BAKED TOMATO CRISPY SHRIMP RICE

aka your new favourite midweek dinner

I really hate to be that person, but man, I love September. I like summer - I do! But I think I enjoy the changing of the seasons more, the transition from winter to spring and then summer to autumn, for me are the most special times of year. I think it’s something to do with being reminded of the impermanence of things. You appreciate the long summer days more when you’re aware they are about to get shorter. There’s also the “back to school” feeling that I’ve always enjoyed, being a fairly anxious person that finds solace in a routine and structure, coming back to work after the summer is a homecoming of sorts. While on holiday, I regularly spend my free time thinking about all the ways I can make the most of the rest of the year, all the projects I want to complete, new ideas to explore after the necessary recharge. I’m just not a chill person, so honestly, even if I am on holiday, I kind of enjoy musing on what my back to work will look like. I wish I wasn’t this way, but what can you do.

So whilst I love this time of year for all its crispy mornings, golden leaves and bonfires, it’s also one hell of a busy time. I find my evenings are more booked up than ever and as we hurtle towards the end of the year nothing slows down. So I like to lean on meals that are low fuss, high reward, but still completely delicious and nourishing. My confit chickpea stew was a one pot staple from last year that I make time and time again, and this baked rice is another all in one recipe that’s firmly in rotation. It might just be my favourite recipe of the year that I have shared here on The Late Plate - a bold claim, but one I stand by. My feeling is there isn’t always time for hours and hours of cooking, but there is always time for delicious food. Wrap up warm and remember to take your vitamin D.

Sending love, Rosie x

BAKED TOMATO CRISPY SHRIMP RICE

There isn’t much left to say about this recipe other than I really hope you make it and fall in love with it the same way I have. It’s a one pot wonder and very easily adaptable. If you’d like to use another bean instead of chickpeas, knock yourself out, you can swap the shrimp for a protein of your choice but adjust the cooking time to suit. If you’d like it to have more of a kick, use a hotter chilli paste, to keep it dairy free use a plant based butter or the equal weight in olive oil. Use what you have to hand and what you like to eat. In short, make this baked rice your own. I don’t have a slow cooker but I’m sure it would work very well in one, let me know if you try it that way!

For the rice:

500g rice (I used white jasmine but I’m sure would work well with any long grain rice)

70g butter, cubed

500ml hot vegetable stock

500ml passata

2 tsp Chipotle paste

1 tsp smoked paprika

1 x 400g can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed

2 x white onion, roughly chopped

1 tbsp red wine vinegar

2 tsp salt

For the shrimp:

200g raw, peeled and deveined shrimp

zest and juice of 1 lemon

1 tbsp olive oil

a pinch of salt and black pepper

a small bunch of parsley, roughly chopped

1. Preheat the oven to 230c.

2. In a large oven proof pan with a tight fitting lid, combine all the rice ingredients.

3. Give everything a good stir, pop the lid on and bake in the hot oven for 50 minutes. (if you don’t have a pan with a lid, you can use an oven proof dish and tightly wrap with foil)

4. While the rice is baking, marinade the shrimp in the lemon zest, juice, olive oil and salt and pepper.

5. After 50 minutes, take the rice out of the oven. Fluff it up with a fork and give everything a good stir, then smooth down the top with a spatula and add the marinated shrimp in an even layer.

6. Put it back in the oven, right at the top, for 15 minutes uncovered. You can also turn on the grill to get it super crispy and charred which I highly recommend !

7. Top with fresh parsley and serve alongside a sharp salad - we had a shaved fennel, lemon, dill & caper kind of slaw and it worked SO well.

8. Kick back and enjoy the fruits of your very minimal labour.