Its National Rice Week

18th September – 24th September 2017

Following its successful launch last year, National Rice Week has returned to promote rice’s nutritional benefits and different ways to cook it.

Rice is the mainstay of food for over half the world’s population, but it’s so much more than an accompaniment to a curry or Chinese. Its versatility is unbeatable, not only can it be used to make starters, mains and desserts, but it’s a gluten-free hero, can take on flavours of any dish, is a firm favourite among vegetarians and has health benefits to rival some of the most super of super foods.

We have found some wonderful ways to combine the versatility of rice with black pudding:

 

Bacon, sausage and black pudding pilaff

Recipe from BBC Food by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall

Ingredients

Up to 250g/9oz streaky bacon, diced
2 tbsp olive oil
1 large onion, finely chopped
up to 250g/9oz cooked sausages, roughly chopped
up to 250g/9oz black pudding, chopped roughly or crumbled
500g/1lb2oz cooked basmati or other long grain rice
salt, freshly ground black pepper

Method
1. In a large pan gently fry the bacon until starting to crisp a little. Add the onion and sweat until soft, golden and translucent. Add the sausage pieces and black pudding and turn up the heat a little so they both crisp up and the onions start to take a little colour (you can burn them brown, but don’t burn them black).
2. Throw in the rice and heat through, tossing the pan occasionally until everything is well mixed and nicely hot. Taste and season as you like with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Serve at once.

 

Smoked mackerel and black pudding kedgeree

Recipe from BBC Food- by Simon Rimmer

Ingredients

1 tbsp olive oil
150g/5oz black pudding, sliced into rounds
50g/2oz butter
1 onion, finely chopped
350g/11½oz Arborio rice
750ml/1¼ pints warm chicken stock
1 heaped tsp curry powder
150g/5oz smoked mackerel fillets
2 free-range eggs, hard boiled, shell removed, chopped
2 tbsp chopped fresh coriander leaves
150g/5oz fresh mackerel fillets, grilled both sides until completely cooked through
pinch freshly grated nutmeg, to serve

Method

1. Place the oil into a frying pan over a medium heat. Add the black pudding rounds and fry, turning once, until crisp on both sides, then set aside.
2. Add the butter to the pan and, once foaming, add the onions and fry for three minutes, or until soft.
3. Add the rice and stir well to coat the grains in the butter and the onion.
4. Add a ladleful of stock and stir the rice well. When the stock has been absorbed by the rice, add more and continue stirring, adding more stock as it is absorbed until the rice is cooked. You must stir the rice constantly until it is cooked, which may take up to 40 minutes.
5. Add the curry powder to the cooked rice and stir well.
6. Break up the smoked mackerel fillets into flakes (removing any bones you might discover) and add to the rice mixture.
7. Add the eggs, cooked black pudding and coriander and stir gently to combine.
8. Break up the mackerel fillets, removing any bones, and sprinkle the flakes over the top of the dish.
To serve, place a few generous spoonfuls of kedgeree into bowls and garnish with a little freshly grated nutmeg.

 

Vegetarian Black Pudding Risotto

Recipe and Photos by Our Lizzy Vegetarian Cookery School

Ingredients

½ a V Pud, sliced
1 onion finely chopped
2 cloves of garlic crushed
150g chestnut mushrooms, sliced
250g pearled spelt
1 tbsp vegetable bouillon powder
1 litre of water
175ml of local cider
small handful of sage leaves
salt and black pepper to taste
extra virgin rapeseed oil

Method

  1. Add the bouillon powder to the boiling water to make a stock, and then place on a low heat.
  2. Heat some oil in a large pan. Sauté the onion, garlic and mushrooms and cook until the mushrooms are browned.
    1. Add the spelt and stir until coated in oil then add the cider and cook for 5 minutes. Next add a ladelful of stock and stir. Add the sage leaves.
  3. Cook on a medium heat, stirring frequently, adding more stock as required.
  4. When the spelt is cooked, remove the pan from the heat, and season with salt and pepper.
  5. Heat some extra virgin rapeseed oil in a clean pan. Test to see if the oil is hot and add the slices of Vegetarain Black Pudding. Fry until crispy before carefully turning over. When the Vegetarain Black Pudding is cooked on both  sides.
  6. This works well as a stuffing for field mushrooms.

 

For more great ways to use Black Pudding please check out our recipes page. To find out where to get our products visit our buy from page