Beetroot, Apple and Mushroom Rice

I may seem a little fixated with apples at the moment. There are three reasons for this. Firstly, they're in season. Secondly, they're free. Thirdly, they're delicious and should be used in savoury dishes far more than they are,

This was cooked up for lunch with a veggie friend and accompanied a vegetarian chilli cooked to this recipe. We served it with grated mature cheddar and sour cream.

Ingredients

200g/7oz long-grain rice

3 beetroots (Used pre-cooked here, but only because we were out of fresh)

3 apples 

A good handful of mushrooms

Half tspn cumin

Half tspn ginger

Cider / cider vinegar

Olive oil - tablespoon

Cook the rice. If you want to go wild, pop a vegetable stock cube in the water. Some folks prefer to let the rice cool before adding to the wok, to avoid clumping, but I rarely bother and find my rice clump free. If only life was clump free (sigh). 

Core the apples - they don't need peeling - and chop. Chop the beetroot and the mushrooms and then warm the olive oil in a wok / large frying pan.  Once the oil is hot, add the fruit and veg to the pan and give a good stir. Add the ginger and cumin and stir again. All you're looking to do here is soften the apples and beetroot (if you're using fresh). Add the cider or cider vinegar (or white wine vinegar if you have neither). Let the liquid boil down - only take a minute or two - and then add the drained rice. 

Stir like Noël Coward to get that great beetroot colour distributed evenly though the rice.

Serve!