SwiSS chard rice with
MuShrooM toaStS
Andalusia is one of the biggest producers of rice in Spain,
so the grains are a staple of many regional dishes. Here,
a savoury bowlful is served with mushroom toasts on the
side to make a hearty and earthy lunch.
ServeS 6
Olive oil, for frying
1 large onion, finely sliced
4 garlic cloves, finely sliced
2 dried choricero peppers,
torn and soaked in boiling
water for 15min
2 bay leaves
Generous pinch of saffron,
soaked in 2tbsp of boiling
water for 5min
250g Charlotte potatoes,
peeled and diced
300g bomba rice or other
short-grain rice
1.3L vegetable stock
250g Swiss chard, sliced
Sea salt and freshly
ground black pepper
For the toasts
3tbsp olive oil
200g wild mushrooms,
cleaned and chopped
2-3tbsp creamy goat’s
cheese
50g manchego cheese,
grated
Sea salt and freshly
ground black pepper
6 slices of toast
1 Pour a little oil into a casserole dish over a
medium heat and gently cook the onion for
10min, until softened. add the garlic and choricero
peppers and cook for 1min more. add the bay
leaves, saffron, potatoes and rice, toss to coat in the
oil and then pour over 1L of the stock. season well
and cook, covered, for 20-25min, adding the rest of
the stock 10min before the end of the cooking time,
along with the chard. remove the bay leaves and
discard. season.
2 to make the toasts, pour the olive oil into a frying
pan over a high heat and cook the mushrooms for
a few minutes, until browned and any juices have
evaporated. tip into a food processor with the
goat’s cheese and manchego, season well and
pulse to form a coarse pâté.
3 spread the toasts with the mushroom pâté
and serve alongside the swiss chard rice.
roaSt chicken with oranGe,
cuMin & apricot rice
every part of this meal is comforting and delicious, but
the truly heavenly bit is the crispy, anchovy-flavoured skin.
ServeS 6
2 large garlic cloves, whole
2tbsp extra-virgin olive oil,
plus extra for frying
6 salted anchovies in
extra-virgin olive oil
1 large free-range chicken
(approx 1.8kg)
Sea salt and freshly ground
black pepper
2 banana shallots, sliced
½tbsp cumin seeds
½tbsp sweet smoked
paprika
1tbsp hot smoked paprika
500g Calasparra rice or
another short-grain rice,
soaked for 10min in cold
water and drained
Zest and juice of ½ orange
100g dried apricots,
chopped
1 bay leaf
1 sprig of fresh rosemary
1L chicken stock
Small bunch of flat-leaf
parsley, roughly chopped
1 Preheat the oven to 200°C/Fan 180°C/Gas 6.
2 In small food processor or pestle and mortar,
blend the garlic cloves with the extra-virgin olive oil
and half of the anchovies to make a rough paste.
3 Carefully loosen the skin from around the chicken
breast and rub the garlic and anchovy mixture
underneath the skin. season the skin well with salt.
4 Place the chicken in a deep, lidded casserole dish
and roast, uncovered, for 35min, until golden.
5 Meanwhile, add a little oil to a pan and fry the
shallots with the rest of the anchovies and a pinch of
salt over a medium heat for 5min, or until softened.
add the cumin seeds and both types of paprika and
fry for 1-2min, until fragrant. Mix in the rice, orange
zest and juice and apricots. add the bay leaf,
rosemary and the chicken stock. Bring to a boil,
then remove from the heat and set aside.
6 remove the casserole dish from the oven, carefully
lift out the chicken and place on a chopping board.
add the rice and stock mixture to the dish and
place the chicken back on top. reduce the oven
temperature to 180°C/Fan 160°C/Gas 4 and roast,
covered, for 1hr.
7 at this point, check to see if the rice is cooked.
If needed, add a little more stock and cook the
dish for a further 10min. remove the bay leaf.
8 remove the casserole dish from the oven and lift
the chicken back onto the chopping board, tipping
it over the dish first so that any juices run back into
the rice. Leave the chicken to rest for 5-10min,
loosely covered with foil, before carving.
9 season the rice and stir through the parsley. serve
the rice with the chicken on warm plates. >
GOOd timeS, GOOd FOOd