Persian Rice With Duck Confit And Dried Cherries Recipes

PERSIAN RICE WITH DUCK CONFIT AND DRIED CHERRIES

Steps:

• Bring water, cinnamon, and 3 tablespoons salt to a boil in a medium pot. Gradually add rice, stir, and cook until grains are tender but slightly firm in centers, 3 to 4 minutes. Drain rice; discard cinnamon sticks. Mix in duck confit, dried cherries, and melted butter. Season with salt and pepper.
• Peel potatoes, and slice about 1/8 inch thick using a mandoline. Melt remaining 4 tablespoons butter in a large (10-inch) pot or heavy skillet (preferably nonstick) over medium heat, swirling to coat. Arrange 3 layers of potatoes in pot in a circular pattern, overlapping slightly, working from the outside.
• Sprinkle cilantro over potatoes, and top with rice mixture, pressing down lightly to form an even layer. Place a cotton kitchen towel or a piece of cheesecloth directly on surface of rice, covering completely. Cover pot, and cook for 8 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low, and cook until potatoes are crisp and golden brown around edges, 25 to 30 minutes. Remove towel. Run a rubber spatula around edge of pot, and invert onto a serving platter.

PERSIAN RICE

Steps:

• Tie cinnamon stick, cloves, peppercorns, and cardamom seeds in a small piece of cheesecloth; set aside. Fill a large saucepan with 4 quarts water and 1 tablespoon salt and bring to a boil over high heat. Stir in rice and spice sachet. Cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until rice is tender, about 10 minutes. Discard sachet and strain rice through a fine-mesh sieve. Let stand in sieve 10 minutes.
• Meanwhile, peel potatoes and slice about 1/8 inch thick using a mandoline. Melt butter in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat, swirling to coat. Transfer butter to a large bowl for the rice mixture. Arrange potatoes in two layers in skillet in a circular pattern, overlapping slightly and working from the outside.
• Toss rice with butter, apricots, and raisins, and season with salt.
• Sprinkle cilantro over potatoes, and top with half of rice mixture, pressing down to form an even layer. Top with remaining rice mixture, continuing to press down, ensuring rice forms an even layer. Place a piece of cheesecloth directly on surface of rice, covering completely.
• Cover pan, and cook for 8 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low, and cook until potatoes are crisp and golden brown around edges, 20 to 25 minutes. Remove cheesecloth. Run a rubber spatula around edge of pan, and invert onto a serving platter, shaking gently to loosen rice from pan.

PERSIAN RICE

Steps:

• Bring water and kosher salt to a boil in a pot; add rice and cook, stirring, for exactly 7 minutes. Drain.
• Heat olive oil in a pot over medium-high heat. Cover bottom of pot with 1 layer of potato slices. Sprinkle cumin and salt over potatoes. Cook until potatoes are sizzling, 2 to 3 minutes; top potatoes with rice to form an even layer. Reduce heat to low and place butter slices over rice.
• Top pot with a layer of clean paper towels and place lid over towels. Steam until rice is fluffy, about 45 minutes.
• Grind saffron threads with a mortar and pestle. Mix crushed saffron with 1 1/2 tablespoons hot water in a large bowl. Add a couple spoonfuls of rice to saffron mixture and stir until rice is yellow.
• Spoon remaining rice into a serving bowl, top with saffron rice, and line edges of bowl with potatoes. Garnish with parsley.

DAVID TANIS'S PERSIAN JEWELED RICE

Steps:

• Rinse the rice several times in cold water until the water runs clear. Drain. Bring 3 quarts water to a boil in a large pot with 2 tablespoons kosher salt. Add the rinsed rice and boil, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes, then drain well in a colander.
• Heat 1 tablespoon butter in a small skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, season lightly with salt and cook until softened and lightly colored, 4 to 5 minutes. Moisten with 1 tablespoon saffron water and stir in the cinnamon, cardamom, allspice, black pepper and cumin. Cook for 1 minute more. Stir in the apricots, raisins (or currants) and barberries (or cherries or cranberries).
• Melt 4 tablespoons butter in a heavy-bottomed enamel or nonstick Dutch oven over medium heat. Spread half the par-cooked rice over the bottom of the pot. Spoon over the onion-fruit mixture, then the remaining rice. Leave the pot on the flame, uncovered, for 5 to 8 minutes to gently brown the rice. (Do not stir or move the rice - you will need to rely on your nose to tell if the rice has browned.)
• Drizzle the remaining saffron water over the rice and put on the lid. Adjust the heat to very low and leave undisturbed for 30 minutes. Turn off the heat and let rest at least 10 minutes.
• Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon butter in a small skillet over medium-low heat and gently toast the almonds and pistachios for a minute or so, taking care not to get them too brown. Set aside for garnish.
• To serve, spoon the rice into a wide bowl or platter. With a spatula, carefully lift the bottom crust, placing the crisp side up. Sprinkle with the toasted nuts.

JEWELED RICE WITH DRIED FRUIT

Steps:

• Rinse rice in several changes of cold water in a large bowl until water runs clear. Drain in a large sieve.
• Bring water and salt to a boil in a 6-quart heavy pot, then add rice and boil, uncovered, stirring occasionally, 5 minutes from time water returns to boil. Drain rice in sieve.
• Toss together dried fruit in a bowl. Melt 6 tablespoons butter with cardamom and pepper in cleaned and dried pot, stirring to combine, then alternately layer rice and dried fruit over it, beginning and ending with rice and mounding loosely. Make 5 or 6 holes in rice to bottom of pot with round handle of a wooden spoon, then cover pot with a kitchen towel and a heavy lid. Fold edges of towel up over lid (to keep towel from burning) and cook rice over moderately low heat, undisturbed, until tender and a crust forms on bottom, 30 to 35 minutes. Remove from heat and let rice stand, tightly covered and undisturbed, at least 30 minutes.
• Heat remaining 2 tablespoons butter in a small skillet over moderate heat and cook pistachios, stirring, until lightly browned, 2 to 3 minutes.
• Spoon loose rice onto a platter, then break crust into 1-inch pieces and scatter over rice. Sprinkle with pistachios.