KDHamptons Recipe: Chef Dante's Spinach, Quinoa & Pecorino Patties

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This week KDHamptons received a great new recipe from Chef Dante. He shares, “I ventured out into catering elegant dinner parties and special occasions only taking time off to work a seasonal job at a popular East Hampton restaurant, The 1770 House. I enjoy the creativity and flexibility of working for myself and the individual attention to customers satisfaction.” Chef Dante is available for private dinner parties and events, for more information on Chef Dante please go to: www.kitchensurfing.com/chefdante; Cell: 914-494-3392

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups cooked quinoa, at room temperature
4 large eggs, beaten
1/2 teaspoon fine-grain sea salt
1 cup chiffonade cut spinach
1/3 cup chopped chives
1 shallot, finely chopped
1/3 cup freshly pecorino cheese
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 cup whole grain bread crumbs, plus more if needed
Water, if needed
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil or clarified butter

Directions

Combine the quinoa, eggs, and salt in a medium bowl. Stir in the chives, spinach ,shallot, cheese, and garlic. Add the bread crumbs, stir, and let sit for a few minutes so the crumbs can absorb some of the moisture. At this point, you should have a mixture you can easily form into twelve 1-inch thick patties. A bit more beaten egg or water can be used to moisten the mixture if dry.

Heat the oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium-low heat, add 6 patties, if they’ll fit with some room between each, and cook for 7 to 10 minutes, until the bottoms are deeply browned. Turn up the heat if there is no browning after 10 minutes and continue to cook until the patties are browned. Carefully flip the patties with a spatula and cook the second sides for 7 minutes, or until golden. Remove from the skillet and cool on a wire rack while you cook the remaining patties.

To cook quinoa: Combine 2 cups of well-rinsed uncooked quinoa with 3 cups water and 1/2 teaspoon fine-grain sea salt in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, cover, decrease the heat, and simmer for 25 to 30 minutes, until the quinoa is tender and you can see the little quinoa curlicues.