rice is nice

Somewhere along the way rice got a bad name. Perhaps it was in the days of the Carbohydrate Inquisition, when all rices – white, brown and wild alike – were cast off the average person’s shopping list for fear of enormous weight gain. As we level-headed eaters know, rice is not bad for you at all; in fact, wholegrain rice is actually very good for you.

Like other grains, it’s not particularly low in calories, but the wholegrain variety is quite filling and has a subtle nutty flavour. A 50g portion (dry) will set you back just under 200 calories, so portion-control is important to keep in mind when cooking and eating.

Another misconception about rice is that is only really goes well in ethnic cuisines – rice is such a staple in countries like China, India and Thailand that it’s often ignored when cooking ‘domestic’ dishes.

Rice rocks out in warm and cold dishes, and after a long winter filled with root vegetables, I’m ready for a change, which is why I cooked what I did last night. (You’ll note the not-so-subtle ingredient choices – I’ve very obviously pretending that spring is in full fling in efforts to bring the sun out.) I ate it warm last night, and cold today for lunch. If I had to choose, the cold version works better.

Roasted cherry tomato and courgette rice salad with feta and dill
(serves 2)

150 g wholegrain rice
2 large courgettes, halved, then cut into 1-cm sticks
400g cherry tomatoes, halved
10 sprays of olive oil
1 good glug of red or white wine vinegar
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 large handful of dill, stems removed, chopped
1 large handful of parsley, stems removed, chopped
100 g reduced-fat feta

Preheat the oven to 200 C. In a foil-lined roasting tin, combine the courgettes, tomatoes, vinegar, olive oil, salt and pepper. Roast for 45 minutes.

Bring a large pot of water to the boil. Add the rice and bring back to the boil, and then reduce to a simmer for 30-35 minutes.

Meanwhile, crumble the feta and prepare the dill and parsley.

When the rice is done, drain. If serving immediately, split the rice into two bowls and top with the roasted vegetables. Make sure to add the juice too. Sprinkle the feta, parsley and dill over top.
If serving cold, allow the rice and vegetables to cool before combining it all and putting in the refrigerator.

Calories: 2 equal-sized servings: under 500. One serving with 50 g rice: about 400 calories.

Should you be in the mood for other rice dishes (I’m loving the idea of pea, feta and mint), try this recipe site.

the wonders of fennel pesto

I saw this little jar on the shelf at the shops this weekend, waiting patiently for me to espy it, I presume. I actually shrieked a little when I saw it, to be honest. I had heard the concept bandied about recently, and kept meaning to make it, but the time or the meal wasn’t right.

But this little jar, despite the fact that it was not a part of the plans I had for this week’s meal, simply had to be purchased.

An Italian chicken salad was originally on the menu for last night, using the leftover chicken breast from the roast, shredded and combined with pomodorino tomatoes and red and yellow peppers roasted in red wine vinegar.

But my prized fennel pesto led me to tweak this dinner by making Italian chicken pasta instead. The outcome was quite nice, if I do say so myself – full of strong flavours which compliment each other well.

My favourite thing about this dish is that it can be served either hot or cold, depending on one’s mood. Just be sure to use the right type of pasta (linguine works well for hot; fusilli or macaroni is a better choice for cold).

This dish is also speedy, too, and most parts can be made ahead of time: the chicken taken from leftovers, and the tomatoes and peppers roasted a day earlier. And it’s healthy too. (Beat that, Nigella)

Italian chicken pasta
(serves 2)

200 g wholemeal linguine
250-300 g shredded cooked chicken breast
200 g pomodorino tomatoes – or any other type available, as long as they are ripe
2 bell peppers (I used one red and one yellow for colour), deseeded and sliced
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
15-20 sprays of olive oil (3-4 ml)
2 tbsp fennel pesto
2 small handfuls of baby spinach leaves
A handful of black olives (15 or so), sliced
10 g of basil leaves, chopped
A sprinkle of grated parmesan
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Note: the tomatoes and peppers can be made ahead by roasting them with red wine vinegar, salt and pepper, and a couple sprays of olive oil for 30 minutes in a 200 C oven. If roasting the tomatoes at the same time, begin with this step, and proceed to the next step after 20 minutes of roasting.

Bring a large pot of water to boil – when bubbling, add the linguine and cook for about 10 minutes, until fairly soft.

Meanwhile, heat a pan with a few sprays of olive oil and add the shredded chicken over medium/medium-high heat. Allow to cook through. When the tomatoes and peppers are done roasting, add the entire contents of the tin to the chicken. Stir and cover.

When the pasta has finished boiling, drain and return to the pan, but remove from the heat. Mix through the baby spinach and half of the pesto and stir. Cover for a minute or two to allow the spinach to wilt.

Add the chicken, peppers and tomatoes to the pasta and again stir through.

Split evenly between two large bowls – top with equal proportions of the chopped basil leaves, olives and the remaining pesto. Sprinkle a bit of parmesan over, and season with a few grindings of salt and pepper. Serve immediately.

Of course, fennel pesto is not a requirement for this dish – though it certainly adds a different, softer perspective than say, basil pesto or red pepper pesto.

Other uses for fennel pesto:
-Atop a butternut squash soup
-On bruschetta with a bit of goats cheese
-Mixed into mayonnaise as a dip for sweet potato chips
-A marinade for grilled white fish – or even a darker fish such as mackerel
-spread onto courgettes and grilled for a couple of minutes

But don't just take my word for it:
-The BBC recommends it in a pan-fried sea bass with fennel pesto and tomato salsa
-Sacla, makers of fennel pesto, offer up a pumpkin ravioli with fennel pesto recipe
-use it on fresh spaghetti with hot pepper flecks

italian rice salad

Salads with rice are often overlooked, I think. This may be due to the temperature dilemma – either serve a rice salad very cold, in which case it must be made in advance, or serve it warm. The latter option means that the complimentary ingredients must be well thought out to avoid wilting or the odd consistency of mismatched temperatures on the tongue. I’m not particularly keen on cold rice salads at home, though some of the takeaway rice salads in, say, Marks and Spencer are decent.

I do, however, really enjoy warm rice salads, and have created what I think is a great summer version – replete with flavour. “This is scrummy,” murmured my husband, happily forking his way through the bowl on Thursday evening.

If nothing else, follow this tip: with rice salads, the rice must be braised. Otherwise, it can become gloopy, and for a salad, the individual grains of rice must be separate.

This salad is very summery and has the lovely aroma of pizza.

italian rice salad (serves 2 – either one very large and one modest portion, or two medium-sized portions)

200 g long grain brown rice
250 g baby plum tomatoes
2 cloves garlic
50 g spring onions
1 ball (125 g) of reduced fat mozzarella
1 tbsp and 1 tsp olive oil
1 tsp oregano (dried is fine, though fresh would be lovely)
60-100 g wild rocket

Preheat the oven to 200 C. Heat 1 tbsp of oil in a large saute pan. Once the oil is hot, add the rice and garlic and stir so that all the grains are coated. Allow this to sizzle over med-high heat for a few minutes. Meanwhile, halve the tomatoes and put a roasting tin with white wine vinegar, oregano and a tsp of olive oil. Roast in the oven for about 30 minutes.

Add the hot stock to the rice pan - a little at first but then pour it all in. It should boil furiously for a minute. Then reduce heat to med-low and cover. By the time the stock boils off, the rice should be done. Check about 20 minutes in - if the rice isn't done or close to being done, but the liquid is nearly gone, add a bit more.

Meanwhile, chop the spring onions and shred the mozzarella. Split them into equal piles to mix through the rice. Prepare large bowls by putting about 50 g of wild rocket at the bottom of each bowl. The rice will go on top once it has cooked.

Then top with the cherry tomatoes, mozzarella and spring onions and mix through the rice slightly. The dish should smell amazing.

Calories: for a small serving, 415; for a medium serving, 600; for a large serving, 775.

Dishes like these are perfect for a group - some may want more rice, some less, but the flavours in the tomatoes and garlic stay strong no matter what the portion size. My husband had the large portion but the same amount of tomatoes as I had in my small portion.