Pork, porcini and lentil stroganoff with braised rice

Serves 2

Once you have the ingredients prepared, this is a wonderfully quick and easy recipe to make, and ideal for both a midweek or special weekend meal.

Preparation time 20 minutes | Cooking time 20 minutes

Ingredients

• 25g dried porcini mushrooms
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 onion, finely sliced
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed or peeled and grated
• Pinch of cayenne pepper
• 1 tsp paprika
• 300g pork fillet, cut into slim strips
• 1 x 400g tin brown lentils, drained
• 2 x Cooks&Co Roasted Red Peppers, cut into thin strips
• 80g baby spinach leaves
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard
• 200ml sour cream
• Flaked sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
  For the rice
• 40g butter
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 bay leaf
• 250g basmati rice
• 500ml chicken stock

Method

1. Put the dried mushrooms into a measuring jug and pour in boiling water until it reaches 450ml. Set aside and leave the mushrooms to rehydrate.
2. Preheat the oven to 180°C / fan 160°C / gas mark 4.
3. For the rice, melt the butter in a heavy­based braising casserole dish with a lid. Add the onion and bay leaf and cook gently for about 10 minutes, until the onion has softened but not coloured. Stir in the rice. Once it is coated in the butter, pour in the stock, increase the heat, bring to the boil and cover with the lid. Put in the oven and cook for 20 minutes without removing the lid. Once cooked, remove from the oven and leave to stand for about 5 minutes to continue to absorb any moisture in the pan.
4. Meanwhile, make the stroganoff. Heat the oil in a large frying pan and cook the onion for about 5 minutes until softened. Stir in the garlic, cayenne pepper and paprika. Cook for about 30 seconds. Increase the heat, add the pork and stir­fry for a couple of minutes until the pork is starting to cook through.
5. Stir in the lentils, roasted red peppers, and the soaked porcini mushrooms and all the liquid. Bring to a simmer and cook for about 5 minutes. Add the spinach, a little at a time, and stir until wilted. Finally, stir in the Dijon mustard and sour cream, and season with salt and pepper.
6. Remove the lid from the rice pan, run a fork through the rice to separate the grains and serve alongside the stroganoff.

Recipe created by celebrity chef Jo Pratt in partnership with Cooks&Co. For more recipe inspiration, visit cooksandco.co.uk.