Kiwi Quinoa Red Pan Bagnat

Pan bagnat (‘bathed bread’) filled with red wholegrain quinoa along with spring and summery vegetables is a play on the more traditional salade niçoise filling. You can use baguette, ciabatta, other crusty breads or bread rolls to make pan bagnat. Use a fruity extra virgin olive oil or extra virgin rapeseed oil to make the bread truly scrumptious. The original Kiwi Quinoa was awarded a Gold Medal in the 2019 Outstanding NZ Food Producer Awards, this dish created for Kiwi Quinoa by Kathy Paterson showcases their delicious new red wholegrain quinoa.

Makes 4

2 good quality baguettes, cut in half

extra virgin olive oil, for drizzling

½ cup red wholegrain quinoa, cooked as per packet instructions

½ cup chopped fresh parsley leaves

2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint leaves

4 thin spring onions, trimmed and finely sliced

150g green beans, cut into about 2.5cm slices, steamed and cooled

1 lemon, for squeezing

½ telegraph cucumber, very finely sliced

4 small red radishes, finely sliced into rounds or wedges

4 hardboiled eggs (8 minutes), shells removed

Take your halved baguettes and slice each one in half lengthwise and tunnel out some of the bread (this will give you a little extra room for the filling). Season both halves of each with a good drizzle of oil.

Combine the cooked quinoa, chopped herbs, spring onions and green beans together. Dress the salad with a sprinkle of oil and squeeze over the lemon juice to taste. Season.

Stuff the insides of each baguette with slices of cucumber, slices of radish then fill with plenty of quinoa salad. (If you have extra quinoa salad you can enjoy it for lunch). Find your egg slicer and slice the eggs then layer on top.

Gently press the bread and filling together and wrap each in baking paper or recyclable foil as tightly as possible (it can get a little messy), then wrap in beeswax food wraps.

Put in the fridge and top them with a plate with something heavy on top. Leave in the fridge for at least an hour or preferably overnight.

Before enjoying, drizzle the whole thing with extra oil – it’s very good!   Eat over the baking paper or use a small plate to collect any bits that drop out.

Or you could;  make a sesame mayonnaise to slather over the cut bread to replace the olive oil.

Measure 125ml prepared mayonnaise in a small jug and add 2 teaspoons rice wine vinegar and 1 teaspoon sesame oil. Mix well then stir through 2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds.