45 mins
Not Too Tricky
serves 4
About the recipe
I’m bigging up the flavour of gorgeous seasonal courgettes by fanning them out like a pack of cards and serving them on top of fluffy rice, with bombs of vivid green pesto and sweet tomatoes, then grilling them until golden and crispy at the edges. Finished with mozzarella, olive tapenade and a fresh tomato salsa, this pretty-looking dish is sure to bring some sunshine to your plate.
Ingredients
olive oil
unsalted butter
2 cloves of garlic
1 mixed bunch of soft herbs, such as oregano, marjoram, thyme, sage (15g)
1 mug (300g) basmati rice
1 organic vegetable stock cube
4 small or 2 large mixed-colour courgettes
4 ripe mixed-colour tomatoes
4 tablespoons green pesto
60g bocconcini mozzarella or ½ x 125g ball of mozzarella
4 teaspoons black olive tapenade
SALSA
½ a small red onion
2 ripe tomatoes
1 fresh red chilli
½ a bunch of basil (15g)
red wine vinegar
Top Tip
Adapted from Veg by Jamie Oliver, published by Penguin Random House © Jamie Oliver Enterprises Limited (2019 Veg).
Method
I’m bigging up the flavour of gorgeous seasonal courgettes by fanning them out like a pack of cards and serving them on top of fluffy rice, with bombs of vivid green pesto and sweet tomatoes, then grilling them until golden and crispy at the edges. Finished with mozzarella, olive tapenade and a fresh tomato salsa, this pretty-looking dish is sure to bring some sunshine to your plate.
Place a large round shallow ovenproof pan on a medium heat with 1 tablespoon of olive oil and a small knob of butter. Peel, finely slice and add the garlic, and pick in the herb leaves, stirring occasionally.
Tip in the mug of rice and cook in the garlicky butter until translucent. Season with a pinch of sea salt and black pepper, crumble in the stock cube, then pour in 2 mugs of boiling kettle water (650ml) and give everything a good stir. Cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, then switch off the heat.
Finely slice the courgettes and tomatoes, then season with salt and pepper, drizzle with 1 tablespoon of olive oil and toss to dress.
Randomly bomb the pesto over the rice, then start layering up your veg: cover the rice with the courgette slices, going in a circle around the edge and overlapping them as you go, followed by a layer of tomatoes, moving slightly nearer the middle each time until you’ve covered the whole surface.
Preheat the grill to medium-high, then place the pan on the middle shelf for 20 minutes, or until beautifully golden and crisp at the edges.
For the salsa, peel and slice the onion and tomatoes, finely chop the chilli (deseed if you like), and pick over most of the basil leaves, then finely chop and mix everything together. Drizzle over 1½ tablespoons of red wine vinegar, then scrape into a small bowl.
When the time’s up on the grill, remove the pan to a high heat on the hob and cook for a few minutes to crisp up the bottom – once you hear it start to crackle, it’s done.
Tear over the mozzarella and spoon over the olive tapenade, then divide between plates, topping each portion with a spoon of fresh salsa and a few of the remaining basil leaves.
Tags
