Recipe OF THE WEEK

MUSHROOM & ROSEMARY WILD RICE SALAD

Salad is a relaxed, stress-free meal with endless possibilities. A handful of nuts, chewy grains or sultanas soon make a boring salad more like a dinner

Serves 4, prep time 25 minutes 300g wild rice

½ veg, chicken or beef stock cube (optional) 200g kale 2 tbsp olive oil

½ tsp sea salt flakes 40g blanched hazelnuts 400g mushrooms (ideally chestnut or wild) 3–4 large sprigs rosemary, leaves only 3 garlic cloves 30g dried cranberries or sour cherries Zest and juice of 1 lemon

1 Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F/GAS 4. Add rice to a medium pan with three times the volume of water. Crumble in the stock cube if using, bring to boil and simmer on medium–high for time stated on packet. Refresh under cold water and drain.

2 Wash kale and pat dry. Tear leaves off and discard tough stems. Shred kale into 1cm strips and add to a large roasting tray. Rub in 1 tbsp of oil and the salt, and roast in a single layer for 7 mins.

3 Roughly crush the hazelnuts then add to one corner of the tray. Gently toss the kale then roast for a further 3–4 mins until crisp and hazelnuts begin to turn golden and release their natural oils.

4 Put a large frying pan on a high heat while you chop the mushrooms – thickly slice some, quarter others and leave small ones whole. Add to the hot pan with ½ tbsp of oil and cook for 6 mins, stirring occasionally.

5 Finely chop rosemary, turn pan heat to low and add remaining ½ tbsp of oil. Fry for 30 secs. Remove from heat and add garlic to cook in the residual heat, stirring frequently.

6 Stir the cranberries, lemon zest and juice and rice into the mushrooms then gently toss. Scatter with the kale and hazelnuts to finish.