinach, strip the leaves and discard the thick stems. |
| 2. | Bring a little water to the boil in a large saucepan, add the spinach and cover with a lid. |
| 3. | Cook for 30 seconds then stir around and cook a further 30 seconds or until all wilted. |
| 4. | Transfer to a sieve and drain well, pressing out excess water with the back of a spoon and squeezing out with your hands when cool enough. Chop finely and set aside. |
| 5. | Put the bread in a bowl, pour over the milk then add the eggs, mix well and leave to soak for 5 minutes. |
| 6. | Add 100g feta along with the spinach, season with salt and pepper and mix well, kneading together with your hands so the mixture is well blended. Set aside for 30 minutes. |
| 7. | Make herb and chilli oil by putting the parsley, coriander, oregano and chillies in a small food processor with 100ml olive oil and blending well. Set aside. |
| 8. | To make the soup, heat the remaining olive oil in a large wide saucepan over a medium heat and add the garlic, onion, carrot and celery and cook, stirring, for 10 minutes. |
| 9. | Add the quinoa, stock and tomatoes, rinsing out the cans with a little water and adding that as well. |
| 10. | Season with salt if you have a no- or low-salt stock. |
| 11. | Bring to a simmer, then simmer gently for 25 minutes. |
| 12. | Just before the end of cooking, shape the dumplings into portions roughly the size of golf balls. |
| 13. | Drop into the soup and simmer for 10 minutes, turning over half-way through cooking. |
| 14. | To serve, divide the soup and dumplings between bowls, scatter the remaining feta and drizzle with herb and chilli oil. |
Recipes & food styling Fiona Smith / Photography Aaron McLean / Styling Fiona Lascelles