Currant And Almond Pilaf Food

QUINOA ALMOND PILAF

Steps:

• Combine quinoa, cold water, and salt in a saucepan; bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low, place a cover on the saucepan, and cook until the liquid is fully absorbed, about 15 minutes.
• Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Cook and stir celery, onion, carrot, and garlic in the hot oil until the onion is translucent, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir almonds, tomato, raisins, salt, pepper, thyme, and oregano into the vegetable mixture; cook and stir 1 minute more.
• Fluff the quinoa with a fork and stir into the mixture in the skillet; cook and stir until evenly mixed and hot, about 30 seconds.
• Divide between 3 plates; sprinkle the top of each portion with a scattering of a few coarse sea salt granules for a surprising crunch of salty goodness.

RICE PILAF WITH PUMPKIN, CURRANTS AND PINE NUTS

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.

CURRANT-AND-ALMOND PILAF

Steps:

• In a small saucepan, melt butter over medium. Add rice. Cook, stirring, until lightly toasted, about 5 minutes. Add water or reduced-sodium chicken broth and bring to a boil.
• Reduce heat to low, cover, and cook until tender, about 15 minutes. Remove pan from heat and let stand, covered, 5 minutes. Stir in currants and almonds. Season with coarse salt and ground pepper.

BASMATI RICE PILAF WITH DRIED FRUITS AND ALMONDS

Steps:

• Place the rice in a medium bowl and add enough water to cover by 2 inches. Using your hands, gently swish the grains to release any excess starch. Carefully pour off the water, leaving the rice in the bowl. Repeat four to five times, until the water runs almost clear. Using a fine mesh strainer, drain the water from rice. Place the strainer over a bowl and set aside.
• Melt the butter in a pot over medium-low heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring regularly, until softened but not browned, about 4 minutes. Add the cumin, turmeric, cinnamon, and garlic and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 30 seconds longer. Add the rice to the pot, and cook, stirring constantly, for about 3 minutes. Add the water, salt, and pepper and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer until all the liquid is absorbed, 15 to 18 minutes. Off the heat, remove the lid and sprinkle the dried fruit over the rice (do not mix in). Place the lid over the pot and let stand for 10 minutes. Toss in the toasted almonds, fluff the rice with a fork, and serve.

ALMOND RICE PILAF

Steps:

• In a large saucepan, saute onion and almonds in butter until onion is tender and almonds are lightly browned. Add broth; bring to a boil. Stir in rice. Cover and remove from the heat. Let stand for 5-8 minutes or until the liquid is absorbed.

ZUCCHINI PILAF WITH ALMONDS

Steps:

• For the rice: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place almonds on a baking sheet, and bake until lightly toasted, about 10 minutes. Remove, and set aside to cool.
• In a small pan over medium heat, add butter and rice. Stir until the rice is lightly toasted, 5 to 8 minutes. Add vegetable broth, allspice, and salt. Bring to boil, then reduce heat to very low so the broth barely simmers; use a heat diffuser if necessary. Cover and cook for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare the zucchini.
• For the zucchini: Place a large sauté pan over medium heat, and add olive oil. Add onion, and cook, stirring, until translucent and lightly browned, about 10 minutes. Add garlic, and cook for 2 minutes. Add the zucchini, coriander, cumin, cayenne and salt. Cook, stirring, for 5 minutes. Add rice and currants, and mix well. If the rice looks dry, add two tablespoons water. Cover, and cook until the zucchini and rice are tender, about 15 minutes. The rice mixture may be uncovered and quickly stirred once or twice, covering it immediately after.
• For the yogurt garlic sauce: In a small bowl, combine the yogurt, garlic, mint and a pinch of cayenne. Mix well, and season with salt and pepper to taste.
• When the rice and zucchini are ready, top with cilantro, toasted almonds and fresh black pepper. Serve immediately, with yogurt-garlic sauce passed separately.

ALMOND CURRANT RICE

Steps:

• Prepare rice according to package directions, adding butter and salt. Just before serving, stir in almonds and currants.

BROWN RICE PILAF

Steps:

• Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add rice and stir until starting to brown, about 3 minutes. Add water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to maintain a low simmer, cover and cook until the rice is tender, 30 to 40 minutes (see Tips). Remove from heat and let stand, covered, for 10 minutes. Fluff with a fork and toss with currants and almonds.

WINTER PILAF

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a pan and gently fry the onions and garlic until softened, about 5 mins. Add the spices and rice, then stir-fry for 1-2 mins. Pour in the hot stock and simmer until the stock is nearly all absorbed, about 20-25 mins. Stir in the turkey, add seasoning, then continue cooking until warmed through. Scatter over the nuts and coriander. Divide between two bowls and serve with a dollop of cranberry sauce.

CURRANT-LEMON PILAF

Steps:

• Melt butter in heavy large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and sauté until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add rice; stir to coat with butter mixture, about 1 minute. Mix in broth, water, lemon juice, lemon peel and currants. Bring mixture to boil, stirring occasionally. Cover pan, reduce heat to medium-low and cook until liquids are absorbed and rice is tender, about 20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Mix in almonds and serve.

RICE AND CHICKEN PILAF WITH DRIED CURRANTS AND TOASTED ALMONDS

Steps:

• Heat oil in heavy large deep skillet (preferably nonstick) over medium-high heat. Add onion and sauté until golden, about 5 minutes. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper. Add chicken and garlic to skillet; sauté until chicken is no longer pink, about 4 minutes. Stir in rice, currants, and cinnamon sticks. Add broth and bring to boil. Reduce heat to low; cover and cook until rice is tender and most liquid is absorbed, about 20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to bowl. Discard cinnamon. Sprinkle with almonds.