I adore Nigel Slater’s just-use-this-up-and-sling-it-in-a-pot/sandwich midweek meal philosophy. His Baked Mushroom Rice https://bit.ly/1KaAXka takes almost no time to prep, yet tastes amazing – it’s supposed to serve four but you’ll want to hog it all yourself!
Baked Mushroom Rice
Ingredients
200g shallots, peeled and left whole
4 cloves garlic, peeled
knob of butter
150g Arborio rice
4 whole sprigs thyme
1 litre chicken or vegetable stock
6 big brown mushrooms
Parmesan, to serve
1 Use a pan that works on the hob and in the oven. Lightly brown the shallots all over with the garlic in a little butter.
2 Add rice to the pan, then thyme and the stock.
3 Bring to the boil. Lay the mushrooms, gill-side down, in the rice, season generously, then transfer to the oven and bake at 180°C for about an hour. Serve with grated Parmesan.
Nigel’s Trick
“Check regularly toward the end of cooking. If it looks too thick then add a little more stock and cover with foil. Turn the mushrooms over once during cooking, basting them with the stock as you go.”