Christmas Rice
Celebrate the holiday season with this festive Christmas Rice dish. Our recipes are easy to make and packed with flavor.
- 0 - 30 Minutes
- Easy
- Serves 6
Method
Ingredients
Ingredients
- 2 cup Tilda Pure Basmati Rice, well washed
- ½ large red onion, thinly sliced
- 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp chili flakes
- 1 bay leaf, torn
- 1 lemon, zested and juiced
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp pepper
- 2/3 cups toasted walnuts, roughly chopped
- 4 Tbsp dried cranberries
- 4 Tbsp sour cherries
- 4 Tbsp fresh pomegranate seeds
- 3 celery sticks, cut into 1/5 in pieces
- 1 ½ cups feta, crumbled
- 1 cup raw brussels sprouts, trimmed and thinly shredded
- 3 1/3 Tbsp watercress, stalks trimmed
- ½ Tbsp fresh dill, finely chopped
How to make Christmas Rice
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Prepare rice according to package directions.
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Add the red onion in freshly boiled water for 30 sec, drain and set aside to cool. Heat the olive oil until very warm, pour into a small jug then add the paprika, chili flakes and bay leaf, and leave to infuse and cool.
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Allow the rice to cool if you want to serve it cold. Using two forks, mix the rice with the lemon juice, 1 Tbsp of the oil, salt, and pepper. Fold the rest of the ingredients and drizzle the oil on top.
How to Zest a Lemon
Many recipes call for lemon zest. But what does that mean and how does one zest a lemon? Let’s take a look..
The zest of citrus fruit can be found on the outside layer of the skin. You will only need a small amount of zest to go a long way. Avoid the white part of the peel since it is too bitter to use.
To zest a lemon you can use the fine side of a grater. It is the most common and effortless way to do so. Depending on the recipe it can call for a different sized zest. If this is the case, use the thicker side of the grater. With this particular recipe, the size of the zest is not very important.
You can never have enough zest. If you have grated more than your recipe calls for, that’s no problem. It is possible to freeze your zested lemons for later use. The first step is to spread your zest in a thin layer on a cookie sheet and freeze, then split up the zest and store in a ziplock bag. Excess zest can last up to a month in the freezer.
About Feta
Feta cheese is made out of sheep’s milk (occasionally with added goat’s milk) and has a salty and tangy flavor that make it a favorite inside and outside of its home country, Greece. Although many other countries produce similar types of cheese, the name feta can only be used on the labels of Greek cheeses.
Feta is great in appetizers, side dishes, and as an ingredient in salads, main dishes, and savory pastries. Go far beyond the Greek salad and try using feta cheese.
The Distinction Between Paprika and Chili Powder
Chili powder is a red-colored mixture of spice powders that adds heat since it contains cayenne pepper. It also includes additional spices including paprika, oregano, cumin, and garlic powder.
However, depending on the amount of cayenne pepper used, chili powder can range from mild to fairly spicy. The primary distinction between the two is that while chili powder typically consists of a mixture of chilies along with other ingredients like cumin and garlic powder, paprika is prepared from a single chili.
