Salmon-Rice Casserole

For those who can't handle milk, this is a deliciously creamy dish with a dairy-free white sauce. If you can handle some cheese, you can add grated Parmesan instead of the yeast flakes.

This meal freezes well, so I make a double batch and put half in the freezer for another day. (See instructions below.) If you don't want to make a double batch, halve everything except the water you cook the rice in. You'll still need to cook the rice and broccoli for the same time as below, but the sauce will only take about 4-5 minutes.

You can use fresh or tinned salmon for this recipe - if using fresh, cube and place on top of broccoli to steam while the rice cooks below. If using tinned, add to the casserole when putting it together. See the variation below for using quinoa instead of rice - quicker, and higher protein!

1. Weigh water into Thermomix, add rice basket and weigh in rice. Set to cook for 25 minutes at Varoma temp, speed 4:
- 1200g water
- 400g brown rice

2. Place Varoma on top of bowl, add broccoli (and salmon, if using fresh) to Varoma, and continue to cook for another 10 minutes at Varoma temp, speed 4, until all cooked through:
- 2 heads of broccoli, cut into small florets
- 2 cups fresh salmon pieces (optional - can use tinned)

 3. Divide the rice and broccoli between two casserole dishes, rice on the bottom, broccoli on top. If you're going to freeze one, line the dish with baking paper first. (You'll see why later...) Top with salmon and sprinkle with lemon juice. Set aside.
- cooked brown rice and broccoli (and cooked salmon if using fresh)
- 400g (14 3/4 oz) can salmon, drained (if using tinned)
- 2 tsp fresh lemon juice

4. Empty the bowl, rinse and dry well, and make the white sauce. Start by grinding up the rice and almonds for 1 minute on speed 9:
- 80g raw brown rice
- 80g raw almonds

5. Add water and pulverize on speed 9 for 1 minute:
- 700g water

6. Add remaining ingredients for white sauce and cook for 6 minutes, 90 degrees, speed 4:
- 30g ghee or butter or olive oil
- 1 Tblspn chicken or vege stock paste
  (chicken stock paste recipe here)
- 1 Tblspn savoury yeast flakes (or some grated parmesan)
- a pinch of cayenne pepper
- a pinch of ground nutmeg
- 30g cornflour (or other flour)
- herb salt to taste

7. Pour sauce over layers and top with:
- a couple of handfuls of chopped almonds (whole almonds chopped at speed 5 for 10 seconds in Thermomix) OR a couple of handfuls of roughly chopped pine nuts

Ready to go in the oven or freezer...

8. Either bake for 30 mins in moderate oven, or cool and freeze. Once frozen remove baking paper wrapped casserole from baking dish, and place in airtight bag and put back in freezer. When you're ready to bake it, you can remove the bag, and place the casserole back in the original baking dish, and it will fit perfectly! Bake unthawed casserole in moderate oven for about 1 1/2 to 2 hrs. (Uncover towards end of cooking time to brown.)

Variation: Try using quinoa instead of brown rice - here's a recipe for garlic quinoa which would work well, and the broccoli can steam on top. Place Varoma on top right at the start, as quinoa takes a lot less time to cook - you can check the broccoli part way through and take it off when you get it to the texture you like.