250g cooked brown rice (I use a store bought sachet) 400g broccoli flowers, ends trimmed 190ml cranberries 4 spring onions, sliced 125ml slivered almonds 100g goats cheese
Dressing: 45ml olive oil 60ml fresh orange juice finely grated rind of one orange 15ml apple cider vinegar 2,5ml ground ginger 15ml honey
Add the brown rice to a mixing bowl and set aside. Cook the broccoli until just tender, rinse under cold running water and drain well. Add it to the rice. Place the cranberries in a bowl and pour boiling water over. Stand for 5 minutes and drain well. Add the cranberries and sliced spring onions to the rice. Toast the almonds in a dry pan over medium heat and add to the rice. Crumble the goats cheese into the rice and mix all ingredients together.
Add the olive oil, orange juice, rind, vinegar, ginger and honey to a small bowl and whisk together until amalgamated. Pour the dressing over the salad and give it another good mix through before serving.
400g basmati rice 50g butter, melted 800ml boiling water 40g + 10g mint leaves, chopped 150g feta, crumbled
Salsa: 40g green olives, pitted and roughly chopped 90g pomegranate seeds 50g walnut halves, roasted and roughly chopped 45ml olive oil 15ml honey 1 clove of garlic, minced
Turn your oven to its highest setting. Add the rice to an oven dish that measures about 20cm x 30cm. Sprinkle 2ml salt over the rice and add a few grindings of black pepper. Drizzle the melted butter over the rice and pour the boiling water into the pan. Sprinkle the 40g mint leaves over. Cover the dish with aluminium foil and bake for 25 minutes.
Add all the salsa ingredients to a bowl and mix together. Put aside.
Remove the rice from the oven and sprinkle the feta over. Stir the remaining 10g mint leaves through the salsa and spoon the salsa evenly over the rice. Serve warm as a side dish or as a main.
Place a heavy-base saucepan on medium-high heat and add some oil to it. Add the onion and chorizo and stir-fry for 2-3 minutes. Add the garlic and sweet pepper and cook for another 2 minutes. Now add the rice, sprinkle over the paprika and stir to cover. Add a pinch of saffron to the chicken stock and pour the stock into the saucepan. Add the prawns, stir through and place a lid on. Cook for about 15 minutes or until most of the liquid has been absorbed and the rice is just tender. Add the peas and cook for another 6-7 minutes without covering. Season the paella with salt and lemon juice, taste and adjust the seasoning. Serve the paella with fresh lemon slices.
Add 250ml of rice to a microwave safe bowl. Add a pinch of salt and 625ml of boiling to the rice and cover with a tea towel. Microwave for 23 minutes. Do not open the microwave oven door – stand the rice for another 10 minutes. Flake the rice and serve.
15g butter 15ml olive oil 1 large/2 medium onions, finely chopped 2 cloves of garlic, minced 2 carrots, finely diced 50g curry paste (I used Rogan Josh paste – use a milder paste if you are not a fan of heat!!) 30ml tomato paste 500ml cooked rice 45ml soy sauce
Place a large pan over medium-high heat and add the butter and oil. Add the onion and fry until soft and translucent. Add the garlic and stir-fry for one minute. Now add the carrots and fry for another 2-3 minutes. Add the curry and tomato paste and stir to mix through. Add the cooked rice and stir until the rice is evenly coated. Pour in the soy sauce and cook for 2 minutes, until the soy has been absorbed. Serve warm.
Perde Pilavi is a traditional Turkish dish made of chicken and rice flavoured with nuts, fruit and spices and wrapped up in a delicious pastry, specked with flaked almonds.
Place the chicken in a large saucepan and pour in the stock. Cook on medium heat for an hour, until done. Remove the chicken from the stock and set aside to cool slightly. Reserve the stock. Place a large frying pan on medium-high heat, add the butter and wait for it to melt. Add the almonds and stir-fry until golden. Add the rice and cook for a minute or so, stirring all the while to coat in the butter. Now add the raisins, salt, a few grindings of black pepper, paprika and mint. Pour in 660ml of the reserved stock (add boiling water if you dont have enough), stir the mixture and cover with a lid. Turn the heat to a gentle simmer and cook until the liquid is absorbed and the rice is almost cooked. Remove from the heat and set aside. Shred the chicken into strips and discard the bones and skin. Add the chicken to the rice mixture and stir through.
For the pastry: Preheat your oven to 180℃. Add the eggs, yoghurt, butter and vegetable oil to a bowl and whisk together. Set aside. Add the salt, flour and baking powder to a bowl and whisk through. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet. Lightly knead the pastry to bring it together. Flour a work surface and roll the pastry to a 45cm diameter circle. It should be large enough to line the dish and have enough hanging over the sides to close around the filling. Spray a 18cm diameter x 8cm deep ceramic dish with cooking spray. Scatter the almonds on the bottom of the dish. Line the bottom and sides of the dish with the pastry, leaving the overhang. Spoon the cooled rice mixture into the pastry. Fold the overhang-pastry over the filling to enclose it completely – trim off any excess. Bake for 40 minutes, until golden. Take the dish from the oven and rest it for 15 minutes. Place a serving plate over the baking dish and invert it. Serve the pilavi with a crispy salad.
This oven risotto is one of the very best dinners you will make. It is low effort and easy cooking with delicious taste rewards. NB: do not substitute the pumpkin with butternut!!!
Preheat your oven to 190℃. Place an ovenproof saucepan on medium-high heat, add the oil and butter and add the bacon. Fry until cooked and starting to turn crispy. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon, leaving behind the fat. Add the onion to the saucepan and cook until soft and translucent. Add the garlic and stir-fry for 1 minute. Turn off the heat. Add the rice, stock, 60g butter, pumpkin and cooked bacon to the saucepan and stir together. Cover with a lid/aluminium foil and bake for 45 minutes, until the rice is soft. Remove from the oven and stir in the parmesan. Taste and season with salt and pepper.|Sprinkle over the parsley and serve.
1 litre vegetable stock 30ml olive oil 30ml butter 1 onion, finely diced 3 cloves of garlic, minced 2 x 400g cans of chopped tomato 45ml tomato puree 125ml white wine 250ml arborio rice 45ml grated parmesan cheese and more for serving 125ml basil leaves, finely chopped
Pour the stock in a small saucepan and heat it over a medium-low heat until just barely simmering. Place a wide, heavy-bottomed pan on medium heat and add the olive oil and butter. Add the onion and cook for about 8 minutes, until soft and translucent. Add the garlic and stir-fry for 1 minute. Add the two cans of tomato and the tomato puree and cook for 15 minutes, until the mixture looks concentrated. Add the white wine and cook for another 10 minutes or so to allow most of the moisture to evaporate. Pour in the rice and stir to coat in the tomato mixture. Add two ladles of stock to the saucepan while simmering. Adjust the heat accordingly and stir continuously. Once the mixture starts to look dry again, add another two ladles of stock. Keep going, repeating the process, until the rice is el dente. Turn off the heat and add the parmesan cheese and basil. Stir through. Serve the risotto immediately with extra parmesan to grate over.
about 1,8 litre chicken or vegetable stock 15ml + 30ml butter 10ml vegetable oil 1 onion, finely chopped 3 cloves of garlic, minced 3 x 250ml butternut, cubed 500ml arborio rice 125ml white wine 125ml parmesan cheese, grated 30 sage leaves, chopped
Pour the stock into a saucepan and bring it to a simmer. Reduce the heat to low. Put another saucepan on medium heat and add 15ml butter and the vegetable oil. Add the onion and cook for 2 – 3 minutes. Add the garlic and cubed butternut and cook until the butternut begins to colour around the edges – about 7 minutes. Add the 30ml butter and the rice and stir through to coat the rice for about 2 minutes. Add the white wine and cook until most of it is absorbed by the rice. Add about 250ml (a cup) of the hot stock to the rice and stir continuously until most of the stock is absorbed. Add the remaining stok 250ml at a time but allow the rice to absorb the liquid before adding more. Stir the risotto often and cook until the butternut is tender – about 25 minutes. Stir in the parmesan and sage and season with salt and pepper. Serve hot!
My Whisk and I 