Ingredients

• 1-2 minced onions
• Olive oil
• Spices: curry, cumin, tumeric, cinnamon
• 1 cup rice
• 2 cups hot water
• 1/3 cut currants
• potatoes, peeled and cut into bite size pieces and slightly steamed
• carrots cut “julienne” style and slightly steamed
• assortment of vegetables: baby string beans, zucchini squash and yellow squash cut julienne style

Instructions

Brown the onions in olive oil

Add spices, fry then add rice

Brown the rice then add the water

Add the slightly steamed vegetables and currants

Cover and simmer 12-15 min until all liquid is absorbed

Serves 4

Art’s “Bryani”

Ingredients

• 1 large carrot julienned
• 1 medium-large onion
• 1 cup rice
• ½ cup currants
• ¼ cup pine nuts or pistachio
• ½ cup frozen peas
• ¼ bunch cilantro
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• 2 cardamon pods
• 1 tbsp bryani paste

Instructions

Put carrot spears in 2 cups simmering water

In large skillet, heat onions (chopped) in olive oil

When onions are transparent add rice and stir every minute

Add carrots and water they were cooked in

Dissolve Bryani paste in some of the water and add and stir

Add currants cardamon, cinnamon

Cook covered 15-20 min

Add pine nuts, cilantro, peas and stir

Cook five more minutes, adding ½ cup water if necessary

Plantains and Pigeon Peas for 40 for events

Ingredients

• 6 Ripe plantains (yellow even spotted with black)
• 3 large or 5 medium onions chopped (2 cups)
• 5 cups rice
• 7 cups boiling water
• 2 green peppers
• 1 red pepper
• 3 15-oz cans pidgeon peas
• 2 – 9 ¼ oz bottles Goya pitted Manzanilla olives
• 1 bunch chopped fresh cilantro
• Ground cinnamon
• Cinnamon sticks
• Hot sauce

Instructions

Peel the plantains by slicing the skin long-wise with a knife. Cut in thirds, about 1-2 inches long. Cut each piece length-wise into 4 slices.

Heat olive oil to just cover the bottom of a frying pan. Lay out the slices in a pan and sprinkle with cinnamon.  After a minute, turn the slices sprinkling with cinnamon again. Remove to a bowl and repeat with more plantain slices until they have all been browned.

In same pan, pour in a little more olive oil, then fry onions a few minutes until translucent.

Preheat oven to 350F

In large (18” x 11”) shallow pan mix uncooked rice, onions and boiling water. Layer plantains on top.

Empty pidgeon peas into bowl with the liquid.  Add hot sauce, mint, sprinkle over rice and onions.

Cut up green and red peppers, mix together, sprinkle over pidgeon peas. Sprinkle olives on top.

Scatter a few cinnamon sticks.  Sprinkle with Cilantro

Cover tightly with aluminum foil and put in oven.

After 15 min reduce heat to 300F

After another 30 min check to see there is still water.  Add more if rice is still hard

Continue checking every 20 min until rice is soft and water mostly absorbed.

Total cooking time between 1 and 2 hours

Eggplant Curry

Ingredients

• Garlic
• Small eggplant cut in small cubes (3 ½ cups)
• Onion (2 ½ cups)
• Cilantro
• Tomatoes – 14 oz can
• Rice
• 2-3 Carrots parboiled (1 ½ cups)
• 2 small potatoes parboiled (1 ½ cups)
• Frozen peas
• Ginger
• Bryani paste
• Curry powder

Instructions

In hot olive oil brown garlic, onions, eggplant

Add tomatoes, parboiled potatoes, carrots, curry, cilantro or mint

Add frozen peas

Cover and cook 10 min

Serve over rice