Red Rice with Raisins: A Side Dish for Smachot/Simchas (Happy Occassions)

There is an old joke about Jewish holidays: they all revolve around the same theme, "They tried to kill us. G-d saved us. Let's eat!" It does ring true. Passover, Purim, Succoth, Chanukkah, each celebrates the fact that we are alive TO celebrate. 

Today, as observant Jews, our lives revolve around the events marked on the Jewish calendar, as well they should. We throw our doors open at these great times of the year, fill our home with guests and try to fill our table with foods - warm and rich - that will help draw out the celebration, nurture our relationships and nourish the conversation. 

Sharing moments with friends is a precious gift. Pirkei Avot (Ethics of the Fathers), a cornerstone of the Mishna (part of our Oral Torah/Law) states, "קנה לך חבר - buy yourself a friend." On the surface it sound really odd, "buy yourself a friend," but buying something really means to exchange things of value. The Mishna is telling us to fill our lives with people with whom we can learn and exchange ideas; people who challenge us to deliver the best of who we are; people who feed us as we feed them. The place that this is most often done is at the dining room table - the reason, I propose, why the Torah places so much emphasis on what, how, and when a Jew must eat.

Red rice with raisins is one of those celebratory dishes that get served, not just on the holidays, but at family celebrations as well. There are as many variations as they are unique Sephardi cultures. This recipe is an amalgum, and in the end is the result of my own uniqe culture. If you leave out the turmeric, your rice will be slightly pink. If you add it, the rice will take on a bit of an reddish/orange hue.

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 small onion, minced
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 cup long grain white rice (basmati or jasmine add a more nuanced flavor)
• 1 tablespoon tomato  paste
• 1/2 cup of fresh small diced tomatoes (canned petit-dice, unflavored and drained tomatoes will do as well) 
•  salt and black pepper to taste
• 1/4 tsp ground turmeric (optional)
• pinch of ground cayene
• 1 3/4 cups of water
• 1/4 cup raisins (sultanas, golden, persian black, or regular), rinsed and drained.
• 1/4 cup of slivered almonds toasted

Preparation

1. Heat the oil in a deep skillet. Add the onion and garlic and saute on medium heat for about 5 minutes until the onions start to wilt and become translucent. 
2. Add the rice and saute until all the grains are coated; about 2 minutes. 
3. Add the tomato paste and stir for about 3 minutes, again, coating as much of the rice as possible.
4. Add the tomatoes and cook for about 2 minutes, letting the tomatoes give off some of their juices. Add the spices. Stir.
5. Add the water and bring to a boil on high heat. Immediately reduce the heat to medium and let the rice simmer, uncovered, for about 5 minutes, or until you see holes forming on the top of the rice. 
6. Give the pot a stir to incorporate the spices and the tomatoes. Cover tightly, turn the heat to low, and allow the rice to cook for at least 20 minutes. [The longer you let the rice cook, the nicer a crunchy shell you will get on the bottom. This crust is highly prized. Don't be fooled when someone pretends to play martyr and offers to eat the burned bottom. They know what they are doing].
7. About ten minutes before serving, open the pot and stir in the raisins. Cover the pot tightly once again and allow the raisins cook in the steam of the rice.
8. While the raisins are cooking, toast the slivered almonds in a dry non-stick frying pan for about 4 minutes. Do NOT stop stirring/tossing them. Almonds are high in fat and will burn very quickly if you are not careful and attentive. Take them off the heat and let cool.
9. There are several ways to serve this dish, though in each case you will finish the top of the dish with the slivered almonds. A nice option is to garnish the platter with lots of fresh Italian broad leafed parsely.
1.  Quickly dip the pan in cold water, which will release the rice from the bottom of the pan. Flip the enire pan out on a serving dish with the crunchy shell up.
2. Scoop the rice out of the pan and mound into the center of a round or ovular serving platter. Here's the hard part, You may either keep the crust for yourself or arrange it's pieces around the base of the rice mound.
3. Serve it in the saute pan itself, keeping the crusted bottom a secret until people serve themselves.