It’s the first blog post of 2019! And I am proud to say, it’s a healthy one!!
I know that winter is defined by comfort foods- it’s only natural. They keep our bellies warm, and our hearts even warmer. But at the same time, if we listen carefully, we can hear our bodies also pleading for some healthy, lighter dishes, to balance out all the carby yumms!
Back in November I posted the recipe for Chicken with Garlic, Dates, Olives and Oregano. A total dream of a chicken dish, with it’s over the top flavours, contrasting between the sweet and savoury, as well as the ease of preparation. When I served it the first time, it was with this fantastic rice dish. Forget fantastic. It is beyond stellar!! I promised that I would share the recipe, and now I can finally fulfill that promise.
We love rice in all its forms: stir-fried, pilaf’ed, even a simple simmer in chicken stock makes me very happy. But Yotam Ottolenghi is the master of the baked rice dish. In almost every one of his books there is a version of baked rice. Baked Rice is the easiest rice to prepare, since the oven is doing all the work. No worrying about it turning into a clump in the pot. It never fails, when rice is baked, the texture is perfect. Add to that, is the delicious flavours that this special dish brings to the table. Because baked rice is always prepared by being covered with foil while in the oven, the residual steam helps ensure that the grains are perfectly separated and fluffy.
Tomato and Garlic Confit
This baked rice dish actually starts out as a confit of veggies, mostly tomatoes and garlic. How to Confit: Confit’ing is actually taking anything (from salmon or duck legs to certain veggies, adding a good amount of olive oil (or other oil specified by the recipe) and cooking them at a low temperature. The heat goes from the oven to the oil, which surrounds the item being confit’ed and cooks them evenly. Nothing will be over-cooked this way- so meat is always tender and juicy. You can see this take place if you follow my Salmon Confit with Chermoula Sauce.
In today’s recipe, cherry tomatoes and peeled garlic (the hardest part of this recipe is peeling the garlic!) are the main veggies, but then shallots, cilantro stems (my new favourite flavour addition!), thyme leaves, and cinnamon sticks are added. As you can imagine, this is going to be a flavour packed dish- the aromatics alone make me want to swoon! These all get tossed in olive oil in a baking dish with salt and pepper, and are baked on a low temperature until softened. Seriously when this comes out of the oven, you could easily serve it as a wonderful vegetable side dish- the confit definitely stands on its own. But this is a rice dish, so there’s more!!
Adding The Rice
After the baking dish is taken out of the oven, the rice gets sprinkled over. Don’t toss it though. While the oven temperature is increasing to the new heat, you will boil up some water. This will get poured over everything, along with a bit more seasoning. Then wrap tin foil tightly over the top and back into the oven it goes. In less than a half hour, you have a pan filled with the best baked rice you will ever taste! I mean it! The veggies add their flavours, as do the cinnamon sticks and cilantro stems. Each grain of rice is perfect. Sprinkling chopped cilantro leaves over the finished dish before bringing it to the table, and you will have a dish that will impress the most distinguished guests. Or Jim.
Seriously, this is so good, that I make the entire recipe, even though it is just for the two of us! (the recipe will feed 6 as a side or 4 as a main) We will eat this rice on its own. Obviously it is amazing with chicken or I could see it as a side for braised lamb shanks, grilled lamb or pork kebabs, etc. This rice dish is seasonless- I will be just as happy to eat this in July as January! Thankfully all the veggies for this dish can be easily found year round these days. That’s the joy of cherry tomatoes! Leftovers warm up perfectly, and yes, I have been known to sneak spoonfuls of it from the dish right from the fridge. This dish has been on constant replay since we first had it, and it just won’t grow old.
So, while it may contain carbs, I contend that all the veggies and greenery push this dish over to the healthy side of life. And if we can eat like this 80% of the time, then the 20% reserved for treats and indulgences will be that much more sweet and somehow a tad less guilt-inducing! Have a great 2019! I plan to! 😀
Love Jen
Baked Rice with Tomato and Garlic Confit
An aromatic and flavour-packed side of baked rice and a confit of tomatoes, garlic, shallots and aromatics. It is so versatile as a side dish, but don't be surprised if you end up just wanting to eat this as your main meal! It's that good!!
Ingredients
- 1 3/4 lb (800 grams) cherry tomatoes
- 12 large garlic cloves or 25 small, peeled and cut in half if large
- 4 large shallots cut into 1 1/4 inch (3 cm) pieces
- 1 1/4 cups cilantro stems cut into 1 1/2 inch (4 cm) lengths. Save the leaves for garnishing
- 3 tbsp thyme leaves
- 4 small cinnamon sticks if large, break in half
- 7 tbsp (100 ml) olive oil
- kosher salt and fresh cracked pepper
- 1 1/2 cups (300 grams) basmati rice
- 2 1/2 cups (600 ml) boiling water
Instructions
-
Preheat the oven to 350F
-
Arrange the tomatoes, garlic, shallots, cilantro stems, thyme and cinnamon sticks in a large high sided casserole or baking dish. (it should be about 8x12 iches or 20 x 30 cm)
-
Pour in the olive oil, 1/2 tsp of salt and 1/2 tsp of pepper.
-
Place in the oven, uncovered, for 1 hour, till softened.
-
Remove from the oven and sprinkle the rice all over the vegetables, but do NOT stir them together. Set aside.
-
Increase the oven temperature to 450F
-
Sprinkle 3/4 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp of pepper over the rice.
-
Carefully pour the boiling water evenly over everything. Seal the dish tightly with tinfoil.
-
Bake in the oven for 25 minutes, until the rice is cooked.
-
Remove and set aside for 10 minutes. Do not remove the foil. The residual steam will finish the rice off perfectly.
-
Remove the foil, sprinkle with chopped cilantro leaves, stirring them gently into the rice.
-
Serve.
Recipe Notes
Recipe from Simple by Yotam Ottolenghi.
I state that this recipe will feed six as a side, or four as a main. Even though it is just two of us at home, I make the entire dish, as it keeps well and reheats perfectly. Trust me, you will want it all. But if necessary, it is a recipe that can be easily cut in half. But why??
Made this for dinner last night (subbing baked cod for chicken) and it was fantastic!!!! I have never had a more flavorful rice dish in my life.
Oh I’m so happy you like it as much as we do! It’s definitely a go-to rice dish these days. Even the confit tomatoes on their own is amazing! Just eat them with crusty sourdough! Enjoy, and thanks so much for letting me know. Have a lovely weekend 🙂 Love Jen
I’m confused as I see no mention of chicken or fish in this recipes?
I think it is in reference to the chicken dish that I mention in the blog post that I serve the dish with.
Delicious!!! I made it last night with some falafels.
We ate about 3 1/2 potions (2 persons), now (next day lunchtime) I am eating the rest, love it!!
Hi Muriël! So happy to hear that you love it as much as we do! And leftovers are the best, right? Have a lovely weekend, Jen
How providential for me that I started following Yottam Ottolenghi as he toured Australia and was consequently pointed in your direction. What started as an inspired cooking challenge has given me two amazing gifts. Firstly, finding your mouth watering blog and insta with pages of inspiration and secondly…… this rice!!!!!! Oh my stars!!!!!! You were so right about this being a winner in every sense of the word. This will become a go-to in my house and has also been “husband approved”. To make things even better, it freezes beautifully for lunch prep as well. The only real work required is sourcing and picking fresh oregano – the rest as they say “is a doddle”. Minimal chopping, a bit of baking, boil the kettle, wrap, bake and rest is a little miracle of taste. I would use this with any protein, as a side at a dinner party (cos fancy) but also this would be a star dish to take along to a barbeque or potluck as it reheats like a dream and smells even better. Thanks for sharing.
Hi Deborah, Thanks so much for all your kind words! I followed along as both he and Nigella Lawson were down in your part of the world. We will be visiting in November, so I tried to bookmark some of the places they visited. Isn’t the rice dish a dream!? I eat leftovers at room temp, so I can easily see it being taken to a bbq or potluck. I was so happy that my husband gave it the two thumbs up as well! Enjoy, Love Jen
Finally making this tonight…haven’t even got to the point where I add rice and the smell is driving me crazy! Delicious!
Hi Crystal, I know exactly what you mean! Sometimes I stop there and just serve as is with bread to sop up all the juices and oil! Enjoy, Love Jen
This is above and beyond- so delicious! D’you think it could be made with brown basmati?
Thanks so much
Thanks so much Suzy! I was wondering the same thing. I think the only difference is that brown rice requires a bit more water and time. If you can figure that one out, then the flavour of brown rice basmati would be wonderful with this dish. Love Jen
Absolutely scrumptious. I agree…make the whole recipe…you WILL eat it all.
Hi Linda, You totally get it! It’s just two of us here but we have no problem polishing it all off in a matter of days. Just top it with a fried egg and call it breakfast! Love Jen
I’m making this right now for company – I’m a bit worried because my rice package calls for less water than the recipe – 2 c water to 1.5 c rice . I will follow your directions but am hoping it’s not too wet with the rice I have here
Hi Debi, sorry, just seeing this now. I hope it worked out for you. Because it is baked as opposed to being in a pot with a lid where the steam will be captured and sent back into the pot, the amount used in the baking method always seems to work just right. I hope this was the case for you.
It’s the 2nd January and I’ve just stumbled upon this blog entry written exactly one year ago to the day. I was given the Ottolenghi book ‘Simple’ as a gift over Xmas and was intrigued about this baked rice dish. Reading your effusive writing on this has convinced me to try it out. Am enjoying your blog! Happy 2020!
Hi Prij, Thanks so much for visiting! I can honestly say that this dish is a real workhorse. I often use just the confit portion of the recipe as an appetizer with bread and burrata. Have a great year of cooking! Love Jen
I made a test recipe last night because I plan to serve this on Saturday night for dinner guests. Do you think a bit of ground cinnamon would work instead of cinnamon sticks? (I am traveling and don’t have many spices here.) Also, it was an enormous chore trying to get those tiny leaves off the thyme stems. They kept breaking as I tried to run my fingers down the stems, as they were very fine. Would dried thyme work here? Thanks!
Hi Connie, apologies for the delay in replying. Ground cinnamon would work fine. As for the thyme, as per the directions, use the whole thyme sprigs. The leaves will fall off naturally in the heat of baking. In the end, all you will need to do is remove the empty twigs with tongs. Hope this helps, Love Jen
Made this for supper tonight…. amazing! Will definitely make it again even though I forgot to add the cinnamon ( next time)Great flavour combination!
I served it with pork tenderloin
Hi Jan, So happy to hear that you love this recipe as much as we do. It would be perfect with a pork tenderloin! Love Jen
Absolutely delicious, and the rice steamed up perfectly- every grain light and fluffy.
We are having guests who don’t eat coriander- have you tried it with parsley or a different herb? Mint/ dill?
Hi Jennifer, for sure, replace the coriander with parsley. Mint and dill are great as well, but not in the same quantity. You could make a small portion of the total herbs the mint or dill. But stick to the parsley stems to replace the coriander. Hope this helps, Jen
Looks amazing! Would this work well with salmon wrapped in palma ham? and does this dish need a sauce?
Thank you!!
Hi Izzy, This would be a fantastic side to that salmon dish. It truly doesn’t need a sauce, in fact, I can eat it just as is from the baking dish! Enjoy. Love Jen
Is it possible to double this recipe to serve 12? Anything special I’d need to do?
Hi Pamela, It can easily be doubled, but I would just use two baking pans, so that the rice cooks correctly. So just do it twice and bake at the same time!! Love Jen
Hello! My aunt says this is the best rice she has ever ate! i can’t wait to cook it, but I am curious if the rice needs to be soaked. i’ve never cooked basmati with out the soak/rise process. Are you supposed to rinse before? Thanks!!!!!!! Your site is an inspiration!
do you need to rise or soak the rice? looks amazing!
Hi Niki, I am so sorry, it looks like I never replied to your question. I have never pre-soaked my rice for this recipe. And it has always worked out perfectly. If that helps! Love Jen
Can you make it without oil.
Hi Nancy, Confit means to cook slow or preserve meat or vegetables using oil. The temperature of the oil helps what it is surrounding cook evenly. For this recipe, the amount of oil isn’t all that much and the juices of the tomatoes will help thin it out and help flavour the rice to follow. You need this liquid/fat to help the rest of the recipe to cook correctly. Hope this helps. Love Jen
My daughter and I ate the whole thing. I am working towards being vegan. I have eliminated eggs and dairy and just about all meat. But I’m not 100 % there yet. So I love when I find recipes like this that are so delicious that you don’t need anything else with it! Thank you so much for sharing! No exaggeration, I cook almost everyday and this is the best recipe I’ve made so far. Keep them coming, lol!
Hi Marianne, I know, this recipe is dangerous for me as well! I attack it with a spoon, and hope I have left enough to serve for dinner! Thanks so much for your feedback, Love Jen
Has anyone tried substituting whole wheat couscous for the rice and adjusting the cooking time? Perhaps increase the roasting before adding the liquid and couscous to make up for the shorter cook time of the couscous. Any other suggested adjustments? The flavors sound great but I just bought a bag of couscous so I’d like to use that. Serving it with his Chicken Marbella.
Hi Philip, I think if you want to serve this with couscous, I would completely cook the veggies separately, prepare the couscous separately and then toss them together at the end. This way you don’t have to worry about under or overcooking anything. Hope this helps. Love Jen
Thanks Jen. I actually made it last night with the Ottolenghi chicken recipe and it worked out perfectly. I used whole wheat pearl couscous, substituted for the rice, but kept everything the same. Came out perfect but I reduced the liquid by 1/4 cup. Everything else remained the same. It was great!
Hi Philip, Love the idea of making this with pearl couscous! Wow, it sounds absolutely delicious! Thanks, Love Jen
Love this dish.. thanks!!!
Hi Oliver, Thanks! It’s a great one, and pretty versatile. Sometimes I stop at just the veggies and use bread to soak up all the oil and juices. Love Jen
Without or without meat, this has become a staple for my kitchen.
Hehe, yes, us too! It’s a dangerous dish, I just pick at the rice as soon as it comes out of the oven!
I have made this several times and it is always a hit. I do have to skip the cilantro (yes, I’m one of those) but I find it is not missed. I like to add some sausage to the pan when I add the rice (hot Italian is nice) and have been known to throw in some peppers as well.
Love it!
Hi Elizabeth, the reaction to cilantro is real, I feel you! Love your addition of the sausage to the pan. Do you slice it? What kind do you use? I may have to adopt this! Love Jen
Hi Jen this looks amazing. I am planning to serve later this week for a dinner party alongside the chicken Marbella and a green salad with pomegranate kernels. Could you make this in advance and reheat or is it better to make the tomato mix in advance. Let that cool and then just add the rice and cook before serving? Thank you
Hi Sophie, good question, I’m all about prepping ahead as much as I can as well. For this dish, I would prepare the tomato confit earlier in the day. Wait until it has cooled down before covering it, it can stay out till you are ready to add the rice. If you cover it while there is still heat in the dish, the tomatoes will continue to shrivel, and won’t look as appealing as they could, if baked right away with the rice. But don’t do it the day before etc. You can…it just won’t look as pretty as it could! Hope this helps! Love Jen
Would parsley stems work?
Hi Jean, for sure they would work great. Enjoy, Jen
Hi,
I don’t have cinnamon sticks. Can I substitute cinnamon? How much?
Thank you
Hi Jackie, sure you can use ground cinnamon. I haven’t tried it, and the cinnamon shouldn’t be the first flavour, rather warm the dish from behind, so I would suggest sprinkling about 1/4-1/2 tsp evenly into the baking pan with the other aromatics. Let me know how it goes. Love Jen
I wrote a comment on this really delicious recipe once before but it was never published for some reason. I did a few things differently. Because I’m on a special diet, I used about half the garlic and instead of boiling water I used boiling chicken broth and cut back on the salt accordingly.
I have a fan convection oven and convection cooked the vegetables which took about half the time. I used the standard bake setting to cook the rice. Because my store doesn’t have shallots, I used sweet onion pieces instead. This time I’m also adding red bell pepper pieces to the vegetables. I may try yellow or orange to add different colors next time. I love colorful food.
One vegetarian variation I tried is to sub half the rice with chick pea orzo and substitute vegetarian chicken flavor broth it’s delicious, too. It gives the dish more complete protein.
This is a great recipe and I’m recommending my friends try it.
Hi Essie, so happy you have found ways to adjust for your dietary requirements, with delicious results! Thanks for the kind feedback. Love Jen
Made this last night to test it out for a dinner party. Delicious. I have to wonder if dried thyme could be subbed out for the fresh? I almost lost my mind trying to strip the tiny keaves from the stems! The stems were so fine they kept breaking.
Hi Connie, see my previous response, use the entire sprigs of thyme, woody stem and all. The leaves will fall of naturally in the heat. The woody empty stems can be easily removed afterwards.