Page 275 - YC Cooking School

To add extra flavour to your quinoa, cook it in stock instead of water. You can use chicken,
fish, beef, mushroom or vegetable stock – any kind you like, really. Just make sure that it

pairs well with the other flavours of the dish you are cooking.

Don’t overcook it
No one likes mushy rice and the same thing applies to quinoa. To cook it perfectly, add the
quinoa to the liquid stock or water and bring it to the boil. Then reduce the heat and let it

simmer for about 15 minutes or until all the water has been absorbed.

Use a non-stick pan to fry the pancetta
This is a terrific tool because it allows you to cook without using any extra fat. Be sure to use
a wooden spoon so the non-stick coating doesn’t come off.

Render the fat
‘Render’ is a fancy word for extracting fat from a piece of meat. You can render the fat by
frying the pancetta over a gentle heat until the fat melts and separates from the meat,
becoming runny and sauce-like. You can then use this fat to create delicious hot vinaigrette

– the perfect accompaniment for this dish. Cook the pancetta pieces until they are golden
and crispy, and when you remove them to cool, leave the fat in the pan.

Gently fill the lettuce boats
Lettuce boats are the ideal bread substitute because they allow you to hold your food, much

like a sandwich. Cos or romaine lettuce is perfect for the job - it’s sturdy and doesn't wilt
easily when in contact with hot ingredients. Don’t overfill your lettuce boats and topple
them over – you want to get the perfect ratio of filling to crispy lettuce.

Top with cheese

Choose whichever cheese you like. Kamini chose Bocconcini because it has a really milky
flavour, which showcases the pancetta and the sweetness of the peas. You could use Chevin
goats’ milk cheese, ricotta or burrata – whatever you fancy. Kamini recommends going for a
fresh cheese – the texture and light flavour will work a charm with this dish.

Learn to cook online at learn.yuppiechef.com

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