West African Tomato and Pepper Rice with Thyme and Bay

Blend the pepper base. Put the tomatoes, red peppers, roughly chopped onion, chilli and 350ml of the stock into the blender and blitz for about 2 minutes until completely smooth. A fully smooth base now means the finished sauce won't have stray lumps of skin or seed later on.

Reduce the pepper base. Pour the blended mixture into the saucepan, partly cover it since it splutters as it heats, and bring to the boil, then simmer over medium-low heat for 30 minutes, scraping the base occasionally. It should reduce by about half to roughly 600ml. This long, slow simmer cooks out the raw, sharp edge of the tomato and chilli and concentrates the flavour into something much deeper, so turn on the extractor fan as the chilli fumes can be strong.

Fry the aromatics. Heat the oil in the large pot over medium heat, then add half the sliced onion along with the bay leaves, curry powder, thyme and black pepper. Cook for 3 minutes until fragrant and the onion has softened, stirring so the spices don't catch and turn bitter.

Darken the tomato purée. Stir in the tomato purée and 10g of the butter and cook for 3 minutes, stirring constantly, until the purée darkens from bright red to a deeper brick colour. This caramelises the sugars in the purée, which softens its tinned, slightly sharp edge and deepens both the colour and flavour of the sauce.

Reduce the sauce again. Add the reduced pepper base to the pot, partly cover and simmer gently for 15 minutes, until it reduces by about half again and turns noticeably thick. By this point the sauce should coat the back of a spoon rather than running off it.

Season and bring to the boil. Pour in the remaining 350ml stock and the salt, then bring everything to a boil over high heat. Taste the sauce here, since it should already taste well seasoned; the rice will only dilute it slightly, not fix an underseasoned base.

Stir in the rice. Add the rice and stir until every grain is coated in the sauce. Cover the pot with a double layer of foil or baking paper, pressed down firmly around the rim, then put the lid on top. The extra seal stops steam escaping around the lid, which matters because this rice cooks almost entirely on trapped steam from here on.

Cook on the lowest heat. Turn the heat down to its lowest setting and cook, covered and sealed, for 20 minutes without lifting the lid. Cooking this gently prevents the sauce from catching on the base before the rice has had a chance to absorb it.

Stir once, then finish cooking. Uncover the pot, turn the rice gently from the bottom up with the wooden spoon, then re-cover and cook for a further 15 minutes. The rice is ready once it's just tender with a slight bite and the liquid has been absorbed; if it's still firm or looks wet, give it another 5 minutes covered. A little toasted rice catching on the base is traditional and adds a pleasant smokiness, but turn the heat off straight away if you smell it starting to burn.

Finish and rest. Stir in the sliced tomato, the remaining sliced onion and the last 5g of butter, then cover and rest off the heat for 10 minutes. Remove the bay leaves before serving. Resting lets the fresh tomato and onion soften slightly in the residual heat while keeping their texture distinct from the rest of the rice.