Pea, basil and courgette rice

A simple vegetable rice for all occasions. If you live in a house with a rice-fanatic like I do you need to get busy on the rice creations. I love experimenting with all kinds of different vegetables, paste concoctions, and methods of which to cook different flavoured rice in a bid to make it a little more exciting than the usual plain boiled. I think this rice has a Mediterranean feel simply because of the basil, zingy lemon and courgettes remove it in flavour from the Indian spicy rice dishes. The basil paste I make to cook the rice in coats it beautifully and gives each little grain a lot of flavour.

Ingredients:
Bunch of fresh basil
Lemon
1 medium white onion
2 cloves of garlic
2 courgettes
3 tbsp of olive oil (a little more for frying)
250ml organic vegetable stock
250g / 9 oz basmati rice
100g / 3.5 oz pine nuts
200g / 7 oz garden peas (frozen)
Sea salt and black pepper for seasoning

For the dip:
200g / 7 oz creme friache
2 cloves of garlic
juice of half a lemon
1 tbsp hot water
1 tsp garam masal
Half a tsp cumin seeds
Half a tsp tumeric

Rinse the rice several times through cold water in a sieve, until it runs clear. Set aside.

Make the paste by putting a few handfuls of the basil, the juice of half the lemon, 3 tbsp of the olive oil, the garlic (peeled and chopped), the onion finely chopped, and a few pinches of salt and pepper seasoning into a mixing bowl. Whizz with a hand held blender, until you get a sludgy green paste.

Finely chop the courgettes into 2 cm long thin rectangles.

Get a large deep sided pan with a lid, add about a tablespoon of olive oil and get it hot over a medium heat.

Add the green paste and stir it around for 2 minutes until it becomes fragrant. Add the courgettes and cook for a minute more. Stir in the rice with the paste, add the hot stock, turn the heat down really low, put the lid on and leave for around 30 minute. Check it at 5 minute intervals, giving it a stir to make sure it isn't sticking to the bottom of the pan.

Whilst this is cooking put the pine nuts under a medium heat grill for 5 minutes or until they are just golden. Take out and set aside.

Make the dip by mixing all the ingredients together in a bowl and chilling in the fridge for 15 minutes, or until the rice is ready.

5 minutes before the rice is ready stir in the toasted pine nuts and an extra squeeze of lemon juice, a tbsp of olive oil, and plenty of salt and pepper to season. Serve in bowls with dollops of the fresh dip on top.