Primavera Rice Casserole

Isn't wonderful how many of our best dishes come from last minute inventions, using whatever foods we have lying around.
My other half will often come to me, after looking through the kitchen, say that we have nothing to eat so what should we do for dinner......nothing to eat?? what?? this is not possible.
This meal came from one of those evenings. I went straight upstairs took out any vegetables we had, some rice (which we always have in stock), and a few other ingredients. 30 minutes later I presented my boyfriend with our evening meal. That "how did you come up with this" impressed look along with a big smile came onto his face.

Here is the dish to create such a wonderful "yum yum" sounds.
Looks so simple but taste is so comforting!


(FEEDS 2 PEOPLE)
2 tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion (chopped)
3 celery stalks (thinly sliced)
3 cloves garlic (finely chopped)
1 cup mushrooms (sliced)
1 red pepper (chopped)
1 tbsp dried oregano
1 tsp celery salt
Seasoning salt and black pepper to taste
½ cup parmesan (grated)
1 cup cheddar (grated)
1 bag ‘boil in a bag’ white rice

Instructions:
- Cook rice as per instructions
- Meanwhile fry onion and celery with olive oil until beginning to soften and brown a little, then add garlic and red pepper. Continue to fry for a few minute (but do not allow the garlic to brown). Once red peppers begin to soften add the mushrooms and oregano. Season with seasoning salt and black pepper and fry for a further few minutes.
- Combine vegetable mix, rice and parmesan in a small casserole dish, top with cheddar. Place lid on the casserole dish and cook in the oven (375 C, gas mark 5) until cheese is nicely melted (approximately 10 minutes)

Chicken Coconut Curry

I really don't know why I don't make curry more often. We love it! One of the things I love so much about curries is being able to make it as mild or hot as you want and still so many other flavours to enjoy. Also it's really easy to make up any combination of meats, seafood and/or veggies you want. Sometimes I'll use tofu, delicious!

This time I've used chicken. I also added lentils which I don't normally do but it really worked well, adding lots of volume and richness.

(Feeds 4 people)
500g skinless & boneless chicken breast or thighs (cut into bite size pieces) (I find thighs much more tender)
2 tbsp olive oil
3 stalks celery (chopped)
3 cloves garlic (crushed)
1 medium onion (chopped)
1 red pepper (chopped)
1 large potato (diced) - optional
75g green lentils (uncooked)
1 tbsp flour
2 tsp celery salt
sprinkle of nutmeg
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
2 1/2 tbsp madras curry paste
1 can coconut milk (400ml)
75ml chicken stock

Instructions:
- Begin cooking lentils as per intructions. In the meantime start your curry....
- Blanch potato in salted boiling water, set aside
- In a large pan or wok cook onions and celery in olive oil until the just start to soften, then add garlic and chicken. Cook for about 5 minutes, until chicken is seared.
- Add flour and stir to coat everything. Slowly pour in chicken stock, stir in curry paste and allow sauce to thicken.
- Pour in the coconut milk, add potato and lentils. Add cumin seeds, celery salt and nutmeg. Simmer for about 15-20 minutes to allow sauce to thicken again and all the flavours to mix.

I served my curry with brown rice (although I normally use basmati but ran out) and a slice of herbed naan bread

Pan Fried Plaice with a Lemon & Wine Sauce, Served with Onion & Artichoke Rice

Once again I have made a dish that did not turn out quite as planned but this time I think turned out even better! I got those wonderful "mmmm" and "aaahh" sounds a cook always loves to hear when someone is eating their dish.


I read a handful of recipes for a lemony sauce to go with our fish for dinner but didn't write anything down beforehand. I just made it up as I went along. I added a tad too much lemon so my recipe below has adjusted this for you.
And I've used plaice fish but of course you can use any white fleshy fish (ie, cod, halibut, sole...)

(Feeds 2 people)
RICE:
1 cup uncooked rice
2 cups vegetable stock
1/2 large onion (chopped)
1/2 cup artichoke antipasto, without oil (chopped)
1 tbsp oil from artichoke jar
1/4 tsp salt

FISH:
2 plaice fillets
flour
sprinkles of salt
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp olive oil

SAUCE:
2 1/2 tbsp butter
1 tbsp flour
juice of 1/2 a lemon
1/4 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup milk
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp dried mixed herbs
1/2 tsp garlic powder

INSTRUCTIONS:

RICE -
- Cook rice as per instructions, but instead of using water you will be using the vegetable stock
- While rice is cooking saute onion in the artichoke oil until starting to brown a tiny bit (but not burning). Then add artichoke to the onion and lower the heat
(If rice is not yet cooked you can start preparing your fish with the flour, as per the first step below)
- Once rice is cooked add to the onion and artichoke mix and stir in with salt
- Transfer rice back to the pot which you cooked rice in and cover to keep warm

FISH -
- Cover each fillet with flour on both side and sprinkle each side of the fillets with salt
- Since Plaice fillets can be quite wide I cooked 1 fillet at a time...
- Melt 1 tbsp butter and heat tbsp oil together in a pan. Place a fillet in the pan and cook on each side for approximately 3 minutes, or until golden and cooked through
- Take rice from the pot and make a bed of rice on 2 plates
- Place fillet over top of bed of rice and keep warm at low tempurature in the oven
- Repeat process with 2nd fish fillet (keep both warm in the oven while you make your sauce)
- Wipe the pan clean with a paper towel as you will use this same pan for your sauce

SAUCE:
- Melt butter with oil in the pan on a low to medium heat. Sprinkle in half the flour and whisk with a fork, then stir in half the wine. Wait for liquid to reduce slightly then added remaining flour and whisk with fork again
- Stir in milk, the remaining wine, the lemon juice, salt, pepper, garlic powder and herbs. Turn down heat and simmer until liquid has slightly reduced and sauce is smooth

- Take fish and rice out of the oven and spoon sauce over top of each dish


Yummy! Enjoy!

NOTE: From the ingredients and instructions of this meal it may seem time consuming but in fact it really isn't since many of the ingredients are repeated in each process. This meal took me about 30 minutes to prepare :)