Rice n' Cheese

I'm rather proud of this dish, and it's even gotten housemate approval. I'm not the biggest fan of mac and cheese, the cheese sauce tends to be very heavy and claggy and if you don't use the right cheddar then it tends to also be flavourless. This recipe is based upon my desire to create a dish with all the creamy deliciousness of mac and cheese, but without the toil and stress of making a decent cheese sauce, something I don't find especially easy. I do specify an extra mature cheddar below, and this is very important, milder less piquant varieties won't provide the same depth of flavour or sharpness which is welcome in a smooth dish like this.

Instead of using pasta, I have used rice, or to be more specific, risotto. I included a recipe for cheddar cheese risotto on this blog a while back, and this is somewhat a variation on that. You will notice that the ingredients are significantly more scant than I normally supply, and this is very intentional, given that this dish is so rich, you will only be able to eat a relatively small portion, though you can double it up as you wish.

Start by peeling and finely chopping a quarter of a large red onion, and fry it gently in oil with a pinch of sea salt flakes until translucent but not browned. Add the rice and turn in the oil for a few minutes with a wooden spoon. Make up the vegetable stock, and add it a little at a time, stirring until the liquid has absorbed, and repeat, until all the stock has been soaked up and the rice is tender. Stir in some freshly ground black pepper and a little salt and remove from the heat.

Chop the cheddar into small chunks and add them to the risotto, stir until all the cheese has melted and combined with the rice, and transfer it all to a small ovenproof dish.

In a small bowl make the topping by mixing breadcrumbs with freshly grated parmesan and some ground black pepper, spoon over the top and bake in a medium hot oven for 15 minutes, or until the top has browned and is bubbling.

ingredients

200g arborio rice
600ml vegetable or chicken stock
1/4 red onion, diced
vegetable oil
50g extra mature cheddar cheese
3 tablespoons breadcrumbs or matzo meal
2 tablespoons finely ground parmesan
salt & pepper