Moroccan rice

Yup, I cracked my tangine yesterday. And yes, it was my first time using it. Sigh. A tangine is a traditional Moroccan cooking dish that has a cone top that helps slow cook and steam the food inside. Well, I’m still working out the kinks with how exactly you cook using it. But for now my good ‘ol dutch oven seems to do the trick.

I tweaked my favorite Mexican rice recipe to capture the flavors of Morocco for the dish I served with shrimp.

Recipe

Prep time: 20 minutes + 15 minutes cooking

Servings: 4-6

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups rice

1/4 cup oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 cup canned chopped tomatoes

1/3 cup yellow and/or red pepper, chopped

1/2 small onion

2 cups chicken broth

1/2 tsp. tumeric

1/4 tsp. ground cumin

1/4 tsp. white pepper

1/2 tsp. smoked paprika (or regular)

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper

1 pinch of cinnamon (opt.)

Fresh cilantro and parsley

2 tbsp. golden raisins

Fresh lemon wedges

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a heavy-bottomed dutch oven, bring the oil up to medium-high heat.
3. Rinse the rice in water to remove excess starch and then add it to the hot oil.
4. Heat the rice for 5-7 minutes, stirring frequently, until golden.
5. Meanwhile, in a blender, place the tomatoes, onions, garlic, spices, and pepper and pulse until pureed.
6. Add the tomato mixture to the golden rice and cook for 4 minutes or until the color of the tomato deepens.
7. Pour in chicken broth and bring to a boil.
8. Cover and bake for 15 minutes or until all of the liquid is absorbed.
9. Add in the raisins, if using.

Kids’ reactions: This dish was a winner. My tween even took the leftovers to school for lunch. I made a wrap for my teen with some of the rice, avocado slices, deli turkey, and Sriracha sauce.