Baked Rice With Slow-Roasted Tomatoes and Garlic

Name: Baked Rice With Slow-Roasted Tomatoes and Garlic
Total time: 1 h 45 min
Yield: 4 to 6 servings
Cuisine: middle eastern
Ingredients: 1 3/4 pounds cherry tomatoes; 12 large garlic cloves; 4 large shallots, cut into 1 1/4-inch pieces; 1 1/4 cup cilantro stems, cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces; 3 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves; 4 small cinnamon sticks; 1 teaspoon fine sea salt, more as needed; Black pepper, as needed; 7 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil; 1 1/2 cups basmati rice; 2 1/2 cups boiling water; 1/2 cup cilantro leaves, roughly chopped

Recipe from Yotam Ottolenghi

Adapted by Melissa Clark

Baked Rice With Slow-Roasted Tomatoes and Garlic — Linda Xiao for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Monica Pierini.

Total Time: 1 hour 45 minutes
Rating: 5(1,089)
Comments: Read comments

Baking rice on a bed of tender vegetables has to be one of the most fail-safe ways to prepare it. Here tangy-sweet tomatoes, garlic and shallots are slowly roasted in olive oil with cinnamon and thyme, then baked with basmati rice until everything is fragrant and soft. Adapted from Yotam Ottolenghi’s cookbook, “Ottolenghi Simple,” it makes a spectacular side dish to pan-seared meats or fish, or can be the heart of a vegetarian meal with some crumbled feta and pine nuts sprinkled on top for serving. —Melissa Clark

Featured in: The 19 Best Cookbooks of Fall 2018

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Ingredients

Yield:4 to 6 servings

1¾pounds cherry tomatoes
12large garlic cloves
4large shallots, cut into 1¼-inch pieces
1¼cup cilantro stems, cut into 1½-inch pieces
3tablespoons fresh thyme leaves
4small cinnamon sticks
1teaspoon fine sea salt, more as needed
Black pepper, as needed
7tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1½cups basmati rice
2½cups boiling water
½cup cilantro leaves, roughly chopped

Ingredient Substitution Guide

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Preparation

Step 1
Heat oven to 350 degrees.
Step 2
In an 8-by-12-inch casserole dish, toss together tomatoes, garlic, shallots, cilantro stems, thyme, cinnamon sticks, ½ teaspoon salt and pepper to taste. Pour oil over everything, then bake until vegetables are soft, about 1 hour. Remove from oven and increase oven temperature to 450.
Step 3
Without stirring anything, sprinkle rice evenly over vegetables. Top with remaining ½ teaspoon salt and plenty of black pepper.
Step 4
Carefully pour boiling water over rice, then cover dish tightly with foil and bake for 25 minutes, until rice is cooked. Remove from oven and set aside for 10 minutes, still covered.
Step 5
Remove foil, gently stir in cilantro leaves, taste and add more salt if needed, and serve.

Ratings

5 out of 5

1,089 user ratings

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Comments

swalters6 years ago

Made this in my dutch oven - no foil required - and it came out perfectly. Greedy dinner guests insisted on taking the leftovers with them. Rotters.

Tiaraclub6 years ago

I use a corningware dish with a lid. Lay foil over the dish and mash it down with the lid. That usually makes a tight enough seal.

Willa6 years ago

Fabulous flavor - a keeper! Next time I will either roast the vegetables at 325 or check for doneness after 50 minutes, as some of the tomatoes burned and stuck to the bottom of the dish after 55 minutes at 350, even with 7 tblsp oil.

Mary4 months ago

Can this be made ahead of time nd reheated?

DSinAK5 months ago

Followed recipe except used chicken broth, not water, because I had it open and on hand. Dish was marvelous and well received by guests. A little fussy with the prep but worth it. Maybe would serve 4-6 as a main dish, but we used it as a side dish for 10 people and had some leftover.

lizB9 months ago

I made this recipe a week ago and it was really good but i think my cinnamon sticks were too big--too much cinn, so i cut back 2nd time. Someone in the comments said this recipe can be done with any veggies/herbs, so tonite i did it with the herbs as listed, plus some cumin, curry leaves from my freezer, and chopped jalapeno. Added cherry tomatoes from my garden and broccoli florets when adding the rice, no sooner, or they disintegrate.

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