Cacao (chocolate) Orange Risotto Dessert in Oven

3 cups boiling water

1 c white rice (ordinary rice)

2 tsp ground cinnamon

2 cups coconut milk 

1 c brown sugar (or less)(or substitute)

½ cup cocoa powder

1 tsp vanilla / caramel essence

Zest of 1 orange

Juice of 1 orange

Tin of mandarin oranges – to serve

Preheat oven to 200 oC.  Place boiling water, rice, cinnamon, coconut milk, sugar, cocoa powder, vanilla, orange zest and orange juice in a 1.5L casserole oven dish with a lid and stir to combine.      

Cover the dish with a lid and bake for 40 minutes.   Remove dish from the oven, stir, cover again and bake for another 40 minutes – test to see if rice is soft but not mushy.     Remove and let cool down.  Serve with mandarin oranges / fresh orange slices.  Alma Pretorius

 

Mushroom Risotto with normal rice baked in oven

Love Risotto, but can't find Risotto rice?  Not in the mood for slaving over the stove top stirring risotto?  Fear not!!!!!  This baked Risotto is easy peasy - uses normal rice - and you only stir once during the baking process!!!!!

3 tbsp margarine/butter

1 tsp garlic, chopped finely

1 big onion, chopped finely

1 cup raw Rice (no-name brand / Tastic)

4 cups boiling water

7 tsp beef stock powder (Woolworths beef stock in a plastic pot is amazing! But any other will do – you can even use veg / chicken stock powder)

1 tsp ground black pepper

1 packet brown mushrooms, sliced (not too thin – it must be the brown ones!!!)

 

Preheat oven to 200 degrees Celsius.    In an oven dish with a lid, place margarine/butter, onion, garlic, raw rice, stock powder, HALF THE AMOUNT OF mushrooms and black pepper with the boiling water and stir to combine – and to let the margarine/butter melt.  

Cover the dish with a lid and bake for 30 minutes.

Remove dish from the oven, add the rest of the sliced brown mushrooms, stir, cover again and bake for another 20 - 30 minutes (or till all the liquid is gone and rice is soft.)   Top with thinly shaved White Cheddar cheese or Parmesan cheese. 

You can stir in some grated cheese, or feta cubes or Parmesan powder. 

Serves 4 – depending on if it’s a main dish or a side. 

Recipe and photo:  Alma Pretorius

 
 

Oats ‘risotto’ with spinach and cabbage

½ cup quick cooking (Jungle) oats, raw (seriously, any type of oats)

1 cup boiling water

2 tsp beef/veg/chicken stock powder (or other spices)

2 handfuls fresh baby spinach leaves

2 handfuls finely sliced cabbage

 

In small bowl, mix the raw oats, boiling water and stock powder. In pan on stove, stir-fry the spinach and cabbage in bit of oil. Lower the heat of the stove, add in the oats mixture, put lid on and steam ON VERY LOW for a few minutes. (Or you can steam the oat mixture in your microwave for 1-2 minutes on High - add your veggies and steam for another minute.)

Recipe and photo: Alma Pretorius

Smoked Haddock Curry Risotto in the Oven

1 cup raw rice (normal / no brand – NOT BASMATI/JASMINE)

1 onion, chopped, raw

4 cups boiling water

1 packet Nice ‘n Spicy curry spices

4 tbsp butter

Black pepper

1 teaspoon salt

1-2 frozen Smoked Haddock fillets, cubed

1 big carrot, sliced

3 hard-boiled eggs

 

Preheat oven to 200 oC. Use an oven dish with a lid.

In the oven dish, add all the ingredients EXCEPT THE HARD-BOILED EGGS. Stir well till butter is melted. Put the lid on.

Bake in the oven for 30 minutes.

Remove from the oven, stir well, put the lid on and bake for another 20 minutes.

Serve with halved hard-boiled eggs.

Recipe and photo: Alma Pretorius