add one-third of the sliced onion. Somewhat trickier was the rice dish. The same crisp skin and juicy meat as our classic recipe, but with a flavor-packed herb butter to coat it. 1. Cover the dish tightly with aluminum foil (or a tight-fitting lid), and place in the oven for 30 minutes or so, until all the water has been absorbed and the rice is … This isn’t as obvious as it may sound. Why I picked this recipe: A heavily spiced blend of lentils, rice, and fried onions seemed like a perfect bowl of comfort food for chilly late November evenings. Then, instead of cooking the rice with a measured amount of water, he cooks it in a big pot like pasta. Place on a large flat plate, sprinkle with the flour and 1 teaspoon salt, and mix well with your hands. I’d look for something like a Langhe Nebbiolo from the Piedmont region of Italy, or a Valtellina from the Lombardy region. Place the Ottolenghi's Chicken with Caramelized Onion and Cardamom Rice (Look up pictures; it’s very impressive.). It may seem strange to stir crisp fried bits into a steaming hot pot of rice, but the lost crunch factor is totally worth it considering the incredible depth of caramelized, salty flavor given over to the rice and beans. Seal tightly with the lid and set aside for 10 minutes. Sprinkle 2 teaspoons of salt over the rice, and then pour 3 1/2 cups of boiling water over the rice. Cover the dish tightly with aluminum foil (or a tight-fitting lid), and place in the oven for 30 minutes or so, until all the water has been absorbed and the rice is light, fluffy and starting to turn crisp around the edges. Place the lentils in a small saucepan, cover with plenty of water, bring to a boil, and cook for 12 to … Now, I don’t even soak beans, and I’m going to soak rice? This bulghur pilaf from Yotam Ottolenghi’s Plenty uses a good amount of onion and red bell pepper, accented by pink peppercorns and ground coriander to build in flavor from the ground up. https://www.favfamilyrecipes.com/stovetop-rice-pilaf-with-orzo Drain and set aside. These Persian-inspired meatballs in tomato sauce are a great way to feed an eagerly hungry family. Get regular updates from NYT Cooking, with recipe suggestions, cooking tips and shopping advice. The Mejadra recipe in Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi's Jerusalem: A Cookbook is Tamimi's take on the traditional Arab comfort food combination of rice, lentils, and onions. Dried porcini mushrooms are rehydrated, then poured, with their liquid, over the pilaf to bake. Add a rating: Comments can take a minute to appear—please be patient! What worked: Once assembled, the dish far surpasses the sum of its parts—who knew such humble elements could taste so dynamic? Heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium high heat. Regional or village Burgundies would be lovely, as would restrained pinot noirs from elsewhere. In Indonesian variations, the rice was often shaped in a cone instead of a dome and robed at the tip with banana leaf, a crown signaling who’s at the top of this delicious bunch. LONDON — A recent trip to Indonesia, where I was surrounded by rice paddies and had rice for every single meal, has made me think about rice. Finally, add half the fried onion to the rice and lentils and stir gently with a fork. Reprinted with permission from Jerusalem: A Cookbook by Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi, copyright 2012. In all of them, rice is cooked in stock and alongside all sorts of ingredients — meat, vegetables, spices, nuts or dried fruit. Kate is a freelance writer and personal chef living in Berkeley, CA. Ottolenghi's Basmati Rice & Orzo was wildly aromatic but also perfectly comforting and very kid-friendly. She is a contributor to KQED's Bay Area Bites, SFoodie, and Berkeleyside NOSH. Available wherever books are sold. These are the crispiest, most flavorful roast potatoes you'll ever make. Suggested tweaks: The flavors and technique of this dish are pretty set in stone; that said, you could probably tweak the cooking times to use a different type of bean or brown basmati rice if you felt up to the task. All the benefits of sous vide cooking, paired with deep, roasty flavors and extra-crispy skin to satisfy a crowd.