Cinnamon Rice with Cranberries and Saffron
First of all, and although a bit late: happy 2013 everyone! These holidays have been anything but relaxing and I haven’t stopped for a moment. In fact, I’m still on vacation (or rather, pseudo-vacation, since I can’t compare this to lying on a towel getting a tan), and I still have plenty of things to sort out…
But it was about time I made some space to publish one of my favorite recipes, featuring one of my favorite ingredients: rice. And what better moment than now, in the January slump, to both recover from all the holiday feasting with this light rice dish and to give your wallet a break with affordable ingredients.
Without further ado, here’s this rice recipe, born from having some saffron threads sitting in the cupboard and not knowing what to do with them. It’s not paella, but I assure you its flavor will be memorable.
Greetings from Madrid!
Ingredients for 3–4 people
180 g of rice
2 cups of water (450 ml)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon whole milk
3 tablespoons dried cranberries
1/8 teaspoon saffron threads
1 garlic clove
1 cinnamon stick
1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
Salt
Instructions
Soak the rice in room-temperature water for 30 minutes. Drain and set aside.
Break up the saffron threads and soak them in the milk, stirring occasionally.
Soak the dried cranberries in warm water for 30 minutes so they rehydrate.
Meanwhile, heat the oil in a pressure cooker and add the cinnamon stick and cardamom.
After a few seconds, add the garlic and fry until golden.
Add the ground pepper to the mixture and stir well. After a few seconds, add the saffron milk mixture and mix until fully combined.
Add the drained rice and sauté it for 2–3 minutes, making sure it doesn’t stick. Keep stirring.
Add the salted water and mix well. Close the lid and cook according to the rice cooking time.
Finally, add the drained cranberries and mix well.
Notes
You can also add a small chopped onion at the same time you add the garlic.