Baked rice with confit tomatoes and garlic

Serves 6 as a side and 4 as a main. This was my go-to side for a good few months, working wellwith pretty much anything else on the table. There's also enough going on, flavour-wise, for it to be lovely as it is, as a main. Peeling so many garlic cloves won't win me any 'simple brownie points, I know, but, once done, the simple joy of this dish is that the rice is baked in the oven rather than on the stove. For those who find creating perfectly cooked rice in a pan of simmering water strangely difficult, this will be a revelation. Just make sure the foil is sealed tightly over the dish: you don't want any steam to escape in the oven

Good

% Daily Values based on a 2,000 calorie diet

Step 1

Preheat oven to 160°C fan forced

Step 2

Arrange the tomatoes, garlic, shallots, herbs and cinnamon sticks in a large high-sided casserole dish, about 20 x 30cm. Pour over the olive oil, along with 1/2 teaspoon of salt and a good grind of black pepper, and place in the oven for hour, until the vegetables are soft. Remove from the oven, sprinkle the rice evenly over the vegetables, without stirring them together, and set aside.

Step 3

Increase oven temperature to 220°C fan forced

Step 4

Sprinkle V teaspoon of salt and plenty of black pepper over the rice and then carefully pour the boiling water over the rice, Seal the dish tightly with tin foil and place in the oven for 25 minutes, until the rice is cooked. Remove from the oven and set aside for 10 minutes, still covered. Remove the foil, sprinkle over the coriander leaves, stir these very gently into the rice and serve