Homegrown quinoa

While travelling in South America, Kiwis Dan and Jacqui Cottrell noticed that the land where quinoa was being grown was similar to their own property, east of Taihape, so they decided to research and trial the crop. They had their first commercial harvest on their Moawhango Valley farm in 2016, after several years of aiming for sustainable production. They became the country’s first growers, and their brand, Kiwi Quinoa, a white quinoa, is now available online as well as from specialist grocery and health-food stores. Place the quinoa in a fine-mesh sieve and rinse thoroughly under cold water while gently rubbing the seeds together to help remove the saponins. Put the 1½ cups of water and the quinoa in a heavy saucepan, then bring to a boil. Reduce the heat, cover with a lid, then simmer for 15-20 minutes or until the little “tails” appear.

Remove the lid, take the pan off the heat, then let it sit until all the liquid is absorbed. Lightly fluff up the quinoa with a fork, then leave aside.

Meanwhile, wash the spinach well to remove any dirt from the underside of the leaves. Remove the stalks, then finely slice the leaves. Put aside with the olives. Roughly chop the parsley.

Bring a saucepan of water to the boil, then add the eggs. Simmer for 6-7 minutes.

To assemble, stir the spinach, olives, parsley and tomatoes though the quinoa, then season well with salt, pepper and the lemon juice.

Divide the quinoa between 2 bowls. Peel the eggs, then cut in half and place on the top with an extra sprig of parsley.

Serves 2.

Wine match: a fragrant riesling.