Red Pepper Rice Bulgur Or Freekeh With Saffron And Chile Recipes

RED PEPPER RICE, BULGUR OR FREEKEH WITH SAFFRON AND CHILE

Steps:

• Rub saffron between your fingers and place in a small ramekin. Cover with 1 tablespoon hot water. Set aside.
• Heat 3 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat in a deep, lidded skillet or a wide, lidded saucepan. Add onion and cook, stirring often, until tender, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook and stir until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add peppers and a generous pinch of salt and cook, stirring often, until tender, about 5 minutes. Add chile, paprika, tomatoes and salt and pepper to taste and cook, stirring often, for about 5 minutes, until tomatoes have cooked down and softened a bit.
• Add rice, bulgur or freekeh and stir to coat with tomato mixture. Add saffron with its soaking water, water, more salt to taste, parsley and marjoram, and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to low and simmer 20 minutes, or until water has been absorbed.
• Remove from heat, uncover and place a towel across the top of the pan. Return lid and let sit for 10 minutes. Serve hot, with remaining olive oil drizzled over the top.

SAFFRON RICE WITH CHICKEN & PEPPERS

Steps:

• Put the saffron in a small bowl and pour over the warm water. Bruise the strands with the back of a teaspoon to fix the colour, and set aside while you prepare the rest.
• Heat the olive oil in a large, weighty casserole, and when hot tip in the chicken. Stir fry for a minute or two over a high heat to seal in the juices, then set aside.
• Strip the leaves from the thyme sprigs and scatter into the pan along with the onions and garlic. Fry until golden then pour in the lime juice. Turn the heat down a tad, add the pepper and continue cooking for another 5 minutes before adding the wine, stock and seasoning. Return the chicken to the pan and simmer for 6 minutes until the meat is tender and the liquid has cooked down a little.
• Meanwhile, cook the rice in a pan of fast boiling water until tender, but with a slight bite. Drain in a colander and rinse with warm water. Heap over the chicken while still on the heat. Drizzle with the saffron and its soaking liquid, and scatter over the peas. Don't stir the chicken and rice at this stage, but cover and cook over a low-moderate heat until the rice is fluffy and the liquid reduced to a few tablespoons - about 3 minutes. Before serving, gently mix the saffron-streaked rice with the chicken and pepper mixture.

BULGUR WITH ROASTED RED PEPPERS, CHICKPEAS, AND SPINACH

Steps:

• Bring 2 cups water to a boil and add bulgur. Remove from heat and soak until tender, about 30 minutes. Drain in a fine-mesh sieve, pressing to remove as much liquid as possible; transfer bulgur to a large bowl.
• While bulgur is soaking, roast peppers over a low gas flame or under the broiler, turning frequently with tongs, until blackened on all sides, 8 to 16 minutes. Place in a bowl; cover tightly with plastic wrap. Let cool. Peel off charred skins; discard seeds and stems. Chop peppers into 3/4-inch pieces. Strain any juices from cutting board and bowl through a fine-mesh sieve and reserve.
• In a small saucepan, heat 1/2 cup oil over medium-high. In batches, fry chickpeas until golden brown and lightly crisp, about 3 minutes per batch. Drain on paper towels and season immediately with coarse salt.
• Add chickpeas, peppers and reserved juices, spinach, and 2 tablespoons oil to bowl with bulgur and toss. Season with salt and ground pepper.