Food blog: Take Three recipe challenge - the best original recipe including cantaloupe melon, ginger and black pepper will win a hamper of goodiesWith a name like 'dirty rice' it was impossible not to try this when I came across it whilst flicking through a copy of Oprah magazine: a recipe for rice cooked with coffee grounds. What struck me was the use of oregano with the coffee. This made me want to pull out herby, green vegetable notes to contrast with the intense coffee flavour, which is why I decided to use it to stuff courgettes. I absolutely loved the results. I added a crumbling of goat's cheese on top, grilled till golden. This is one of my favourite dishes and a satisfying meal for vegetarians.4 courgettes1 tbsp butter2 shallots, finely chopped100g basmati rice, washed and drained1/2 chicken stock cube2 tsp instant coffee granules1 tsp fresh, chopped oregano, plus extra for sprinkling70g goats' cheeseOlive oil, for drizzlingServes 4.Bring a large pan of water to the boil, add the courgettes and cook for 7 minutes. Remove from the pan, allow to cool, halve lengthways, then scoop out the pulp using a spoon, without breaking the skin, to leave a shell. Set the shells and the flesh aside.Melt the butter in a deep non-stick frying pan, add the shallots and fry until golden. Add the drained rice and stir well. Add 240ml water, the stock cube half, coffee granules and oregano. Bring to the boil, then cook, covered, on a very low heat for about 7 minutes, or until the water has absorbed and the rice is cooked. Season with a little salt and set aside to cool.Remove the rice from the pan and use the same pan for the courgettes. Don't add any oil, just put in the courgette shells, skin-side down, and dry-fry, still over a very low heat, for a couple of minutes to brown a little. Remove and set aside on foil on a grill pan. Now add the courgette flesh to the pan and fry for about a minute and a half, stirring all the while, until it feels like the liquid has evaporated. Turn off the heat, add the rice and stir well.Preheat the grill to hot.Spoon the mixture into the courgette skins. Top each with some crumbled goats cheese, sprinkle over a touch more oregano and a drizzle of olive oil. Place under the hot grill for about 8 minutes or until the cheese is browned.Try the rice alone or with some chicken or fish; chargrilled salmon wouldbe particularly good. Perhaps try stuffing mushrooms instead.Vegetable recipesRice and grainsFood & drinkguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2009 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds
Recipe: Courgettes stuffed with coffee rice and oregano
Posted by edwina 172 days ago (http://www.guardian.co.uk)Who Voted for this Story
Comments
Log in to comment or register here.
Disscusion boards licensed and powered by ZoneX v3.3.1 Development supported by LifeForm Inc.
All Rights Reserved by SteadyHealth.com
© 2004 - 2009
This site complies with the HONcode standard for trustworthy health information:
verify here.
