Tag Archives: rice

Four-Grain Pilaf

24 Feb

Four-Grain Pilaf

Here’s a nice, hearty side dish that combines a lot of different grains for great taste, lots of fiber and an interesting texture.

Ingredients:

1½ Tbs. olive oil
1½ Tbs. margarine
¾ cup chopped onions
2 tsp. minced garlic
2 cups chopped fresh mushrooms
½ cup medium barley
¼ cup wild rice
¼ cup bulgur
¼ cup basmati rice
3 cups chicken or vegetable stock (plus more if needed)

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Put half the margarine and olive oil in a medium skillet and saute the onions over medium-high heat until wilted, about 5 minutes.

Add the garlic and mushrooms and saute 5 minutes longer, tossing, until the mushrooms begin to brown. Scrape the mixture into a small casserole with a lid.

Melt the remaining margarine and the oil in the skillet and add the grains. Saute until the grains begin to brown, about 5 minutes. Pour in the stock and bring to a boil.

Pour the stock and grains into the casserole and mix. Cover and bake for 45 minutes. Check after 30 minutes to make sure the mixture is not drying out. If it is, add a little more stock or water.

Let the casserole sit out of the oven, covered, about 5 minutes before serving.

Serves 6

 

 

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Sweet Rice with Carrots and Nuts

9 Sep

Sweet rice with carrots and nutsIf you’re looking for something new for your Rosh Hashanah feast, consider this tasty dish.This comes from The New Persian Kitchen by Louisa Shafia. It’s the first recipe I made from the book.

The full recipe makes a lot of rice, so it can probably be halved if you’re serving just a few people.

Carrots are very traditional for Rosh Hashanah among Ashkenazi Jews (of Central European ancestry) because the Yiddish word for carrots, mehren,  sounds like mehr, the Yiddish word for more, and so it represents a wish for an increase in blessings in the coming year. And the honey, of course, represents a wish for a sweet year to come.

Ingredients:

2 cups white basmati rice, soaked in cold water for 1 hour
3 cups water
Sea salt
2 Tbs. butter or refined coconut oil, at room temperature
3 Tbs. refined coconut oil
1 yellow onion, finely diced
2 scant cups grated carrots (2 large or 3 medium)
½ cup slivered or coarsely chopped almonds, toasted
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. ground cardamom
¼ tsp. ground turmeric
½ cup pistachios, coarsely chopped, plus 1 Tbs. for garnish
Grated zest of 1 orange (about 1 Tbs.)
¼ cup honey
½ tsp. saffron, ground and steeped in 1 Tbs. hot water

Directions:

Drain the rice and rinse under cold water until the water runs clear. In a large saucepan, combine the water and a pinch of salt and bring to a boil. Add the rice, return to a boil, then turn down the heat to its lowest setting. Cover and cook for 20 minutes. Turn off the heat and let the rice rest for 5 minutes, then dot with the 2 Tbs. butter or coconut oil and fluff with a fork. The rice should be dry and fluffy.

While the rice cooks, heat a skillet over medium heat and sauté the onion in the 3 Tbs. coconut oil for about 15 minutes, until lightly browned. Add the carrots, almonds, cinnaomon, cardamom and turmeric, and cook, stirring often, for about 10 minutes, until the carrots are tender.

Add ½ cup pistachios, the orange zest and the honey and cook for about 2 minutes, until heated through. Season with salt to taste.

Scoop the rice into a large bowl. Add the carrot mixture and drizzle in the saffron. Mix gently and season with more salt if needed. Garnish with the remaining pistachios.

Serves 12

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Mujadrah

17 Jun

MujadaraSome friends and I were talking about making rice. One noted that she’d started making rice and lentils together, and I asked if she’d ever tried mujadrah, the Middle Eastern lentil pilaf. It’s very easy to make. What makes it taste so good are the sliced onions that are browned to a crisp in oil before being added to the pilaf.

Top with plain yogurt, if you like, and serve  with a tossed salad or an Israeli salad* for a satisfying supper.

Note: Bobbie’s Best Recipes is going on vacation for a couple of weeks, so don’t worry if you don’t get your weekly recipe next week. We’ll be back!

Ingredients:

1¼ cups brown lentils
½ tsp. salt
Black pepper to taste
1¼ cups rice
4 large onions
4½  cups of water or vegetable broth
1½ tsp. cumin
¼ tsp. ground allspice
¼ tsp. cayenne pepper
⅓ cup olive or vegetable oil

Directions:

Combine lentils, water, salt and pepper. Cook over medium heat for about 20 minutes or until lentils are starting to soften. Add rice, cumin, allspice and cayenne pepper. Cook another 20 minutes until water is absorbed and rice is tender. (Check after 15 minutes and add a bit more water if necessary.) Let sit, covered, for 5 minutes.

While lentils and rice are cooking, quarter and slice the onions vertically. Heat the oil in a heavy skillet and fry the onions in oil until they are dark brown. Drain the onions and reserve. Pour any remaining hot oil over the mujadrah and mix well.

Sprinkle the onions over the top of the mujadrah.

*Make an Israeli salad by finely chopping tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers (optional) and onion – roughly equal amounts of tomatoes and cucumbers and about half as much onion. Drizzle over a little olive oil and season with salt and pepper.

Serves 6

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