BAKED TOMATO RICE WITH HALLOUMI

A tasty meat-free meal. Add a can of chickpeas to make it go further

Last week in these pages we featured glorious recipes using canned tomatoes, which are one of the most versatile, cost-effective ingredients to have in your pantry. For me, tomato purée is just as important. Tomatoes are one of the few vegetables that are rich in umami (savoury flavour). When you remove their skin and seeds and cook them down, reducing the water content, you end up with a deeply rich, concentrated and deliciously savoury paste. Used well, it is a very quick and inexpensive way to impart a lot of flavour to dishes, plus it has a long shelf life which is handy, too.

Generally, tomato purée is best cooked as it can taste a little bitter if eaten raw. Usually

Tomatoes are one of the few vegetables that are rich in umami

I add it to the pan after I’ve sweated onions or soffritto and let it cook for a couple of minutes to caramelise and intensify the flavour.

When I was growing up, leftover meat from a Sunday roast was chopped and fried with onions, garlic and tomato purée for a simple and tasty hash to eat with rice. Purée can also be added to the base of brothy soups to add depth, or you can mix it with cooked garlic and double cream for the easiest of pasta sauces. It also enriches curry pastes, can be used to season mince for meatballs or burgers, and works well in baked rice dishes like this one.

Do you have a great recipe for eating well and cutting food bills? Email editor@you.co.uk.

If we print it here, we’ll send you a bottle of champagne

METHOD

Rinse the rice thoroughly and set aside to soak in water (ideally for 30 minutes). Meanwhile, trim the stringless beans and slice on the diagonal.

Preheat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a large ovenproof frying pan over a medium-high heat. Fry 1 chopped onion and 1 chopped garlic clove with a pinch of salt for 8-10 minutes until soft and golden.

Add the tomato purée to the frying pan and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes then add the sliced beans and fry for a minute more.

Stir in the rice and fry for a minute,

then add 400ml hot chicken or vegetable stock. Bring to a simmer before transferring to the oven. Bake for 10 minutes.

Chop the halloumi into 2cm chunks. Scatter over the rice and bake for a final 15 minutes. Serve with a green salad.

75P 2 tbsp tomato purée

225g halloumi cheese

150g stringless beans

200g basmati rice