Cajun Rice

This rice is a great accompaniment for the cajun prawns recipe.







YOU WILL NEED
1 tbsp oil
1 onion, chopped
1 celery stick, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
200g cooked rice (cooked in vegetable stock or bouillon)
1 spring onion, chopped
1 tsp mixed herbs
1/4 paprika
salt, pepper & hot sauce to taste
METHOD
Place the oil in a pan, heat, then add the onion & fry till soft, then the celery and pepper and cook till soft. - Add the garlic. - Add the other ingredients and heat gently in the pan. - Serve with cajun prawns (above) and corn on the cob.

Another classic Cajun rice recipe is dirty rice, made with bacon and liver. Click here to go to a recipe (external site).

Nachos

Colour me kids food.
GREAT FOR KIDS!
This is a recipe to help you cook your garden and allotment produce, you can use any dried beans, but tinned beans will be fine. On our Grow Your Own blog you can find out how to dry homegrown beans, and you can buy seeds for growing bean plants.

YOU WILL NEED
1 tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, crushed
400g can chopped tomatoes
300g dried beans, soaked overnight and cooked (20 minutes) (or 400g can of kidney beans, drained & rinsed)
230g bag corn chips (like Dorito's)
120g cheddar cheese, grated
For the topping
120g soured cream
1 tbst freshly chopped coriander
METHOD
1) Preheat the oven to gas /180 C/200 F. Heat the oil in a pan, add the onion and garlic and stir for about 5 minutes until the onion is soft.
2) Stir in the tomatoes and beans, bring to the boil, then simmer gently without a lid for up to 15 minutes, until the mixture is thick.
3) Arrange the corn chips in a large rounded ovenproof plate and pour over the bean mixture. Sprinkle the cheese over. Bake uncovered for 10 minutes until the cheese melts.
4) Serve with the soured cream and coriander on top.

Fragrant Saffron Rice

It always seems quite dull when you serve a tasty dish with plain rice, but also, you want flavours that compliment aswell. This rice has a subtle flavour that compliments most dishes, and looks attractive too. I make it with the tuna with sumac, among other dishes, and with a good topping of fresh coriander.

YOU WILL NEED
300g (10 1/2 oz) jasmine rice
750 ml (26 fl oz) water
generous pinch of saffron threads
1 clove of garlic, crushed
3 tbsp chopped fresh coriander, plus extra leaves for garnish


METHOD
Combine all the ingredients apart from the coriander in a saucepan. Bring to the boil, then reduce heat, cover and then simmer for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the rice is tender and the water absorbed. Stir the rice, add the chopped coriander, and serve with coriander garnish.

Tuna Steaks with Sumac

I had never used sumac before. A customer asked me to get some, and as soon as I opened the bag, I knew that it was something that I wanted to try, it was so sweetly fragrant. I browsed the web and found so many people highly rating it for it distinct fruity flavour, so I'm going to be trying lots of recipes myself, and here's the first I've tried, and it's a super easy one as well (which is even better).
YOU WILL NEED
2 tbsp olive oil
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 tbsp sumac
4 pieces of 200g tuna steaks (7 oz)
Salt & pepper to taste
METHOD
1.
Combine the oil, garlic and sumac and coat the tuna, seasoning well.
2.
Oil a grill plate or chargrill pan (a frying pan will do if you don't have these), and heat it on a medium heat, adding the tuna when hot, and cooking for 5-6 minutes on each side (or till cooked as desired).
A great accmpaniment is saffron rice.