Simon Toohey's Baked rice, eggplant and leek hotpot with, olives, dill and parsley
Simon Toohey came to global prominence in MasterChef Australia thanks to his vegan creations and use of seasonal vegetables. Try his insanely easy one-pot dish, crammed with flavour.
Ingredients
- 2 that wonderful vegetable which you might know by one of three names: aubergine, brinjal or eggplant ;-)
- 5 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 leek
- 1 turnip
- 2 garlic cloves
- ¾ cup basmati rice
- 50 g black olives with seeds
- ½ bunch dill
- ¼ bunch parsley
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp coriander seeds
- ½ tsp fennel seeds
- 500 ml vegetable stock
- Pinch saffron optional
- Drizzle B-well olive oil to finish
- Pinch salt and pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven 180 degrees.
- In a clay pot approximately 15 cm and relatively deep (or cast iron pot with a lid) on medium heat on the stove, add 3tbsp vegetable oil.
- Slice the leek about an 2.5cm after where the white meets the green then slice in half, opening it up. Place the cut side down on the pan to colour and soften. Do not touch as you want to gain some wonderful colour.
- Quarter the turnips and throw in with the leeks, again not moving it. Finally chop the garlic and fry off only for 30 seconds.
- Remove the ingredients from the clay pot and add your washed rice until the liquid runs clear, then add that to the pot.
- Peel off the layers of leek and lay on top of the rice like lasagne sheets.
- Squeeze the seeds from the olives and chop roughly and place on top.
- Add the turnips and then chop the herbs and add.
- Put seeds, and saffron in the vegetable stock and pour over everything.
- Place the lid on and back in the oven for 30 min.
- Take the lid off and bake for and extra 10 min.
- Finish with dill.
- Serve with a fresh rocket salad citrus and nuts.