Not Risotto but Comforting Rice

Last week was not a good week- when I find myself wanting to cry in the middle of an online exercise class because it's going slightly faster than my tired mind would like, this is generally a Bad Sign. Add to that a lack of ability to concentrate properly on the (admittedly tedious) things I was trying to do at work, and it totals up to realising that maybe I need to leave the house more than I thought I did. Food is a restorative though, I find following recipes fairly soothing a lot of the time and, of course, the end result usually makes me feel better. Eating properly is definitely an important part of keeping sane in these times.

Sanity savers this week included two Diana Henry recipes - one of which feels suitable for #ConfinedSpring as it includes chopped parsley and mint (give it a couple of months and I might be able to get these from my home-grown herb supply, for added middle-class smugness, if the parsley seeds ever sodding sprout). Some slight variations on the proper recipe, as the original includes feta and raw prawns. I don't eat feta, and can't be arsed with cooking raw prawns when perfectly adequate frozen ones exist. So, Prawn and Fennel Pilaf for two people, from Simple:
110g Basmati rice
Half an onion
Half a fennel bulb
Garlic (1 clove, or 2 if you feel like it)
150g cherry tomatoes
As many frozen prawns as seems appropriate, rinsed and left to defrost when you start cooking
2 tbsps chopped parsley and mint
100ml Vermouth
175ml Chicken stock
Rinse your rice throughly, then leave to one side. Chop the onion and fennel and soften gently, add the garlic (finely chopped) and a pinch of chilli flakes and cook for a couple of minutes. Chop the tomatoes (I did quarters) and stir through, leaving to cook gently for another couple of minutes then add the rice. DO NOT STIR HARD, it's a Pilaf, not a risotto and stirring it does not end well* - mix it very gently, pour in the vermouth and let it reduce slightly before adding the chicken stock and leaving it to cook for 10 minutes. Gently mix through the partially-defrosted prawns and leave for another 5-10 minutes. Again, do not stir hard! When the liquid is absorbed, fork through the herbs and serve.
*Stirring this gets you mush, albeit tasty mush.

It's not a great photo really

The second recipe is Arroz con Pollo, for which I do not hav the correct book but found a write up of the recipe here. Unlike that blogger, I had (almost) all the right ingredients and a dish big enough to cook it in, plus I had leftover parsley from the Pilaf so could do the decorative sprinkling at the end. I didn't have all the right spices, but the important one is paprika which I did have, so it worked out. It was absolutely the right thing to make on a Friday evening and I went into the weekend feeling a lot better about life.