Spaghetti from Priméal, the French organic house in the Ardèche, made from durum wheat semolina with a proportion of quinoa and seasoned in the dough itself with curry spices and turmeric.
What it actually is
Worth being precise, because the name misleads: this is a wheat pasta with quinoa in it, not a quinoa pasta. Roughly 88% organic durum wheat semolina, about 10% quinoa, and the rest curry and turmeric. It contains gluten and is not suitable for coeliacs — if you came here looking for gluten-free quinoa pasta, this is not it.
What the quinoa does contribute is a slightly nutty flavour and a firmer, more interesting bite than plain semolina spaghetti. The colour is a warm gold, and it comes entirely from the turmeric: Priméal colours and flavours these pastas with vegetables and spices only, never with additives.
How to cook and serve it
Cook it as you would any spaghetti — plenty of well-salted boiling water, around 5 minutes for al dente and 7 for softer, though check the pack.
Because the pasta is already seasoned, it does not want a competing sauce. It is at its best dressed very simply: olive oil and a squeeze of lemon; a spoonful of yoghurt or coconut milk; roasted cauliflower and chickpeas; prawns and coriander; sauteed spinach and toasted almonds. It also works cold in a salad with chickpeas, cucumber and herbs, where the curry note carries well.
What it does not want is a tomato sauce or a pesto — both fight the spice rather than working with it.
Allergens
Contains gluten (durum wheat). Made from organically grown ingredients.