Barberry Pistachio Saffron Rice #FoodieExtravaganza

Elevate rice from plain to a bejeweled side dish with golden saffron, crimson barberries and bright green pistachios. Barberry Pistachio Saffron Rice is as pretty as it is tasty. If you have a rice cooker, it’s super simple as well.

One of the best things about moving to a new place is learning about the local food culture and discovering new ingredients. New to me five years ago were barberries, a featured staple in our neighbor-across-the-gulf, Iran.

Barberries are little sweet and sour jewels that add a lovely sharp flavor to many dishes in the Middle East. The population of Dubai is such a wonderful mix of nationalities and cultures that just about every ingredient known to man must be available here, if you just know where to look for it. I came across barberries for the first time during a foodie tour with Frying Pan Adventures. If you are ever in Dubai and want to see how the real people eat, never mind the fancy, shiny high-rise hotel restaurants, I highly recommend booking the Frying Pan Middle Eastern Food Pilgrimage.

The flavor of barberries reminds me of dried cranberries so if you can’t get them, chop up some cranberries instead. Ottolenghi suggests substituting dried currants soaked in lemon juice, but I know that currants are hard to come by in the United States. If you live in Australia or the UK (or somewhere else they are available) those would be a good option as well.

I’ve adapted this Barberry Pistachio Saffron Rice from two recipes. 1. from Ottolenghi.co.uk, which gives more explicit instructions for cooking the rice and 2.  from a community member of Nigella.com which says simply, “Cook rice in a rice steamer.” I chose to use my rice cooker so those instructions follow.

The amounts below should also work on the stovetop, in a heavy pan with a tight-fitting lid. My mom always says that the right amount of water is 1 cup for each cup of rice plus 1 cup for the pot. Or follow the instructions on your bag of rice.

Ingredients
For cooking the rice:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 1/2 cups or 275g long grained basmati rice, rinsed under cold water and drained well
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
2 1/2 cups or 600ml cold water

For the dish:
1/2 teaspoon good quality saffron threads
3/4 cup or 50g dried barberries
2 teaspoons sugar
1 tablespoon olive oil, divided
1/2 cup or 75g whole unsalted, roughly chopped pistachios
1/4 teaspoon salt
Few good grinds fresh black pepper

Method
Pour 1 tablespoon of boiling water over the saffron and set it aside to steep for 30 minutes.

Put the barberries in a small bowl and pour enough boiling water to cover them along with a 1/2 teaspoon of sugar. Leave for 10-15 minutes, then drain.

Pour 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in your rice cooker then add the rice, stirring to make sure the grains are well coated.

Add the cold water and 1 teaspoon fine sea salt. Stir well. Put on the lid and set to “Cook” mode. When the rice cooker switches from cook to warm, set a timer for 10 minutes and cover the still closed pot with a couple of dry tea towels.

When the timer rings, open the lid and pour your soaked saffron with the golden water on one small portion of the rice. Cover again with the lid then tea towels while you prepare the rest of the dish.

In a large saucepan, add 1 tablespoon of olive oil and lightly toast the chopped pistachios along with the drained barberries over a medium heat. Add in the salt and a few good grinds of black pepper.

Use a spoon to remove the saffron colored section of the rice and fluff it up in a small bowl. Use a fork to fluff up the rest of the white rice.

Set aside a small amount of the barberries and pistachios to decorate the top, then add the rest to the rice pot, lightly folding them in till well combined. Then fold the saffron rice in lightly as well.

Spoon the rice into a serving dish then top with the reserved barberries and pistachios. Serve warm.

Enjoy!

Complete your meal by making my Persian Lamb Meatballs and Egyptian Date Crescents for dessert.

Barberry Pistachio Saffron Rice is my contribution to this month's Foodie Extravaganza where we are sharing recipes with nuts. Many thanks to our host is Caroline from Caroline's Cooking.

• Barberry Pistachio Saffron Rice by Food Lust People Love
• Canadian Pecan Butter Tarts by Tara's Multicultural Table
• Healthy Granola Cakes by Sneha's Recipes
• Pecan Chicken by Family Around The Table
• Pumpkin Nut Braid by Passion Kneaded
• Pumpkin-Nut Crumble Cake by Hardly A Goddess
• Pumpkin Praline Cheesecake by A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Walnut Sauce by Caroline's Cooking

Foodie Extravaganza celebrates obscure food holidays or shares recipes with the same ingredient or theme every month.

Posting day is always the first Wednesday of each month. If you are a blogger and would like to join our group and blog along with us, come join our Facebook group Foodie Extravaganza. We would love to have you!

If you're a reader looking for delicious recipes, check out our Foodie Extravaganza Pinterest Board!

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Spicy Beef Cheesy Corn Taco Muffins

Love tacos but need for them to be more portable, less messy to eat? Make my spicy beef cheesy corn taco muffins. These savory muffins are made with spicy canned tomatoes and cornmeal. They turn leftover ground beef seasoned with taco spices into a great mobile breakfast, brunch or lunch option.

The weekend I made these muffins was a get-‘er-done sort of weekend. We ran errands and crossed to-dos off the list that had been languishing there for ages. On day two of the weekend – that would be Saturday here – a song came on that reminded my dear husband of one of our favorite restaurants in Houston, Texas. “Let’s go to El Jardín for dinner!” he says. “You are a cruel, cruel man,” I responded. What we wouldn’t give to be able to eat at El Jardín anytime!

When my elder sister first started working in Houston, using her relatively freshly earned law degree, her office was just down the road from what would become our favorite Mexican restaurant, in a part of town that is not the most upscale, if you know what I mean. But the margaritas are inexpensive before evening dinner service and the food is deliciously prepared and served with a smile. The décor is cheerful, with brightly painted wooden chairs with straw-covered seats, colorful tile-topped tables and lots of tissue paper flowers and banners of papel picado, those decoratively snipped Mexican folk art tissue squares.

Even when we are in Houston, El Jardín is still a hike from our home but we make a point of going there whenever we get the chance.

So, the short end to this long story is that we had to have Mexican food for the dinner that night. Had to. That’s all. It wasn’t El Jardín but tacos with all the fixings were the best I could do on short notice, after two long days of getting ‘er done.

When you brown more than 500g (1.1 lb) of ground beef for tacos and you have only two people for dinner, you are going to have leftovers. These muffins are the perfect use for the leftover spicy beef, extending your Mexican meal through breakfast or brunch or even lunch the next day.

Leftover taco meat? Make Spicy Beef Cheesy Corn Taco Muffins!

Think of them as portable tacos. No leftover meat? Next time, make extra, just so you can make these muffins. You won’t be sorry.

Ingredients
1 cup or 150g fine yellow cornmeal 1/2
1/2 cup or 65g flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup or 225g sour cream
1 1/4 cups or 10 oz or 280g Ro-Tel tomatoes and green chilies
2 eggs
1/2 cup or 120ml canola or other light oil
7 oz or 200g (about 1 1/2 cups) leftover seasoned ground beef for tacos
8 oz or 225g extra sharp cheddar or half cheddar and half Monterrey Jack cheese

Method
Preheat your oven to 375°F or 190°C and grease your muffin pan liberally with non-stick spray or butter.

Grate your cheese, if not already grated. Put a handful or so aside to top the muffins before baking.

Measure your cornmeal, flour, salt, baking soda and grated cheddar into a large mixing bowl and mix well.

Measure the sour cream and oil into a small mixing bowl. Add the eggs and the can of Ro-Tel tomatoes – juice and all. Whisk to combine.

Fold your wet ingredients into your dry ones until just mixed.

Set a little of the seasoned ground beef aside for topping the muffins before baking and fold the rest into the batter.

Divide the batter between the prepared muffin cups.

Sprinkle the top with the reserved cheese and beef.

Bake for 20-25 minutes or until you can see that the sides are turning golden brown.

Remove from the oven and allow to cool for a few minutes.  Remove from the pan, loosening gently with a knife if necessary, and cool further on a wire rack.

Enjoy!



Like spicy foods with a Mexican flair? You might want to try my chicken and black bean enchiladas with homemade enchilada sauce, my easy breakfast Chilaquiles Rojos con Huevos Revueltos – Tortillas with Salsa and Scrambled Eggs or my Sopa Seca de Fideo - Spicy Mexican Noodles. All three are delicious and will satisfy your spicy cravings.

And if you love tacos as much as we do, you are going to be a huge fan of this week's Sunday Supper. Check out all the delicious taco recipes we are sharing today. Many thanks to our event manager Em Beitel for all of her hard work.

Breakfast, Dessert, and Alternative Tacos

• Jalapeño Cornbread Taco Pie by Soulfully Made
• Loaded Taco Tots by Gourmet Everyday
• Naked Egg Breakfast Tacos by Palatable Pastime
• Spicy Beef Cheesy Corn Taco Muffins by Food Lust People Love
• Veggie Packed Mouth-Watering Cauliflower Breakfast Tostadas by Bites of Wellness

Lunch and Dinner Tacos

• 1970s Style Tacos by Fantastical Sharing of Recipes
• Asian-Spiced Black Cod Tacos with Kimchi and Avocado-Sriracha Mayo by Culinary Adventures with Camilla
• Beef and Bean Tacos plus planning Taco Tuesday: An Easy Family Meal by Hardly A Goddess
• Buffalo Chicken Tacos by A Mind Full Mom
• Chorizo Tacos with Black Bean and Corn Salsa by Sew You Think You Can Cook
• Cinnamon Beef Tacos by Cindy’s Recipes and Writings
• Easy Fish Taco Recipe by Sunday Supper Movement
• Healthy Ground Turkey Tacos by Mid-Life Croissant
• Low Carb Beef Tacos by Our Good Life
• Salmon Tacos with Watermelon Pico de Gallo by Pies and Plots
• Sloppy Joe Tacos by A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Slow Cooker Asian Pork Tacos with Cabbage Slaw by That Skinny Chick Can Bake
• Slow Cooker Korean BBQ Tacos by Cricket’s Confections
• Steak Tacos with Chimichurri Sauce by The Freshman Cook
• Surf and Turf Tacos by The Weekend Gourmet
• Walking Chili Cheese Tacos by Bottom Left of the Mitten

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Sweet Pineapple Muffins #MuffinMonday

These sweet pineapple muffins have a simple vanilla muffin batter, studded with pineapple. They are perfect for breakfast and snacks. Pop one in a lunch box as a special surprise.

I have a confession to make. These were supposed to be fresh pineapple muffins. My neighborhood grocery store has a special cutter that slices pineapples into circles at the same time that it removes the thick, spiky peel. Don’t you know, the day I was baking these, they didn’t have any fresh pineapples. They almost always have them!

I wanted fresh pineapple because fruit packed in syrup is usually too sweet for me but I took this as a sign to go and peruse the canned goods. Hallelujah! There was actually one option with pineapple slices in unsweetened juice. So, use what you’ve got!

Ingredients
2 cups or 250g all purpose flour
¾ cup or 150g sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
Juice (not syrup!) from small can of pineapple plus enough milk to make 1 cup or 240ml
½ cup or 120ml canola oil or other light oil
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 large eggs
Small can pineapple (4.9 oz or 139g, drained weight)

Method
Preheat oven to 350°F or 180°C and generously grease cups and top of 12-cup muffin pan or line with paper liners.

Drain the pineapple and save the juice in a measuring cup. Add enough milk to make 1 cup or 240ml.

Sift flour, sugar, baking powder and salt together in a large mixing bowl.

Chop the pineapple slices into bits. I like to cut some a bit bigger and save them to decorate the top and I suggest you do the same.

Put the bigger pile into the dry ingredients and stir to coat them so they don't stick together.

In another bowl, whisk together milk, melted butter, vanilla and eggs.

Add all the milk mixture to flour mixture. Gently fold just until dry ingredients are moistened.

Divide your batter relatively evenly between the 12 muffin cups.  Top each with a couple of pieces of chopped pineapple.

Bake 20-25 minutes or until muffins are golden.

Remove from oven and let cool 10-15 before removing muffins from pan.

Enjoy!

Check out all of the great muffins my Muffin Monday group is sharing today:

• Appalachian Pawpaw Muffinsfrom Palatable Pastime
• Apple Oatmeal Muffins from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Pineapple Coconut Banana Muffins from Passion Kneaded
• Sourdough Date Nut Cranberry Muffins from Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Sweet Pineapple Muffins from Food Lust People Love
• Whole Grain Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins from Farm Fresh Feasts

#MuffinMonday is a group of muffin loving bakers who get together once a month to bake muffins. You can see all our of lovely muffins by following our Pinterest board.

Updated links for all of our past events and more information about Muffin Monday, can be found on our home page.

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Roasted Pumpkin Apple Bacon Soup

Nothing beats roasted pumpkin soup on a chilly fall day. Add some bacon, ginger and green apple for a warm, bright bowl of goodness your whole family will love.

It’s never really winter here in Dubai so when we get a day that is grey and looks like it is threatening to rain (although honestly, it hardly ever does) that is what I call a soup day. Today it’s pumpkin soup since I am trying hard to channel autumn.

Roasted Pumpkin Apple Bacon Soup

This makes two large, very, very thick bowls of soup. This recipe is easily multiplied to serve more.

Ingredients
600g or 1 1/3 pounds fresh pumpkin
2 slices or rashers of bacon (streaky) (optional)
2 cups or 480ml stock (chicken or vegetable)
1/2 small onion
1 medium carrot
1 green apple
1 teaspoon lemon juice
Small knob young ginger
4 cloves garlic
20g or 1 1/2 tablespoons of butter
Olive oil
Sea salt
Black pepper

Optional, to serve: Drizzle of cream

Method
Preheat your oven to 375°F or 190°C. Clean the seeds and fibers out of your pumpkin.

Cut it in pieces so it will roast faster. Trim the bottom a little, if necessary, to make it stand up properly. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt.

Roast the pumpkin for 40-50 minutes or until a fork goes in easily. Remove from oven and allow to cool enough to handle.

Meanwhile, if using, chop your bacon into little strips. Fry with a little olive oil over a medium fire.

Peel the vegetables then chop your onion, carrot and garlic and ginger.

Add to the bacon and sauté until softened, adding another couple of glugs of olive oil. Put the lid on and cook for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add a little water if it starts to dry out.

Put one teaspoon of lemon juice in a small bowl. Peel, core and chop the apple and mix it around in the lemon juice.

Add the apple to the pot. Stir everything around and pop the lid back. Cook on medium, adding water occasionally if it starts to catch.

Once you are able to hold your pumpkin, scrape the flesh out of the skin.

Add the butter to the pot and then add the pumpkin.

Add the stock and give the pot a whisk.

Carefully ladle and then pour everything in to a blender. Make sure not to overfill the blender. You may have to do this in batches. Blend until smooth.  Return to the pot and check the seasoning. Add salt, if necessary, and a couple of good grinds of black pepper.

Serve with a drizzle of cream and hot buttered toast.

Enjoy!

Check out all the great easy pumpkin recipes my Sunday Supper group are sharing today!

Meals, Sides, and Snacks

• Autumn Harvest Pumpkin Soup by A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Chocolate Pumpkin Chia Pudding by Cricket’s Confections
• Chocolate Pumpkin Pastry Twists by Caroline’s Cooking
• Cream Cheese Filled Pumpkin Bread by That Skinny Chick Can Bake
• Miso Broth with Roast Pumpkin and Noodles by Sprinkles and Sprouts
• Pumpkin Coffee Cake with Walnut Streusel by Baking Sense
• Pumpkin Kugel by Cindy’s Recipes and Writings
• Pumpkin Monkey Bread Muffins by Jersey Girl Cooks
• Pumpkin Mug Muffin by Our Good Life
• Pumpkin Oatmeal Cups by Hezzi-D’s Books and Cooks
• Pumpkin Shrub by Culinary Adventures with Camilla
• Pumpkin Spiced Cream Cheese Rolls by Fantastical Sharing of Recipes
• Roasted Pumpkin Apple Bacon Soup by Food Lust People Love
• Savory Pumpkin with Red Onion Garlic and Coconut by Sue’s Nutrition Buzz

Delectable Desserts

• No Bake Paleo Pumpkin Bites by Bites of Wellness
• Pumpkin Blondies by Pies and Plots
• Pumpkin Bread Pudding by The Freshman Cook
• Pumpkin Cupcakes by NinjaBaker.com
• Pumpkin Hand Pies by Kudos Kitchen by Renee
• Pumpkin Pie Ice Cream by Bottom Left of the Mitten
• Pumpkin Pot Au Creme by Cooking On The Ranch
• Pumpkin Spice Crumble Cake by Soulfully Made
• Simple Pumpkin Pie Pudding by Confessions of a Cooking Diva
• Traditional Pumpkin Pie by Palatable Pastime
• Pumpkin Spice Chocolate Chip Cookies by Sunday Supper Movement

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Brown Sugar Banana Bundt Cake #BundtBakers

This delectable Brown Sugar Banana Bundt Cake also boasts browned butter in the batter! If you've never tried browned butter in a cake, prepare yourself. You are about to fall in love with the rich flavor it adds.

This month my Bundt Bakers group is sharing "back to school" cake recipes that slice up nicely and/or freeze well so that they are great in lunch boxes. One of my girls’ favorite treats when they were still at home was a light and fluffy banana cake straight from our favorite family cookbook, the 1980 edition of Good Housekeeping.

I can’t tell you if it freezes well, although though there is no reason it should not, but it never lasted long enough. I can tell you that it wraps up nicely for a snack at recess or lunch. For this month’s bake, I decided to take that original recipe and kick it up a flavor notch or two by browning the butter and switching out the white sugar for brown.

Ingredients
2 1/4 cups or 280g flour, plus a little for flouring pan
1 1/4 cups or 250g sugar
1 1/2 cups (3-4) well-ripened bananas
1/2 cup or 115g butter, softened, plus a little extra for greasing pan
2 eggs, at room temperature
2 1/2 teaspoons double-acting baking powder
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon baking soda or bicarbonate of soda
1/2 teaspoon salt

Method
Preheat oven to 350°F or 180°C and grease and flour a 10-cup Bundt pan. Here's an affiliate link to the pan that I used: Nordic Ware Jubilee Bundt. Isn't it a beauty?

Heat the butter in a small pot until it starts to brown. Remove from heat immediately and set aside to cool. Full instructions can be found here at The Cooking Actress. The talented Kayle has been my mentor in all things browned butter.

Into large bowl mixing bowl, put your peeled bananas.  Give them a quick whirl to mash. Add in the eggs and beat again briefly.

Now measure all the other ingredients onto the bowl.  With mixer at low speed, beat until well mixed, scraping the bowl often.

Now beat on high for five minutes, occasionally stopping to scrape the bowl again. Pour batter into your prepared pan.

 Bake for 35-40 minutes or until toothpick inserted into center of cake comes out clean.

Cool your Bundt cake for 10 minutes and then turn it out of pan.

Serve sprinkled with confectioners’ or powdered sugar.

Enjoy!

Many thanks to this month’s host, Wendy from A Day in the Life on a Farm for her behind the scenes work and for choosing such a fun theme. Check out all the back to school Bundts we are sharing today:

• Applesauce Bundt Cake from I love Bundt Cakes
• Autumn Honey Apple Bake & Slice Bundt Cake from Faith, Hope, Love, & Luck Survive Despite a Whiskered Accomplice
• Brown Sugar Banana Bundt Cake from Food Lust People Love
• Hummingbird Bundt Cake with Cream Cheese Glaze from Love and Confections
• Morning Glory Bundt Cake with Yogurt & Granola Topping from All That's Left Are The Crumbs
• Peanut Butter and Jam Bundt Cake from The Queen of Scones
• Persimmon Pudding Cake from Sneha's Recipe
• Pistachios, Blueberries and White Chocolate Bundt Cake from Bizcocheando
• Sesame Seed Bundt Cake from Katin špajz
• Twinkie Bundt Cake from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Zebra Bundt Cake from Patty's Cake

 

#BundtBakers is a group of Bundt loving bakers who get together once a month to bake Bundts with a common ingredient or theme. Follow our Pinterest board right here. Links are also updated each month on the BundtBakers home page.

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