Caramelised Fennel & Mushroom Pilaf

There was a time when healthy eating seemed to mean making food as bland as possible.

This pilaf comes from one of those old diet books I’ve been revisiting on and off for years. Every so often, usually after a period of overindulgence, I find myself returning to a handful of recipes from it. Most have faded away, but this one has stayed with me.

The original recipe was simple enough: rice, lentils, fennel and mushrooms cooked together into a wholesome one-pot meal. Over time I’ve made it my own. The onions are properly browned, the fennel is allowed to caramelise, the mushrooms are cooked until they actually taste of something, and there’s plenty of lemon and black pepper at the end.

What started life as a worthy healthy-eating recipe has become a genuinely delicious one.

Caramelised Fennel & Mushroom Pilaf

Serves 2

Ingredients

1 tbsp olive oil

1 small red onion, sliced

1 whole fennel bulb, sliced

115g sliced mushrooms

90g Tilda Basmati & Wild Rice

125g cooked green lentils

1 tbsp lemon juice, or to taste

2 tbsp chopped flat-leaf parsley

Freshly ground black pepper

Method

1. Heat the olive oil in a frying pan and cook the onion until golden and caramelised.

2. Add the fennel and continue cooking until softened and caramelised.

3. Remove the onion and fennel from the pan and set aside.

4. Add the mushrooms to the same pan and cook until they release their moisture and become golden brown.

5. Return the onion and fennel to the pan.

6. Stir in the rice, pre-cooked green lentils and a teaspoon salt.

7. Add enough water so that it sits about ½ cm above the level of the rice. Bring to the boil, then cover and simmer for 15 minutes.

8. Turn off the heat and leave to rest, covered, for 15 minutes.

9. Stir in the lemon juice, parsley and plenty of freshly ground black pepper.

10. Serve warm or at room temperature.