Can You Cook Rachael Ray Recipes in 30 Minutes? Recipe 6 - Beans and Rice

Here's our last recipe for this wee project - Smoky Red Rice and Chorizo with Black Beans.

Basically 4 steps to this - cook the rice. Puree some roasted peppers and such and stir into the rice. Cook the chorizo. Cook together the tomatos, beans, onions and garlic. Oh, step 5 - assemble.


I had some thinly sliced chorizo in the freezer, cut like pepperoni for pizza, so I cut it into fourths and used that.  I used probably a third of what the recipe calls for, but because it was cut thin, there was a lot of it.  I drained the tomatos for the beans as per the instructions, but I wished I hadn't.  I would have liked that sauce to be a little juicer.

How long did it take?


A respectable 26 minutes. 

Well, I am pretty happy with the results of this. Out of 6 recipes, only 2 took longer than 30 minutes, and all 6 were very good meals that I would make again.

Now if I could get some less fun projects cleared off my plate.....

Can You Cook Rachael Ray Recipes in 30 Minutes? Recipe 6 - Beans and Rice

Here's our last recipe for this wee project - Smoky Red Rice and Chorizo with Black Beans.

Basically 4 steps to this - cook the rice. Puree some roasted peppers and such and stir into the rice. Cook the chorizo. Cook together the tomatos, beans, onions and garlic. Oh, step 5 - assemble.


I had some thinly sliced chorizo in the freezer, cut like pepperoni for pizza, so I cut it into fourths and used that.  I used probably a third of what the recipe calls for, but because it was cut thin, there was a lot of it.  I drained the tomatos for the beans as per the instructions, but I wished I hadn't.  I would have liked that sauce to be a little juicer.

How long did it take?


A respectable 26 minutes. 

Well, I am pretty happy with the results of this. Out of 6 recipes, only 2 took longer than 30 minutes, and all 6 were very good meals that I would make again.

Now if I could get some less fun projects cleared off my plate.....

Arancini

Lest anyone think I've not been blogging due to lack of inspiration, I present Arancini to thwart those thoughts. I'm full of inspiration, creating like mad lately, but with very few opportunities to photograph and write. I also had a couple nights of 'no cooking' with meals provided by Omaha Steaks from Martin's Aunt Joan - we even had dessert with them - lovely little caramel apple tarts that were perfect with vanilla ice cream. This is the second package from Omaha Steaks from Martin's family; the other was from his cousin Chris. I feel positively spoiled.

This recipe for Arancini is my submission to this month's Royal Foodie Joust. Last month's winner, Núria of Spanish Recipes, offered up tomato, bacon and rice as the three ingredients for this month's Joust. My first thought was rice and beans, but let's face it, that's not exactly a winning entry in such a tough competition unless it's presented in a truly fabulous way - which I don't seem to be very adept at. My second thought was rice balls, but not onigiri, which are wonderful in their own right, but not what I was looking for. I had thought on something more Hispanic in flavor, but Arancini seemed to fill the bill for me.

Normally Arancini is made with leftover risotto, but as my arborio rice had gone missing since the move and I didn't have the energy to head to the store for that single ingredient, I made these with regular long-grain leftover rice. They were just as delicious as the risotto kind and the kids are asking me to make them again very soon.

Arancini
Makes 8

4 cups leftover cooked rice OR leftover risotto
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese (if you use rice or if the risotto didn't have any added already)
1 teaspoon Kosher salt
2 large eggs
1/2 cup cooked and crumbled bacon
8 - 1" cubes mozzarella cheese
2 Tablespoons water
1 cup Italian seasoned breadcrumbs
1 cup all-purposed flour
2 cups thick Marinara sauce

Combine rice, 1 egg, Parmesan, salt and crumbled bacon together until well blended.
Form into 8 evenly sized balls. Flatten each slightly and add a cube of cheese to the center of each ball, making sure to wrap the cheese completely within the rice.
Bread each rice ball by dipping in flour, egg wash (the other egg and water mixed well) and then breadcrumbs until well coated. Fry each in deep hot oil until golden brown. Drain well on paper toweling and serve with warm Marinara sauce.

**The consistency of these should be like dough - they should hold their shape easily. If they don't stay together well, try adding another egg to the mixture.

Spring vegetable, herb and goats cheese risotto

I've been editing a new bumper edition of my Beyond Baked Beans student cookbooks recently (of which more later) and once again wondered where to place risotto. Is it an everyday recipe or a special occasion one?

What makes most people treat it as special occasion eating is that it needs pretty much full-on attention. Not that that's problematic - all you need is a glass of wine and someone else to chat to while you're making it but it creates the impression it's difficult. It truly isn't - the two things you need to remember are to cook the rice sufficiently (2-3 minutes) before you add any liquid and make sure the liquid you add is hot.

People also think it's expensive and it's true that risotto rice does cost more than ordinary long grain but not much more than basmatti these days. And if you use ingredients in season, as I've done here, it's not an expensive supper.

This is a version of a recipe I created for Beyond Baked Beans Green (the veggie title in the series) which was originally dairy free. The other evening I made it for three of us with some fresh, young goats cheese but still no parmesan or butter. (The herbs do the job of the former.) It's lighter than a conventional risotto but perfect for showing off the new seasons' spring veg.

Spring vegetable, herb and goats cheese risotto
Serves 6 as a starter, 3 as a main course

A small bunch of asparagus
4 tbsp olive oil
1 medium-sized onion, peeled and finely chopped
250g risotto rice (e.g. arborio or carnaroli)
A small (125ml) glass of dry white wine
1 litre hot vegetable stock made with 1 rounded tbsp Marigold bouillon powder or an organic vegetable stock cube
1/2 a fennel bulb, trimmed and finely sliced (optional)
125g podded fresh or frozen broad beans
100g podded fresh or frozen peas*
150g fresh young goats cheese
3 heaped tbsp chopped fresh dill or fennel fronds, or chervil or parsley plus a little tarragon if you have some
Salt, pepper and lemon juice to taste

Break the tips off the asparagus spears about one third of the way down the stalk and set aside. Cut off any woody bits at the lower end of the stalk and chop the rest into small pieces. Heat 3 tbsp of the olive oil in a medium-sized saucepan or sauté pan and add the chopped onion. Stir and cook over a moderate heat for about 3 minutes then tip in the rice and stir. Let it cook for about 2 minutes without colouring, stirring occasionally so it doesn’t catch on the pan. Meanwhile heat the stock in another saucepan till it’s almost boiling and leave on a low heat. Pour the wine into the rice - it will sizzle and evaporate almost immediately. Add the chopped asparagus stalks and fennel, if using then start to add the stock bit by bit, about half a mugful at a time, stirring the risotto in between and cooking it until the liquid has almost been absorbed. Then add the next lot of stock and repeat until all the stock is used up and the rice is creamy but still has a little ‘bite’ to it (i.e. you don’t want it soft and mushy). This will take about 20 minutes. While you’re stirring away lightly cook the broad beans, peas and asparagus tips for about 3 minutes in the hot stock then scoop them out and set them aside on a plate or a saucer. Add the broad beans* and peas to the risotto a few minutes before adding the last of the liquid. Once the risotto is cooked stir in the goats' cheese and let it melt then stir in the herbs and season with salt, pepper and a good squeeze of lemon juice (about 2-3 tsp). Gently reheat the asparagus tips in the remaining oil. Serve the risotto in small bowls with one or two asparagus tips on top.

* If you want it to look especially beautiful you can take the skins off the broad beans after you've cooked them but at this time of year I wouldn't worry

Spring vegetable, herb and goats cheese risotto

I've been editing a new bumper edition of my Beyond Baked Beans student cookbooks recently (of which more later) and once again wondered where to place risotto. Is it an everyday recipe or a special occasion one?

What makes most people treat it as special occasion eating is that it needs pretty much full-on attention. Not that that's problematic - all you need is a glass of wine and someone else to chat to while you're making it but it creates the impression it's difficult. It truly isn't - the two things you need to remember are to cook the rice sufficiently (2-3 minutes) before you add any liquid and make sure the liquid you add is hot.

People also think it's expensive and it's true that risotto rice does cost more than ordinary long grain but not much more than basmatti these days. And if you use ingredients in season, as I've done here, it's not an expensive supper.

This is a version of a recipe I created for Beyond Baked Beans Green (the veggie title in the series) which was originally dairy free. The other evening I made it for three of us with some fresh, young goats cheese but still no parmesan or butter. (The herbs do the job of the former.) It's lighter than a conventional risotto but perfect for showing off the new seasons' spring veg.

Spring vegetable, herb and goats cheese risotto
Serves 6 as a starter, 3 as a main course

A small bunch of asparagus
4 tbsp olive oil
1 medium-sized onion, peeled and finely chopped
250g risotto rice (e.g. arborio or carnaroli)
A small (125ml) glass of dry white wine
1 litre hot vegetable stock made with 1 rounded tbsp Marigold bouillon powder or an organic vegetable stock cube
1/2 a fennel bulb, trimmed and finely sliced (optional)
125g podded fresh or frozen broad beans
100g podded fresh or frozen peas*
150g fresh young goats cheese
3 heaped tbsp chopped fresh dill or fennel fronds, or chervil or parsley plus a little tarragon if you have some
Salt, pepper and lemon juice to taste

Break the tips off the asparagus spears about one third of the way down the stalk and set aside. Cut off any woody bits at the lower end of the stalk and chop the rest into small pieces. Heat 3 tbsp of the olive oil in a medium-sized saucepan or sauté pan and add the chopped onion. Stir and cook over a moderate heat for about 3 minutes then tip in the rice and stir. Let it cook for about 2 minutes without colouring, stirring occasionally so it doesn’t catch on the pan. Meanwhile heat the stock in another saucepan till it’s almost boiling and leave on a low heat. Pour the wine into the rice - it will sizzle and evaporate almost immediately. Add the chopped asparagus stalks and fennel, if using then start to add the stock bit by bit, about half a mugful at a time, stirring the risotto in between and cooking it until the liquid has almost been absorbed. Then add the next lot of stock and repeat until all the stock is used up and the rice is creamy but still has a little ‘bite’ to it (i.e. you don’t want it soft and mushy). This will take about 20 minutes. While you’re stirring away lightly cook the broad beans, peas and asparagus tips for about 3 minutes in the hot stock then scoop them out and set them aside on a plate or a saucer. Add the broad beans* and peas to the risotto a few minutes before adding the last of the liquid. Once the risotto is cooked stir in the goats' cheese and let it melt then stir in the herbs and season with salt, pepper and a good squeeze of lemon juice (about 2-3 tsp). Gently reheat the asparagus tips in the remaining oil. Serve the risotto in small bowls with one or two asparagus tips on top.

* If you want it to look especially beautiful you can take the skins off the broad beans after you've cooked them but at this time of year I wouldn't worry

Ahdaf Soueif's koshari

It's been a while since I tried a new recipe - as opposed to inventing my own - but when I saw Ahdaf Soueif's recipe for koshari in the G2 recipe swap in the Guardian the other day I was immediately intrigued. I'd recently got some feedback from the visitors to my student website beyondbakedbeans.com that they wanted some more lentil recipes and thought it would fit the bill perfectly.

In fact I changed it quite a bit. I didn't have any vermicelli and thought it would be hard for students to find so I left it out. I used ordinary long grain rice instead of Egyptian rice (brown rice would be good I think too). I used canned tomatoes instead of fresh ones and slightly more of them than the recipe recommended and left out the tomato concentrate. I mixed the lime and garlic 'takhdi'ab' sauce with the tomato sauce as I thought it was more appealing that way. And I added fresh coriander both for the taste and the final appearance.

When I was writing it up for the website I also changed the running order of the instructions to make it easier to follow and ensure that everything ended up hot at the same time. If - or, rather when I make it again, as I loved it, I'll reduce the amount of lime a little to the amount I've suggested in my version of the recipe and maybe also add some toasted pinenuts. You could also serve it with a bowl of yoghurt (soy, if you wanted to keep it vegan) or some sautéed or steamed cauliflower or broccoli.

Harking back to the conversation we had a few weeks ago about whether to follow recipes or not this is very much how I would tackle a recipe these days. Not that I would claim in any way it's an improvement on the original but it's how I like it.

Do try it and put your own spin on it. It really ticks all the boxes. It's unusual, tasty, frugal (a great way of using up odds and ends of pasta packets), nutritious and a great communal dish to cook for vegetarian and vegan friends. What's not to like?

Ahdaf Soueif's koshari

It's been a while since I tried a new recipe - as opposed to inventing my own - but when I saw Ahdaf Soueif's recipe for koshari in the G2 recipe swap in the Guardian the other day I was immediately intrigued. I'd recently got some feedback from the visitors to my student website beyondbakedbeans.com that they wanted some more lentil recipes and thought it would fit the bill perfectly.

In fact I changed it quite a bit. I didn't have any vermicelli and thought it would be hard for students to find so I left it out. I used ordinary long grain rice instead of Egyptian rice (brown rice would be good I think too). I used canned tomatoes instead of fresh ones and slightly more of them than the recipe recommended and left out the tomato concentrate. I mixed the lime and garlic 'takhdi'ab' sauce with the tomato sauce as I thought it was more appealing that way. And I added fresh coriander both for the taste and the final appearance.

When I was writing it up for the website I also changed the running order of the instructions to make it easier to follow and ensure that everything ended up hot at the same time. If - or, rather when I make it again, as I loved it, I'll reduce the amount of lime a little to the amount I've suggested in my version of the recipe and maybe also add some toasted pinenuts. You could also serve it with a bowl of yoghurt (soy, if you wanted to keep it vegan) or some sautéed or steamed cauliflower or broccoli.

Harking back to the conversation we had a few weeks ago about whether to follow recipes or not this is very much how I would tackle a recipe these days. Not that I would claim in any way it's an improvement on the original but it's how I like it.

Do try it and put your own spin on it. It really ticks all the boxes. It's unusual, tasty, frugal (a great way of using up odds and ends of pasta packets), nutritious and a great communal dish to cook for vegetarian and vegan friends. What's not to like?

Chicken and 'cep' risotto

I decided to make a risotto last night to use up the chicken stock and a few leftover bits of chicken. As already reported the stock had (accidentally) been in the Aga simmering oven for 40 hours so the risotto needed to be an intensely flavoured one. I added a few mushrooms but, more importantly, a teaspoon of poudre de ceps, a magic ingredient I bought at a French service station a year or so ago. It wasn’t that expensive - about 5 or 6 euros but makes ordinary mushrooms taste like ceps. You can buy a similar product in the UK with the appalling name of Shake-O-Cini.

The recipe, which tastes considerably more appetising than the rather murky picture above might suggest, is below but one tip. When you’re making a risotto with cooked chicken don’t add it at the beginning or it’ll go squelchy (to use a technical cooking term). I find it better to fry it up separately with the mushrooms then add it a minute or two from the end of the risotto cooking time.

Serves 2

1 small onion or 1/2 a medium onion, peeled and finely chopped
1 clove of garlic (optional)
40g butter
150g arborio or other authentic Italian risotto rice
1/2 a glass (about 75ml) dry white wine
500ml chicken stock
150g cooked chicken, skinned and cut into chunks
125g button mushrooms, wiped and sliced
1 tsp poudre de ceps or Shake-O-Cini porcini powder
3 tbsp freshly grated parmesan plus a few shavings for serving
Salt and pepper

Melt the butter over a medium heat in a large saucepan, add the chopped onion and cook gently until soft (about 5 minutes) Add the garlic if using, stir well turn the heat up a little and cook for a couple of minutes. Tip in the rice, stir and cook for 2-3 minutes until the grains have turned opaque and are beginning to catch on the bottom of the pan. Add the wine, stir and let it bubble up and evaporate. Meanwhile heat the stock until boiling and keep at a simmer. Start adding cups or ladlefuls of stock every time the liquid in the risotto gets absorbed and stir occasionally until it starts to look creamy and the rice tastes neither hard and chalky nor soggy. (This should take about 20 minutes. You might not need all the stock)

While you're doing this heat the oil and remaining butter in a frying pan and fry the chicken for a couple of minutes then add the sliced mushrooms and cook over a low heat until they begin to colour. Tip the chicken and mushrooms into the risotto with the last addition of stock and heat through. Turn the heat off then add cep or porcini powder, parmesan and salt and pepper to taste. Cover the pan and let the flavours amalgamate for 2-3 minutes then spoon the risotto into warm bowls. Decorate with a few fine shavings of parmesan.

By the way, the poudre de ceps is also useful for boosting the flavour of a steak sauce, beef stew or gravy

Chicken and 'cep' risotto

I decided to make a risotto last night to use up the chicken stock and a few leftover bits of chicken. As already reported the stock had (accidentally) been in the Aga simmering oven for 40 hours so the risotto needed to be an intensely flavoured one. I added a few mushrooms but, more importantly, a teaspoon of poudre de ceps, a magic ingredient I bought at a French service station a year or so ago. It wasn’t that expensive - about 5 or 6 euros but makes ordinary mushrooms taste like ceps. You can buy a similar product in the UK with the appalling name of Shake-O-Cini.

The recipe, which tastes considerably more appetising than the rather murky picture above might suggest, is below but one tip. When you’re making a risotto with cooked chicken don’t add it at the beginning or it’ll go squelchy (to use a technical cooking term). I find it better to fry it up separately with the mushrooms then add it a minute or two from the end of the risotto cooking time.

Serves 2

1 small onion or 1/2 a medium onion, peeled and finely chopped
1 clove of garlic (optional)
40g butter
150g arborio or other authentic Italian risotto rice
1/2 a glass (about 75ml) dry white wine
500ml chicken stock
150g cooked chicken, skinned and cut into chunks
125g button mushrooms, wiped and sliced
1 tsp poudre de ceps or Shake-O-Cini porcini powder
3 tbsp freshly grated parmesan plus a few shavings for serving
Salt and pepper

Melt the butter over a medium heat in a large saucepan, add the chopped onion and cook gently until soft (about 5 minutes) Add the garlic if using, stir well turn the heat up a little and cook for a couple of minutes. Tip in the rice, stir and cook for 2-3 minutes until the grains have turned opaque and are beginning to catch on the bottom of the pan. Add the wine, stir and let it bubble up and evaporate. Meanwhile heat the stock until boiling and keep at a simmer. Start adding cups or ladlefuls of stock every time the liquid in the risotto gets absorbed and stir occasionally until it starts to look creamy and the rice tastes neither hard and chalky nor soggy. (This should take about 20 minutes. You might not need all the stock)

While you're doing this heat the oil and remaining butter in a frying pan and fry the chicken for a couple of minutes then add the sliced mushrooms and cook over a low heat until they begin to colour. Tip the chicken and mushrooms into the risotto with the last addition of stock and heat through. Turn the heat off then add cep or porcini powder, parmesan and salt and pepper to taste. Cover the pan and let the flavours amalgamate for 2-3 minutes then spoon the risotto into warm bowls. Decorate with a few fine shavings of parmesan.

By the way, the poudre de ceps is also useful for boosting the flavour of a steak sauce, beef stew or gravy

Veggie Wednesday: Sofrito Rice and Beans

Sofrito is an ingredient that plays a very large role in any type of Hispanic cooking. However, there are two distinct ways of making it; one involves tomatoes and one does not. I've used both and it really depends on my mood as to which will find its way into a dish, but for this dish it was the green sofrito made without tomatoes.

This sofrito is another of those things I made by throwing together the ingredients until it 'looked good'. There is a good recipe for it HERE. I simply tossed green peppers, cilantro, garlic and onion into the blender and chopped it fine. I store mine in the freezer in small batches until needed.

This isn't a typical Hispanic recipe - just something I made for lunch when this was all that I had on-hand.

Sofrito Rice and Beans

2 tablespoons oil
1 cup green sofrito
2 cups uncooked rice - rinsed
3 cups cooked pinto beans
4 cups water plus more as needed

Heat oil in a heavy bottomed pot and add sofrito. Cook and stir until fragrant. Add rice and toss until well coated with oil and sofrito. Add beans and stir until well mixed. Add 4 cups of water and reduce heat to very low. Cover tightly and check every 5 minutes - stirring to keep rice from sticking. This is completely contrary to the usual method of cooking Puerto Rican rice and beans - that one you want to have stick to the pot!

Add water if necessary and cook with the lid on until the rice is tender. Salt if necessary and serve.

Veggie Wednesday: Mandarin Orange and Cucumber Rice Salad with Orange Blossom Vinaigrette

This is a dual-purpose recipe; it works perfectly for Veggie Wednesday and is my submission to the Royal Foodie Joust for this month. The ingredients this month were Satsuma (or any other orange citrus) - zest, fruit or juice, shallots and Edible Flowers. I couldn't find anything fresh (don't ever eat edible varieties if they are bought at the florist - check HERE for more tips) and there weren't any dried varieties I wanted to use, so I broke out one of my flower waters - orange blossom this time - and invented this rice salad.

It's very bright and fresh tasting - just like Spring!

Mandarin Orange and Cucumber Rice Salad with Orange Blossom Vinaigrette
Serves 6

Vinaigrette:

1 Tablespoon olive oil
2 Tablespoons orange blossom water
1 Tablespoon pomegranate vinegar (or other fruited vinegar)
1/2 cup liquid from canned mandarin oranges
1 shallot - minced
1/2 teaspoon salt


Salad:

2 cups water
1 cup rice
1 shallot - diced finely
1 Tablespoon vegetable oil
1 small cucumber, peeled, seeded and diced - about 1 cup
1 small can (11 ounces) mandarin orange segments

Combine vinaigrette ingredients, stir well and let stand in the refrigerator for one hour to blend flavors.

Heat a small saucepan over medium-high heat and add oil. Stir in shallot and rice. Stir well so that rice is well coated with oil. Add water, bring to a boil and reduce heat to low. Cover tightly and simmer for 15-20 minutes or until rice is tender. Remove from heat and cool completely. It's important to have the rice cool before adding the vinaigrette so that the rice will not absorb it all.

Toss orange segments and cucumber with vinaigrette and let stand - refrigerated - until rice is cool. When rice is fully cooled, combine with vinaigrette mixture and serve immediately.

Leftover lamb

We had the tail end of a shoulder of lamb from the weekend to use up tonight. Could have curried it but there wasn't much meat so decided to make a pilaf. Very simple - fry a chopped onion, add spices, stir in rice, add twice the volume of stock and leave to simmer until the liquid is absorbed (about 15 minutes). Fry up lamb with more spices, add peas, herbs, whatever - something green. Fork through rice and tip on serving dish, top with lamb, a squeeze of lemon, more herbs and serve with plain yoghurt, chutney or sweet chilli sauce

The reason why these kind of leftover dishes are often so unappealing is that people tend to do one of two things. Either put the meat in with the rice while it's cooking in the mistaken belief that that's what's needed to cook it through thoroughly (It simply makes it unappetisingly squelchy) or fail to put in anything brightly coloured which creates a drab brown slop. I can't pretend my pilau was the most stylish dish ever - it was hurled together at huge speed - but it was pretty tasty. (The picture is of a platter for 2 btw in case you think we've got outsize appetites!)

Leftover lamb

We had the tail end of a shoulder of lamb from the weekend to use up tonight. Could have curried it but there wasn't much meat so decided to make a pilaf. Very simple - fry a chopped onion, add spices, stir in rice, add twice the volume of stock and leave to simmer until the liquid is absorbed (about 15 minutes). Fry up lamb with more spices, add peas, herbs, whatever - something green. Fork through rice and tip on serving dish, top with lamb, a squeeze of lemon, more herbs and serve with plain yoghurt, chutney or sweet chilli sauce

The reason why these kind of leftover dishes are often so unappealing is that people tend to do one of two things. Either put the meat in with the rice while it's cooking in the mistaken belief that that's what's needed to cook it through thoroughly (It simply makes it unappetisingly squelchy) or fail to put in anything brightly coloured which creates a drab brown slop. I can't pretend my pilau was the most stylish dish ever - it was hurled together at huge speed - but it was pretty tasty. (The picture is of a platter for 2 btw in case you think we've got outsize appetites!)

Tomato, basil and rice salad

The key to this simple salad, which I got from a French friend several years ago, is frying the onion well as it providea a really flavourful base to the rice. Frugal and delicious.

Serves 4

3 tbsp olive oil + extra if needed
1 medium to large onion, peeled and roughly chopped
200ml basmati rice (measured in a jug)
400ml water
4-5 medium-sized, ripe tomatoes
2-3 heaped tbsp basil, tarragon or parsley leaves
Red or white wine vinegar to taste
Salt and pepper

Heat the oil in a saucepan, add the chopped onion and fry over a medium heat for about 5-6 minutes until the edges of the onion are beginning to turn dark brown. Tip in the rice, stir then add the water and stir again. Bring to the boil, put a lid on the pan, turn the heat down and cook until the water has been absorbed (12-15 minutes). Turn off the heat and leave another 5 minutes. Meanwhile skin the tomatoes by nicking the skin near the stem with a sharp knife, putting them in a bowl and pouring boiling water over them. Leave a minute, then drain and cover with cold water. The skins should come away easily. Roughly chop the tomatoes. Spread the rice out in a shallow dish and leave to cool for five minutes then add the chopped tomatoes. Season to taste with salt, pepper and a few drops of wine vinegar and mix well. Just before serving add a couple of heaped tablespoons of torn basil or tarragon leaves and toss the salad again, adding a little extra olive oil if you think it needs it. Best served at room temperature. (Particularly good with grilled chicken).

Tomato, basil and rice salad

The key to this simple salad, which I got from a French friend several years ago, is frying the onion well as it providea a really flavourful base to the rice. Frugal and delicious.

Serves 4

3 tbsp olive oil + extra if needed
1 medium to large onion, peeled and roughly chopped
200ml basmati rice (measured in a jug)
400ml water
4-5 medium-sized, ripe tomatoes
2-3 heaped tbsp basil, tarragon or parsley leaves
Red or white wine vinegar to taste
Salt and pepper

Heat the oil in a saucepan, add the chopped onion and fry over a medium heat for about 5-6 minutes until the edges of the onion are beginning to turn dark brown. Tip in the rice, stir then add the water and stir again. Bring to the boil, put a lid on the pan, turn the heat down and cook until the water has been absorbed (12-15 minutes). Turn off the heat and leave another 5 minutes. Meanwhile skin the tomatoes by nicking the skin near the stem with a sharp knife, putting them in a bowl and pouring boiling water over them. Leave a minute, then drain and cover with cold water. The skins should come away easily. Roughly chop the tomatoes. Spread the rice out in a shallow dish and leave to cool for five minutes then add the chopped tomatoes. Season to taste with salt, pepper and a few drops of wine vinegar and mix well. Just before serving add a couple of heaped tablespoons of torn basil or tarragon leaves and toss the salad again, adding a little extra olive oil if you think it needs it. Best served at room temperature. (Particularly good with grilled chicken).

Chocolate rice pudding

More puddings. Not having a terribly sweet tooth I do struggle with them but I found this recipe in the Guardian last Saturday and thought that it looked a great way to make rice pudding.

According to its creator, Dan Lepard, you bring the milk and rice to the boil then take it off the heat, put a lid on the pan and let it rest for an hour then it should only take 15 minutes to cook. But mine took a full hour, like it normally does.

I also varied the recipe by replacing the cocoa with 25g of milk chocolate I had left over from making an icing the other day (yes, I'm that disinterested in chocolate!). When I first started to stir it in it looked fabulous - with great chocolatey streaks running through it - then it went the rather unattractive pinky brown colour as shown above.

It was also a bit sweet even though I'd reduced the sugar from 75g to 40g so I stirred in a tablespoon of cocoa powder and sifted a little more over the top with a tea strainer which made it look quite pretty. I think if you put some of those luscious Polish cherries at the bottom of the dish it would be even nicer.

Actually I think the best rice pudding of all is just rice, milk and sugar with a few lightly crushed cardamom pods added to the milk. It turns out like one of those exotic rice puddings you sometimes find in Indian restaurants. Now there's a thought - maybe add cardamom to the chocolate rice. That does sound good . . .

Chocolate rice pudding

More puddings. Not having a terribly sweet tooth I do struggle with them but I found this recipe in the Guardian last Saturday and thought that it looked a great way to make rice pudding.

According to its creator, Dan Lepard, you bring the milk and rice to the boil then take it off the heat, put a lid on the pan and let it rest for an hour then it should only take 15 minutes to cook. But mine took a full hour, like it normally does.

I also varied the recipe by replacing the cocoa with 25g of milk chocolate I had left over from making an icing the other day (yes, I'm that disinterested in chocolate!). When I first started to stir it in it looked fabulous - with great chocolatey streaks running through it - then it went the rather unattractive pinky brown colour as shown above.

It was also a bit sweet even though I'd reduced the sugar from 75g to 40g so I stirred in a tablespoon of cocoa powder and sifted a little more over the top with a tea strainer which made it look quite pretty. I think if you put some of those luscious Polish cherries at the bottom of the dish it would be even nicer.

Actually I think the best rice pudding of all is just rice, milk and sugar with a few lightly crushed cardamom pods added to the milk. It turns out like one of those exotic rice puddings you sometimes find in Indian restaurants. Now there's a thought - maybe add cardamom to the chocolate rice. That does sound good . . .