Mushroom, Rice and Hazelnut Loaf

 

 

 

Makes 1 loaf to serve six

 

 

 

Here is another GUEST RECIPE from Green Kitchen Stories (Link below)    This delicious loaf is filled with flavour from mushrooms, spinach and hazelnuts and a very satisfying thanks to the rice.  I found this as one of their suggested recipes for  for Christmas as a vegetarian main dish. We love the look of the whole hazelnuts inside the loaf but you can chop them coarsely to make it even easier to cut the slices.  The last time I made this loaf, I used the ready mixed Quinoa & Flax & Rice mix, plus I used plenty of butter and garlic when cooking the mushrooms and barely allowed the spinach to wilt and have now doubled the rosemary and thyme quantities as the flavour was barely perceptible previously.    This is wonderful served cold and perfect for a picnic!

 

 

Ingredients:

 

1/2 cup / 150 ml whole grain rice, any colour (we used red) or even better, I have now made this with a ready cooked Seeds of Change 240g sachet of Quinoa & Flax, Wholegrain & Red Rice - they do other combinations
1 cup / 300 ml water
a pinch sea salt

2 tbsp cold-pressed coconut oil, butter or olive oil (I started by using Coconut oil and added butter to cook the mushroooms and garlic
1 large onion
4-6 garlic cloves (go with your taste

10 oz / 300 g mushrooms (I used a box of Chestnut mushrooms)
2 large sprig rosemary (finely chopped)
4 large sprigs thyme (finely chopped)
sea salt and black pepper
7 oz / 200 g spinach (fresh or frozen, thawed) (I used one and a half bags)
4 eggs
1/3 cup / 100 ml unsweetened plant milk or regular milk
sea salt and black pepper
¼ tsp ground nutmeg

4 oz / 150 g hazelnuts (if allergic to nuts, use sunflower seeds or simply skip them), whole or coarsely chopped

 

AND THIS IS WHAT YOU DO.......

 

 

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F / 200°C.
    

2. Place the rice in a sieve and rinse with water. Then place in a saucepan with water and salt. Bring to a boil, lower the heat to a bare simmer and let cook for 30-40 minutes (check the specific cooking time on the package).
    

3. Clean the mushrooms with a soft brush, if they are very dirty you can wash them with a little water and dry well. Slice the stem and the cap lengthwise into large slices.
    

4. Heat oil in a frying pan on medium-high heat, add garlic and onion and fry until fragrant.
    

5. Then add mushrooms, rosemary, thyme salt and pepper and let fry for 2-3 minutes until browned on one side, then stir to flip side.
    

6. Fry for a couple more minutes and then add spinach, stir around until wilted and pour into a bowl.   Remove the herby stems.
    

7. In a separate bowl whisk the eggs with milk, nutmeg, salt and pepper.
    

8. To prepare the hazlenuts, either pour them out inside a folded tea towell, cover and bash with a kitchen mallet, or it is quicker and easier to pulverise them, but retaining small pieces, in a Magimix.
    

9. Add hazelnuts, cooked rice and the mushroom and spinach mixture and combine.
    

10. Grease a loaf pan or cover it in baking paper. (I used spray can of oil) Pour the loaf mixture into the pan, place in the oven and bake for 45 minutes.   Ovens vary so do check that your loaf doesn't burn.
     

11. Let cool slightly to allow the loaf to set. Carefully flip the loaf out of the pan. Use a sharp knife when slicing it, we usually do 1-2 cm slices are recommended.  This loaf is best served warm.