Rice With Almonds And Dates Food

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

Steps:

• In a large saucepan, bring the water, rice and butter to a boil. Remove from the heat. Cover and let stand for 5 minutes or until water is absorbed. Stir in the almonds, salt and pepper. Sprinkle with parsley.

RICE WITH ALMONDS AND RAISINS

Steps:

• Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Saute onion, stirring, until tender. Stir in the rice, raisins, broth, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil.
• Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer 15 to 20 minutes, or until rice is cooked and liquid is absorbed. Stir in almonds before serving.

RICE PILAF WITH TOASTED ALMONDS

Steps:

• In a medium saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Cook onion, stirring occasionally, until golden brown, about 8 minutes.
• Add coriander; season with coarse salt and ground pepper. Add rice; cook, stirring, until edges are transparent, about 2 minutes.
• Stir in 1 can chicken broth. Bring to a boil. Cover; simmer over low heat until liquid is absorbed, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat; let stand, covered, 10 minutes.
• Stir parsley into rice. Sprinkle with almonds, and serve.

SPINACH-RICE WITH ALMONDS

Steps:

• Cook and stir onions in hot oil in large skillet on medium heat 2 min. or until tender. Add spinach and rice; mix well. Cook 2 min.
• Add water and contents of seasoning packet; stir. Bring to boil; cover. Simmer on medium-low heat 18 to 20 min. or until liquid is absorbed.
• Stir in nuts; cook until heated through, stirring occasionally.

TROUT STUFFED WITH DATES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350F.
• Rinse the trout under cold running water and pat dry with paper towels. Season the cavities lightly with salt and pepper.
• Combine the dates, rice, HALF the onion, the coriander, ginger, cinnamon, almonds and HALF the butter in a bowl. Season well with salt and pepper.
• Spoon the stuffing in the fish cavities and place each fish on a well-greased, double sheet of foil. Brush the fish with the remaining butter, season with salt and pepper and divide the remaining onion among the four parcels.
• Wrap the fish neatly and seal the edges of the foil.
• Place the parcels on a large baking trap and bake for 15-20 minutes, or until cooked to your liking. Serve with a light dusting of cinnamon.

BASMATI RICE PILAF WITH ALMONDS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Optional: For a fluffier texture, rinse the rice under cold water for a few minutes. Drain the water from the rice but don't worry about drying the rice.
• Heat a heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat, then add the butter and chopped onions. When the onions are just soft and translucent add the uncooked rice and sauté, stirring constantly, for 3 to 5 minutes or until the rice is slightly toasted and you can smell a nutty aroma.
• Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, bring the broth and salt to a boil and pour into the rice, bring it back to a boil, then cover with a lid or foil and place the entire pot in the oven.
• Cook the rice pilaf in the oven for 20 minutes or until all the liquid is absorbed. If after 20 minutes there's still liquid in the pot or the rice is still too moist, re-cover and return the pot to the oven for another 2 to 4 minutes.
• Remove the pot from the oven sprinkle the cumin, cinnamon, lemon zest and the toasted almonds on top and gently fluff the rice pilaf with a fork. Then place a paper towel across the top of the pot, replace the lid and let the rice pilaf stand for 10 minutes. To serve, transfer the rice to a serving bowl and sprinkle with additional reserved almonds.

NUTTY BASMATI RICE WITH ALMONDS

Steps:

• Place almonds in a medium saucepan and set pan over medium heat. Cook 2 to 3 minutes, until lightly golden brown, shaking the pan frequently to prevent burning. Add chicken broth, rice, salt, and black pepper and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer 20 minutes, until liquid is absorbed.
• Fluff with a fork before serving.

COUSCOUS WITH DATES, RAISINS, AND ALMONDS

Steps:

• In a medium saucepan, combine water, butter, orange peel and juice, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Bring to a boil. Add the couscous to the boiling water. Remove from heat and cover for ten minutes. Liquid should be absorbed. Fluff with a fork.
• In a small frying pan, heat the almonds over medium heat, stirring continuously until toasted. Add the raisins and dates and butter. Heat all until butter is melted.
• Serve couscous spread over a platter, top with topping mixture. Sprinkle a bit of powdered sugar over the top.

RICE WITH DATES (ARABIAN PENINSULA)

Steps:

• Place the rice in a heatproof bowl and cover with boiling water. Let stand 30 minutes to 1 hour then drain in a fine mesh strainer.
• Place the drained rice in a pot with *2 cups* of water and bring to the boil then cover and simmer on low for 10 minutes.
• In the meantime, melt 3 tablespoons butter in a small pan and cook the almonds until starting to brown, stirring often.
• Stir in the dates, raisins, ground cinnamon or cinnamon stick and cloves.
• Turn heat down to low and cook covered for 15 minutes or until the mixture is soft and gooey, stirring often. (Do not overcook or let dry out.).
• After the rice has cooked 10 minutes, remove the pot from the burner without taking off the lid and let stand for 15 minutes.
• Drain the rice in a strainer under warm water and then place half of the rice back in the pot, flattening and spreading it around evenly.
• Dot the first layer of rice with 1 tablespoon of butter.
• Now arrange the cooked almond-date mixture over the rice, spreading it around and flattening with a spatula. Spoon the rest of the rice on top, again spreading it around and flattening the top then dot with 1 tablespoons of butter.
• Invert a heatproof plate on top of the rice or as I did-fold up a tea towel and place it on top of the pot. Cover the pot with the lid and cook on very low heat for 15 minutes.
• After 15 minutes of cooking, remove the pot (but keep the lid on the pot!) to another burner and set aside for another 15 minutes.
• Invert the pot of rice onto a serving platter.
• Serve hot.

MOROCCAN SPICED CHICKEN WITH ALMONDS AND DATES

Steps:

• Coat chicken with flour.
• Heat oil in large deep skillet or Dutch oven over medium heat.
• Add half of chicken; brown about 5 minutes per side.
• Remove from skillet.
• Repeat browning step with remaining chicken, adding onion.
• Return all chicken to skillet.
• Combine cinnamon, cumin, ginger and turmeric in small bowl; add to chicken.
• Stir to evenly coat chicken and onions with spices; saute 1-2 minutes.
• Stir in broth, lemon juice and salt; bring to a boil over medium heat.
• Reduce heat to medium-low.
• Stir in dates and almonds and cook, covered, for 20 minutes.
• Uncover and simmer another 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Serve over cooked basmati rice.

RICE WITH LENTILS AND DATES

Steps:

• wash and drain rice.
• heat 2 T butter and fry the onion till golden; add the meat and sauté stirring and turning the pieces till browned all over. Cover with water, add salt and pepper, cinnamon and allspice and simmer for 1 hour; or till meat is tender and most of water absorbed.
• boil the lentils in water for about 20 minutes till done, adding salt when they begin to soften, drain.
• now boil the rice in a pan for 10 minutes till not quite tender and still a little underdone. Drain the rice.
• Melt 2 T butter in bottom of pan, then stir in 2 T of the saffron water and about a third of the rice.
• spread half the meat on top, then sprinkle on half the lentils, raisins, dates and almonds if using.
• Cover with a layer of rice and remaining meat, lentils, raisins and dates and finish with the rice that is left.
• Melt the remaining butter, stir in the remaining saffron water and pour all over. Cook covered on very low heat for 20-30 minutes.