Smoked Cheese Rice Bake

This was a lovely rice bake, something a bit different. I used a smoked cheese called smoked cuddy's cave, a Northumbrian cheese and I had to specially go to an Italian deli to find the fontina but it was definitely worth it, it's lovely and melty.

Smoked Cheese Rice Bake (from Iowa Girl Eats)

(Serves 6)

500ml chicken broth
300g brown rice
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, sliced thinly
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 bunch kale, chopped
salt and pepper
1 tbsp butter
2 tbsp flour
375ml milk
75g fontina cheese, grated
75g smoked cheese, grated

Bring chicken broth to a boil in a small saucepan then add rice, cook according to the packet instructions.

Meanwhile heat the oil in a frying pan over medium heat then add the onions and a dash of salt. Stir to coat then cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are golden brown and very tender, 25-30 mins. Add the garlic and kale, season with salt and pepper, and then cook until kale is tender, 3-4 mins. Scoop mixture into a large bowl then set aside.

In the same frying pan melt the butter then sprinkle in flour and whisk to incorporate. Cook for 30 secs then slowly pour in milk while whisking constantly to avoid lumps. Season with salt and pepper then turn heat up slightly to bring to a bubble and then turn heat back down to medium and cook until thickened and bubbly, stirring often, 5-6 mins. Remove from heat then gradually stir in 50g of each cheese until melted and smooth.

Preheat oven to 180C then spray a 23 ×30 or 20 × 20cm baking dish very well with nonstick spray. Add the cooked rice and cheese sauce to kale mixture in the bowl then mix to combine. Pour the mixture into prepared baking dish then sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown on top.