Brazilian Christmas Rice

This festive rice pilaf is a Christmas dish from Brazil. The rice is cooked with Champagne and studded with dried fruits and sun-dried tomatoes.

Step: 1

Soak raisins in a bowl of hot water until soft, 5 to 10 minutes. Drain.

Step: 2

Heat olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Cook and stir onion and garlic in the hot oil until fragrant, about 5 minutes. Stir in raisins, rice, and salt; cook and stir until rice is coated with oil, about 3 minutes.

Step: 3

Pour boiling water and Champagne into the saucepan. Cover and cook until liquid is absorbed and rice is tender, about 20 minutes.

Step: 4

Place dried apricots in a small saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil; simmer until soft, about 5 minutes. Drain and cool slightly, about 5 minutes. Cut into strips.

Step: 5

Place grated carrot in a small bowl and cover with boiling water. Season with salt. Let soak until softened, about 5 minutes. Drain.

Step: 6

Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir in apricot strips and sun-dried tomatoes; cook for 2 minutes.

Step: 7

Fold apricot strips and sun-dried tomatoes into the cooked rice. Pile rice onto a serving platter; garnish with grated carrot.

Per Serving: 345 calories; protein 4.8g; carbohydrates 62.2g; fat 7.1g; cholesterol 3.8mg; sodium 98.5mg.

The most obvious way to pick a side dish is to caught at your main dish (pasta, chicken, seared tofu) and choose something different. If you’re making pasta, go for a simple vegetable . Made steak? Go for something light. If you’re making stir-fry with rice, it must not a best idea to adjust with make a rice salad.

One make sure is also can make to cooking process . You don’t want to push more often your oven by scheduling three dishes at once in there, or be rounding four pans on the stovetop . But sometimes you can made a dish do more often .