Ingredients for the appetizer from episode 25 were:  Lobster, cream of mushroom soup, matzoh crackers and grape jelly.  The first thing I thought of were those rice casserole dishes one sees at Hong Kong style diners (cha chaan teng) and some dim sum places.  So why not do something similar with quinoa?  Quinoa, after all, cooks quicker than rice (and a good Chinese girl NEVER uses instant rice).

First, I would cook the quinoa.  That can be done earlier and set aside.  In fact, it can be made a day ahead.  It’s like fried rice – it’s better if it’s a day old.  Cook it in vegetable broth with some tumeric and cumin for some extra flavour.  The next step is to boil the lobster, which takes about 15 minutes.  While the lobster is boiling, the matzoh is crumbed using a food processor.  The sauce, which is a mixture of soup and a little bit of jelly can be created at the same time.

Once the lobster is done, chill it quickly in a bowl of ice water.  The meat can be taken out of the shells, seasoned with a bit of salt and pepper.  It should then be broken down into smaller pieces before mixing with the quinoa, along with some peas and diced carrots (fresh or thawed from frozen).  Before placing it in the oven, fill ramekins with the quinoa/lobster mixture, then top it with the sauce, followed by the matzoh.  Then place it in the oven at 350 for about 20-25 minutes.  This would be great for cocktail parties! 🙂

Image credits: Lobster pic by Kaianni/ShutterStock; Grape jelly pic by: Zigzag Mountain Art/ShutterStock