Chorizo and Rice Risotto, with Carrot and Green Pepper

A simple risotto, made to use up some unused rice from the fridge. Essentially chorizo sausage with green peppers, carrot, and onion, with the vegetables cooked in the oil which comes from the chorizo under heat. Add garlic and chilli if that is your preference. 

 

King Prawns in a Lime and Tomato salsa

The rice for this dish was prepared first. A small handful of Thai black rice was boiled for twenty minutes, then drained and set aside. Basmati rice was cooked in a little turmeric at a low heat for about half an hour (the black rice was added after ten minutes), until most of the water had been soaked up, and the rice grains became stuck together (easier to eat rice with chopsticks that way).. 

The lime and tomato salsa was made with arrowroot, water, tomato puree, a pinch of turmeric, and a teaspoonful of lime pickle (a squeeze of lime juice would do just as well). I also added a red finger chilli for heat, and a pinch of basil. Simmered for ten to fifteen minutes until the salsa thickens.

The rest is easy. 140g of Nicaraguan King prawns were steamed for about seven minutes. I cut a quarter of a red pepper into strips, and diced a purple onion. The dish was assembled with a  lettuce salad. The prawns were added, and dressed in the salsa before serving. Delicious!

 

Roast Pepper with Rice, and Coppa Ham

A leftovers dish. The two-tone rice came from a meal yesterday, and was used as the stuffing for a roasted red pepper.  The pepper was deseeded, with the white pith removed, and then stuffed with the rice. Then drizzled in some soy sauce. Cooked for 35 minutes at 180 deg C on the middle shelf of the oven (watch progress). Served with some Italian Coppa ham, and some American mustard. No added herbs. 

 

Smoked Haddock Risotto

The black rice was cooked for fifteen minutes, and then drained. Fresh boiling water was added to the pot, and then the basmati. Half a teaspoonful of turmeric was added.

Half a red pepper, diced, and one julienned white onion, were fried in a skillet with sunflower oil for fifteen minutes, and then the drained rice was added.

The fish was cooked in a skillet for 12 minutes, turned once. Added to the rice, and broken up with a plastic fork.

Served on a bed of black pepper. Delicious!

Spicy Mushroom, Chickpea and Sweetcorn Stew

Made with chickpeas, sweetcorn, red pepper, chestnut mushrooms and spring onion. Thickened with half a teaspoonful of arrowroot, flavoured with herbes de Provence and vegetable stock. The sweetcorn came straight from the cob, though tinned sweetcorn will do just as well.

Dried chickpeas were soaked overnight, and then cooked with powdered red chilli and crushed garlic. Rinsed, and then simmered with the sweetcorn, diced red pepper, mushrooms, and chopped spring onion. The vegetable stock and the herbs were added last.

Served with a mixture of Thai black rice, and basmati rice. The black rice was cooked for fifteen minutes, and then drained. Fresh boiling water was added to the pot, and then the basmati. Half a teaspoonful of turmeric was added.  I used an ice-cream scoop to create the rice balls, as they do in Korean restaurants. Wonderful vegetarian dish!

King Prawn with Thai Black Rice

Vietnamese king prawns served in a sweet chilli sauce, with Long grain rice and Thai black rice.

A handful of black rice was cooked for twenty minutes, and then drained, which removes a lot of the pigment in the grains. Added back to the pot, along with a third of a cup of long grain white rice. Cooked for another ten to fifteen minutes.

The grey uncooked prawns were blanched in freshly boiled water for two to three minutes until they became pink.

The rice was drained and added to a wok with a little sunflower oil. Stir-fried for a couple of minutes, after which the king prawns were added. Stir-fry for another couple of minutes, adding the sweet chilli sauce. Serve with a little dark soy. Delicious!

Dark Minestrone Soup (with Black Rice)

A great dish for using up odds and ends in the fridge. This one was made with broken spaghetti, diced onion, carrot, potato, spring onion, diced garlic, some red lentils, chopped celery, a quarter of a red bell pepper, a handful of Thai black rice, plus a little spelt grain, three squirts of tomato puree, and chicken stock.

Prepare the vegetables and the spaghetti, and add to a pot of boiling water. Add the rice and the spelt, the tomato puree and the chicken stock. Simmer under glass at a low heat for an hour and a half.

Serve with a toasted garlic and coriander naan bread. Delicious!