Puffed Nero Rice crisps

Preparazione

A little creativity goes a long way with this recipe! Don’t be put off by the long preparation time, most of the time is just waiting for the rice to dry out and if you trust the recipe, even the puffin-up in the fryer will be a walk in the park.

Method

Rinse the Nero rice under cold running water then boil it in salted water until well cooked, almost smashed and mushy. The water used for the cooking should be almost all absorbed so make sure you add more only if needed. Pro-tip, give the mushy rice a partial blitz with a hand blender to facilitate the creation of a rice sheet.

 Now spread the cooked rice between 2 sheets of baking parchment and press it with a rolling pin until you have a uniform thin sheet of rice of about 2mm. Now bake the rice at 90 degrees Celsius for at least 2 to 3 hours or until fully dried out. It really needs to be dry to the touch, the drier the rice, the better the puffing will be. 

Take out of the oven and remove the parchment and cut the rice sheet into shards. Deep fat fry at 180 degrees Celsius until puffed and golden on both sides. If well done and the oil is hot enough, it will only take 1 to 2 minutes for the crisps to be ready and puffed. Refrain from seasoning as the rice was already salted when it was boiled.

Now peel the avocado and blitz it into a puree with a pinch of salt and a few drops of lemon to retain the colour. Chop the cherry tomatoes and dress with basil leaves, peeled whole garlic (to be removed after), salt, pepper and a good glug of extra virgin olive oil. Spread the avocado on the crisps and top with the chopped cherry tomatoes. Garnish with lemon zests and fresh basil leaves and enjoy straight away  

Chef’s tip: these crisps are delicious on their own or with any dip of your choice ad they are fully vegan. Make them in advance and keep them in an airtight container for 2 weeks when fully dried. Fry only the day you intend to serve them.