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Enchanted rice with grapes, feta and pistachios
In enchanted rice with grapes, feta and pistachios, broiling feta with grapes distills the fruit's heady, luscious juice and imbues it with a bit of saltiness and a crunch of pistachios. For a vegan option, sub tofu for feta. This can be made with other grains like barley or quinoa.
Equipment
- Equipment:
- Baking sheet (https://amzn.to/2RiZbmY)
- Large pot (https://amzn.to/2ZwsgQx)
- Large serving platter (https://amzn.to/2DVk6cS)
Ingredients
For feta in grape sauce:
- 8 oz 225g feta or tofu for vegan version
- 2 large bunches of black grapes I recommend Coronation grapes or Concord grapes
- ¼ cup chopped fresh herbs such as oregano, tarragon and thyme
- Salt and pepper
- ¼ cup olive oil
For rice:
- 4-8 large grape leaves
- 1 cup basmati rice
- 2 cups water
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
For serving:
- ½ cup pistachios chopped
- ¼ cup chopped fresh herbs such as oregano, tarragon and thyme
Instructions
Prepare feta in grape sauce:
- Preheat the oven to 400F (200C) with a rack in the center of the oven.
- While the oven is preheating, combine feta, grapes, herbs, salt and pepper and olive oil on a foil-lined baking sheet and toss until mixed.
- Bake for 25 minutes. Strain feta and grapes from sauce and set aside. Reserve sauce in a separate container.
Toast pistachios:
- Add pistachios to a different parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake in a 400F (200C) oven for 5-7 minutes, checking and stirring pistachios often to avoid burning. Remove and set aside.
Prepare rice:
- Line the bottom of your pot with large grape leaves (the amount you'll need will depend on the size of your pot and your largest leaves).
- Add basmati rice to pot. Top with water, adding salt and a drizzle of oil. Cover with lid and bring to a boil. Once rice is boiling, turn heat to lowest and let cook, covered, 15-18 minutes, until water is fully absorbed and rice is tender. Let rice sit undisturbed, lid on, for 5 minutes. Fluff with fork and set aside.
- Decorate the bottom a platter whose diameter is larger than the pot with additional grape leaves, if desired.
- When ready to serve, cover pot with the platter. In one swift motion, invert pot onto platter, tapping the bottom of the pot a few times. Remove pot, letting rice spill onto the platter. Remove cooked grape leaves.
- Top rice with reserved grapes and ¾ of the grape sauce. Top with large chunk of feta. Drizzle with remaining grape sauce. Sprinkle chopped pistachios and fresh herbs. Serve immediately.
- Rice will keep in the fridge for 4-5 days. If making ahead, prepare all components separately and keep them separated until ready to serve. Warm up rice and feta separately before combining.