Ottolenghi Rice Food

BAKED RICE WITH SLOW-ROASTED TOMATOES AND GARLIC

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350 degrees.
• In an 8-by-12-inch casserole dish, toss together tomatoes, garlic, shallots, cilantro stems, thyme, cinnamon sticks, 1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper to taste. Pour oil over everything, then bake until vegetables are soft, about 1 hour. Remove from oven and increase oven temperature to 450.
• Without stirring anything, sprinkle rice evenly over vegetables. Top with remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and plenty of black pepper.
• Carefully pour boiling water over rice, then cover dish tightly with foil and bake for 25 minutes, until rice is cooked. Remove from oven and set aside for 10 minutes, still covered.
• Remove foil, gently stir in cilantro leaves, taste and add more salt if needed, and serve.

BAKED RICE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 425. Put the oil into a sauté pan set over medium heat. When the oil shimmers, add the garlic cloves, shallots and lemon zest, and cook, tossing occasionally, for about 15 minutes, until the garlic is golden brown and soft. Add the sprigs of curry leaves, and cook for approximately 2 minutes more, or until the leaves are starting to crisp.
• Pour the garlic and shallots into a large ovenproof baking dish, approximately 10 by 14 inches, and spread the rice over the vegetables in an even layer. 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, 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.
• Remove the dish from the oven, uncover and drizzle the saffron and its soaking water over the dish. Re-cover the dish with aluminum foil, and allow it to sit on the stovetop for another 5 or 10 minutes, then serve.