Rice and Squash Bombe

Preparation

1. Step 1

   Heat the oven to 450 degrees. Place the squash on a roasting tray and drizzle with 2 tablespoons of olive oil and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon salt. Toss to coat and spread evenly on the tray. Roast for 20 minutes. Then, push the squash to one side of the tray and add the shallots, drizzle with the remaining tablespoon of olive oil and season with a teaspoon of salt. Stir and spread the shallots as evenly as possible on the cleared side of the tray. Roast, stirring from time to time to encourage even cooking, until the squash is soft and chewy on the edges and the shallots are caramelized, 25 to 30 minutes. Stir in the currants, 2 tablespoons pine nuts, the cumin, thyme leaves and red pepper and roast until the pine nuts are golden, about 5 more minutes.

2. Step 2

   Combine the rice in a medium saucepan with 8 cups of cold water and a tablespoon of salt. Bring it to a simmer on high and parboil for 7 minutes, until the rice is mostly cooked, but still slightly chalky in the middle. Drain the rice through a strainer and rinse under cold water, moving the rice around until it’s no longer steamy.

3. Step 3

   In a small saucepan on the stove or bowl in the microwave, melt 8 tablespoons of butter with the saffron and allow it to infuse. Set aside.

4. Step 4

   Prepare the bowl for the bombe. Rub the inside of a 12-cup capacity stainless steel bowl with about 3 tablespoons of butter. Sprinkle the remaining 2 tablespoons pine nuts all around. Lay a pita over the base of the bowl, with the outside of the pita facing the buttered bowl. Then overlap pitas to cover the sides of the bowl, overlapping them like the scales on a fish, and making sure that there are no gaps exposing the bowl. They should poke about an inch over the rim of the bowl, and you should have 1 to 2 split pitas left once the bowl is lined. This can be done in advance.

5. Step 5

   When you’re ready to bake the bombe, heat the oven to 450 degrees. Spoon half of the squash and shallot mixture into the pita-lined bowl. Spread it flat, then spoon half of the rice into the bowl without compacting it. Follow with the remaining squash mixture, then the remaining rice. Using a knife or chopstick, poke a few wells through the filling and pour in the saffron butter. Smear the outside of the remaining pitas with the remaining tablespoon of butter, and lay these, buttered side up, on the top of the bombe to encase the filling. Fold over the edges of the pitas that have lined the side of the bombe, and use the remaining tablespoon of plain butter to stick everything together. Loosely lay some foil over the top of the bowl without cinching it closed, and bake on the center rack of the oven until the pita walls are toasted and crisp when you remove the foil and insert a spoon down the side of the bowl to peek, about 50 minutes.

6. Step 6

   To serve, discard the foil covering and place a serving platter over the top of the bowl. Flip confidently, then place the platter down on the counter. Lift the bowl away to expose your gleaming, nut-encrusted bombe. Slice messily, making sure each person gets some crust along with a spoon of jeweled rice.