Baked Rice with Celeriac Beetroot and Tagine Paste

Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 45 minutes

Easy

Serves 4 people

Ingredients

2 onions, peeled and chopped
1/2 head celeriac
6 tbsp Early Harvest Extra Virgin Olive Oil
salt and pepper
1 1/2 veg stock cubes
650g water
Pinch Saffron (optional)
300g rice
4 tbsp Tagine Paste
2 or 3 cooked beetroots, cut into wedges.
1 whole bulb garlic
1 lemon
1 small bunch flat leaf parsley, finely chopped

Method

Step 0: Heat your oven to 180C fan/220C non-fan. Chose the dish you intend to bake the rice in (a shallow metal dish or tray works best to get a nice crispy edge, but glass or earthenware is fine too) and place in the oven to give it plenty of time to heat up. Trim the roughest part of the celeriac off but keep most of the skin in. Cut into wedges slightly larger than bite size, place in a bowl, season with salt and 2 tbsp olive and mix to coat. Spread on a baking tray and bake for 20 minutes, until soft and lightly browned.
Step 1: While the celeriac is roasting, place a medium pan on a medium to high heat and when hot, add 4tbsp olive oil and add the onions. Season well with salt and pepper and cook for 10-15 minutes, until the onions are soft and caramelised, turning the heat down if they begin to burn. Combine the water, stock cubes and saffron (if using) and bring up to a simmer.
Step 2: Add the tagine paste to the onions and cook out for 2 minutes, then add the rice, season well with salt and stir to coat thoroughly. Remove the hot dish from the oven and pour the rice in. nestle the whole garlic clove in the centre then dot the pieces of celeriac and beetroot all over, pushing them into the rice. Gently add all the stock then place the dish back in the oven and bake for 30 minutes. All the liquid should have been absorbed, the rice should be cooked and there should be a crust forming on top and around the edge. If it looks a bit pale, remove the dish from the oven, turn the heat up to 225C and bake again for 5 minutes.
Step 3: Allow to sit for 5 minutes before serving (or longer if you place a piece of foil on top), then scatter parsley leaves on top. Serve with wedges of lemon to squeeze on top and remember to divide the bulb of garlic so the flesh can be squeezed on top of the rice.

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