Rice Pilaf With Currants Recipes

Steps:

• Heat oven and stock Heat oven to 350°F. Bring stock to a simmer in a small saucepan.
• Meanwhile, sauté aromatics Melt butter in a 2-quart ovenproof saucepan over medium heat. Add onion, bay leaf, and salt and cook until onion is soft and translucent, stirring occasionally, about 3 minutes.
• Toast rice Add rice and stir well to coat each grain with butter mixture. Cook until rice is fragrant and starting to turn translucent, stirring frequently, about 3 minutes.
• Add stock to rice mixture and bake Add stock and return to a simmer. Transfer to oven, cover, and bake 16 minutes. Remove from oven. Cover and let steam for 10 minutes, then fluff with a fork before serving.
• Follow recipe above, substituting brown rice for white and increasing stock to 1 3/4 cups (instead of 1 1/2 cups). Bake 45 minutes, then stir in 1/4 cup dried currants before fluffing with a fork. Garnish with toasted sliced almonds and serve.
• Follow main recipe above, substituting basmati rice for the white rice. Add a pinch of saffron to the stock and let stand 10 minutes before bringing to a simmer. Proceed with recipe. Garnish with pomegranate seeds and serve.

Steps:

• Soften saffron in hot water (2 tablespoons) in a small bowl.
• Heat oil in a 5-quart heavy pot over medium-high heat until it shimmers. Fry almonds, stirring frequently, until golden, about 3 minutes. Transfer with a slotted spoon to paper towels to drain.
• Fry onion in oil remaining in pot, stirring occasionally, until golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes. Transfer half of onion to a bowl.
• Add rice to onion in pot and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add water (4 1/2 cups), saffron mixture, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to low and cook, covered, until water is absorbed and rice is tender, 18 to 20 minutes. Let rice stand, covered, off heat 5 minutes.
• While rice stands, stir almonds and currants into bowl with onion.
• Fluff rice with a fork and serve with almond mixture spooned on top.

Steps:

• Warm olive oil in a heavy-bottomed pot with a lid or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add pumpkin, season with salt, and cook, stirring, until pumpkin begins to brown, 5 to 8 minutes. Remove and set aside, leaving oil in pot.
• Add onion and cook, stirring, until quite brown, about 5 minutes. Add pine nuts and let them brown a bit. Add currants, pepper, allspice and cinnamon.
• Stir in the rice and cook for 2 minutes more, making sure rice is well coated with oil. Add broth or water and 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt and bring to a boil.
• Reduce heat to a bare simmer. Taste broth and adjust for salt - it should be quite well seasoned. Add reserved pumpkin, cover with a lid, and cook over very low heat until all liquid is absorbed, about 20 minutes. Turn off heat, and let rice steam with lid on for 10 to 15 minutes. Add butter and fluff rice gently with two wooden spoons.

Steps:

• Place cumin seeds in a sauce pan and heat slowly until aromatic. Add chicken stock, rice, salt, pepper and dried currants and bring to a boil.
• Cover, reduce heat to low, and cook until stock is absorbed and rice is tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Let rice stand, covered for 5 minutes, then add parsley and almonds and fluff with a fork.