Best Jeweled Rice With Dried Fruit Recipes

JEWELED SAFFRON RICE PILAF

Steps:

• Bring a large nonstick saucepot of water to a boil and generously salt. Transfer ½ cup boiling water to a bowl and stir in the saffron; reserve. Add the rice to a boiling water and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes. Drain well. Melt the butter in the same pot over medium-low heat and stir in the coriander and cumin. Reduce the heat to low and spread one-third of the rice evenly across the bottom. Sprinkle with one-third of the saffron mixture and half of the cranberries and currants. Spoon half of the remaining rice over the dried fruit and sprinkle with half of the remaining saffron mixture and the remaining dried fruit. Top with the remaining rice and saffron mixture. Poke 5 holes in the rice with the handle of a wooden spoon. Wrap a clean kitchen towel around the pot lid, cover the rice, and steam for 35 minutes. Remove from the heat and let stand for 10 minutes. Spoon the rice, including its crunchy golden bottom layer, onto a serving platter and top with the almonds and pistachios.

PERSIAN JEWELED RICE

Steps:

• Rinse basmati rice until water runs clear. Place in a bowl, cover with water and add 1 tablespoon salt. Allow to soak for at least 4 hours or overnight.
• Using a mortar and pestle, grind together saffron and sugar. Combine with a scant 1/3 cup boiling water, and set aside to steep. Bring a stockpot of lightly salted water to a rolling boil. Drain rice and add to pot; cook exactly 6 minutes, then drain into fine-meshed colander.
• Place a round Dutch oven or other wide pan with a lid over medium heat. Add 1 tablespoon butter and vegetable oil. When butter has melted, add potato slices in a single layer. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Spread potatoes evenly with a layer of rice about 1 inch thick. Sprinkle 1 cup barberries in stages over rice. Continue to add rice in smaller and smaller layers, sprinkling barberries between each layer, to make a pyramid of rice with no berries on top.
• Using the handle of a round wooden spoon, poke 3 holes into top of rice until spoon touches potato layer. Combine melted butter with saffron mixture, and pour all over rice. Cover underside of pot lid with a large dry cotton kitchen towel. Place on pan, making sure no ends dangle near source of heat.
• Cook rice mixture over medium-high heat for 5 minutes, then reduce heat to low. Cook 40 to 45 minutes. To serve, spoon rice onto a heated serving platter. Top with rows of almonds, pistachios, candied orange zest and remaining 1/2 cup barberries. Arrange potatoes from bottom of pan in another dish, and serve alongside rice.

DAVID TANIS'S PERSIAN JEWELED RICE

Steps:

• Rinse the rice several times in cold water until the water runs clear. Drain. Bring 3 quarts water to a boil in a large pot with 2 tablespoons kosher salt. Add the rinsed rice and boil, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes, then drain well in a colander.
• Heat 1 tablespoon butter in a small skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, season lightly with salt and cook until softened and lightly colored, 4 to 5 minutes. Moisten with 1 tablespoon saffron water and stir in the cinnamon, cardamom, allspice, black pepper and cumin. Cook for 1 minute more. Stir in the apricots, raisins (or currants) and barberries (or cherries or cranberries).
• Melt 4 tablespoons butter in a heavy-bottomed enamel or nonstick Dutch oven over medium heat. Spread half the par-cooked rice over the bottom of the pot. Spoon over the onion-fruit mixture, then the remaining rice. Leave the pot on the flame, uncovered, for 5 to 8 minutes to gently brown the rice. (Do not stir or move the rice - you will need to rely on your nose to tell if the rice has browned.)
• Drizzle the remaining saffron water over the rice and put on the lid. Adjust the heat to very low and leave undisturbed for 30 minutes. Turn off the heat and let rest at least 10 minutes.
• Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon butter in a small skillet over medium-low heat and gently toast the almonds and pistachios for a minute or so, taking care not to get them too brown. Set aside for garnish.
• To serve, spoon the rice into a wide bowl or platter. With a spatula, carefully lift the bottom crust, placing the crisp side up. Sprinkle with the toasted nuts.

BUTTERY BEJEWELED RICE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Separate dark green parts from scallions; thinly slice dark green parts and white and pale green parts, keeping them separate. Set aside. Arrange almonds and pistachios on opposite sides of a rimmed baking sheet and toast until almonds are golden brown, about 3 minutes. Remove almonds from baking sheet and toss pistachios. Return baking sheet with pistachios to oven and toast until golden brown, about 4 minutes longer. Let cool.
• Melt 3 Tbsp. butter in a large heavy pot over medium heat. Add carrots and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened but without having taken on any color, 10-12 minutes. Stir in sugar and a pinch of salt and cook, stirring, until sugar dissolves, about 1 minute. Transfer carrots to a medium bowl.
• Melt another 4 Tbsp. butter in the same pot over medium. Add garlic and reserved pale green and white parts of scallions and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened but without taking on any color, about 5 minutes. Stir in rice, cardamom, cinnamon, red pepper flakes, and turmeric and cook, stirring often, until some grains are translucent, about 3 minutes. Add 1 Tbsp. salt and 3¾ cups water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover pot, and simmer until rice is tender, 25-30 minutes. Remove pot from heat; let sit 10 minutes to allow rice to steam longer.
• While rice is cooking, melt 2 Tbsp. butter in a small skillet over medium heat. Add dried fruit and cook, stirring often, until fruit is plumped and softened, about 4 minutes. Set aside.
• Add remaining 3 Tbsp. butter to rice and fluff with a fork. Spoon pilaf onto a large platter. Top with neatly defined rows of dried fruit, almonds, pistachios, carrots, and reserved scallion greens, or, if you prefer, mix all the toppings into the rice before arranging on the platter.