Oven baked vegetable rice, a hundred ways

Serves 4 

This is a meal I cook again and again when I’m lacking inspiration after a long day, or feel like I don’t want to cook a meal that requires constant chopping, stirring and whizzing. The opportunities for variations are endless; in the Summer I use halved cherry tomatoes which look like ruby orbs in the pan, in the Winter and Spring I use a tin of chopped tomatoes and whatever veg is in season. The method always stays the same; fry onion and garlic with bay, sometimes with chopped fennel, celery and carrot, toast rice, add vegetables, stock and herbs and then let the oven do the hard work. I’ve given a recipe for a basic version that you can take in lots of different directions. 

This is a great recipe to double to feed a crowd (although they’re few and far between these days), or to keep for meals later in the week. Add chopped halloumi, cheddar or parmesan 10 minutes before the end of the cooking time if you like for extra deliciousness. 

Ingredients

3 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil

2 white onions, finely chopped, or 3 leeks, washed and finely sliced 

3 fresh bay leaves 

2 cloves garlic, sliced 

200g basmati rice, rinsed

1 teaspoon fennel seeds 

Either 1 x 400g tin of chopped tomatoes, or 400g cherry tomatoes, halved, 

100g hardy greens, such as kale, spinach or chard, chopped 

2 carrots or courgettes, grated 

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

550ml vegetable stock 

Salt & pepper 

Optional: 1 large bunch soft herbs, such as parsley, basil, chervil or dill, chopped, or 6 stalks of woody herbs in Winter (rosemary, thyme, sage) 

Optional: 100g cheese, such as cheddar, mozzarella, halloumi or parmesan, chopped or grated (whatever suits the cheese) 

Method

Heat the olive oil over a medium heat in a large (28cm) oven-proof frying pan. When the oil begins to shimmer, stir in the onions and a pinch of salt. The onions should sizzle as soon as they hit the pan. Cook, stirring occasionally for 8-10 minutes, until the onions are soft and translucent. Stir in the bay leaves and garlic and continue to cook for a couple of minutes until the contents of the pan are fragrant. 

Preheat the oven to 200°C. 

Stir the washed rice into the pan and toast, stirring constantly for 3 minutes, before the rice turns brown. This will help with the flavour, making the rice nutty and fragrant. Next, stir in the fennel seeds and toast until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the tomatoes and cook for 5 minutes before adding the vegetables, vinegar and stock. Add a handful of the optional herbs if using at this point, and season well with salt and pepper. Stir and cover the pan with a lid or tin foil. 

Place in the oven to bake, covered, for 30 minutes. Lift away the lid or the foil, arrange the cheese over the top if using and return the pan to the oven for 10-15 minutes until the cheese is melted and the rice is cooked (use a fork to taste test in a few places). If there is some liquid left in the pan, which is possible if the veg is watery, return to the oven for another 5-10 minutes until it has all evaporated. 

Allow to cool in the pan before serving on warm plates. 

Variations: 

• In the winter, I like to do an extra indulgent version made with double cream and nutmeg. Use ½ a teaspoon of grated nutmeg instead of the fennel seeds and add 150ml of cream in place of the same volume of vegetable stock 

• Try using other root vegetables such as celeriac, beetroot or parsnips instead of carrots (about 300g grated weight) 

• If using particularly watery courgettes, grate them first, then toss them with a tablespoon of salt in a colander and leave to drain for 30 minutes before adding to the pan

• You can use brown rice, quinoa or spelt instead of the basmati, you may just need to adjust the cooking time (brown rice and spelt will take longer) 

• Use whatever veg is in season; asparagus in late spring; peas in early summer; roasted squash in autumn