Chard, Mushroom & Rice Bake

Chard, Mushroom & Rice Bake

Next weekend I'm going to a cooking course hosted by the spectacularly fabulous, Jude Blereau.  To say I'm excited is an understatement.  I love Jude, her recipes and her food philosophy and just can't wait to meet her and learn as much as I possibly can from her.

This is one of my favourite of her recipes.  It's lovely cold, so we have it a lot in summer with salad.  It's also perfect for lunchbox fare.

There is a bit of faffing about at the beginning of this dish cooking the rice & amaranth, if you haven't already got some cooked.  I usually avoid this by making it the day after we've had rice for dinner one evening - the rice has already been soaked and cooked, so it saves having to go to the trouble for such a small amount.

Jude's original recipe also includes 1tsp amaranth in with the rice.  If I am cooking the rice specifically for this recipe, then I throw the amaranth or some quinoa in as well - it's great for adding that extra hit of protein.  If I'm just using leftover rice, I leave it out.

Chard, Mushroom & Rice Bake

(adapted from Jude Blereau's Wholefood for Children)

Ingredients:-

*  55g brown rice (or 3/4 cup cooked brown rice)

*  1 tsp amaranth or quinoa (see notes above)

*  1 tsp whey or lemon juice (for soaking)

*  10g olive oil

*  15g butter or ghee

*  1 onion

*  150g swiss brown mushrooms

*  2 cloves garlic

*  300g chard or silverbeet (stems removed, leaves washed and shredded)

*  70g parmesan - grated

*  2 tsp vegetable stock concentrate

*  250g ricotta

*  2 eggs

*  40g pine nuts

Preparation:-

The night before:-

If you aren't using cooked rice leftover from another recipe, then you will need to soak and cook the rice, as follows:-

1.  Soak rice, amaranth/quinoa and whey or lemon juice in a bowl of water overnight.

2.  Drain and rinse.  Place 700g of water in the TM bowl and the rice into the TM basket.  Cook the rice on Varoma temperature for 30 minutes on speed 2.  Set aside to cool.

On the day:-

1.  Pre-heat oven to 180°C.

2.  Place parmesan into TM bowl.  Grate for 8 seconds on speed 8.  Remove and set aside.

3.  Place pine nuts into TM bowl.  Lock the lid in the Closed Lid position and press the Turbo button once.  Set aside.

Method:-

1.  Place onion, garlic and mushrooms (see tip) into TM bowl.  Chop for 2 seconds on speed 5.

2.  Add butter and oil and saute for 4 minutes on 100°, on speed 1 (with MC removed).  Set aside with rice.

3.  Add chard and cook on reverse, for 2 minutes on 100°, on speed 1.

4.  Tip rice, onion mix and chard into a sieve and gently squeeze through excess liquid.  Tip into a separate mixing bowl.

5.  Add 50g reserved parmesan, ricotta, vegetable stock concentrate and eggs to TM bowl.  Mix for 5 seconds on speed 4.   (with MC removed).  Pour into mixing bowl containing chard mixture and gently stir through.

6.  Pour mixture into loaf tin.  Sprinkle with remaining parmesan and pine nuts and bake in 180°C oven for approximately 1 & 1/4 hours.

Delicious, hot or cold. 

Tips:-

I have a child who dislikes the texture of mushrooms, rather than the taste.  For this reason, I include the mushrooms in when I chop the onions, so that they end up small and he doesn't notice them.  The downside of this is that the mixture ends up quite grey.

If you don't need to "hide" the mushrooms, then just slice them by hand and include them with the chard step, rather than the onion.