Tuna and asparagus bake

A truly yummy combination of flavours that could use up some fridge fallout in the process. The original recipe is stuck in my do-it-yourself recipe book, having been cut out of some or other magazine at some or other point in my life.

Oven temperature
180C

Ingredients
750ml cooked rice (as in 750ml after cooking, not 750ml rice which is then cooked)
90ml butter
15ml lemon juice
15ml chopped parsley (I leave this out, because my husband loathes parsley)
410g tin of asparagus salad cuts
1 onion, finely chopped
2 courgettes/zucchini/baby marrow/whatever you call them, sliced (roughly 4mm slices)
Half a green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
25ml cornflour
60ml water
60ml sour cream
200g tin of tuna, drained and flaked
15ml fresh mint, chopped
250ml grated cheddar (or similar) cheese
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Method

Bake, uncovered for about 30mins

• Combine the rice with 30ml of the butter, lemon juice and parsley in a large bowl, then spoon over the base of a large ovenproof dish. Press this rice base down to pack it tightly.
• Drain the asparagus cuts, but keep about 125ml of the juice. Arrange the asparagus on top of the rice.
• Heat the remaining butter in a saucepan over medium heat and saute the onions lightly.
• Add the courgettes and green pepper. Stir fry for about a minute or until the veg begin to soften a bit.
• Stir in the cornflour and cook for a further minute.
• Stir in the reserved asparagus juice and water and keep stirring until a smooth consistency is achieved.
• Remove from heat and add the sour cream, tuna, mint and seasoning.
• Spoon this mixture over the asparagus and spread gently.
• Sprinkle with cheese and bake uncovered for about 30 minutes.
• If you like, you can top it with croutons after baking, but I have never found it necessary.

The rice forms a sort of 'crust'. I tend to mash the rice a bit to achieve a 'mealie rice'/grits texture.

A note about my comment about fridge fallout - you could add leftover vegetables to the tuna mixture, and I reckon peas and/or sweetcorn would be no bad idea!