Date and Rice Pilaf with Spicy Tomato Salsa
Yield: servings
Ingredients
Date and Rice Pilaf
- 3 tbsp clarified butter
- 1 cup medjool dates pitted and chopped
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp allspice
- 2 red chili peppers deseeded and chopped
- 2 cups basmati rice presoaked and drained
- 4 cups chicken stock
- Zest of 1 orange
- 6 cardamom pods lightly bruised
- 1 cinnamon stick
- Salt and pepper
- ¼ cup rosewater combined with 2 pinches of saffron
Garnish
- Toasted almonds pine nuts, and pistachios
- Parsley leaves
Spicy Tomato Salsa (Dakkous)
- 2 tbs olive oil
- 6 cloves garlic crushed
- ½ cup fresh coriander chopped
- 5 small red chili peppers deseeded and chopped
- 8 ripe tomatoes peeled and pureed
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 2 to matoes diced
- Salt and pepper
Instructions
Date and Rice Pilaf
- In a large pot melt the butter and add the dates. Stir in the cinnamon, allspice and chopped chili pepper, coating all of the dates.
- Add in the drained rice and stir to coat each grain.
- Pour in the chicken stock and allow to come to a boil.
- Put in the cinnamon stick, orange zest and cardamom pods and season with salt. Lower the heat and allow to simmer until rice is done for approximately 20 minutes.
- Drizzle in the rosewater and saffron mixture about 5 minutes before the rice is cooked. Do not stir.
- The rice will have a two-toned color of white and yellow. Place the cover back on and leave to finish cooking.
- When done, serve garnished with toasted nuts and fresh parsley leaves.
Spicy Tomato Salsa
- In a saucepan, heat the olive oil and sauté the garlic for one minute. Add the coriander and stir.
- Add the chili peppers and tomato purée along with the cinnamon, tomato paste, salt, pepper and allow to come to the boil.
- Stir in the diced tomatoes.
- Lower the heat to simmer and leave for 10 minutes to unify the flavors. Serve hot with rice.
