Tomato Rice with Cannellini, Fried Chickpeas and Onions
Serves 4
Adapted from the Wall Street Journal
2 medium tomatoes, first peeled and then quartered
1 cup water
1 tablespoon tomato paste
¾ cup, plus 1 tablespoon, olive oil
Salt
1 teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon saffron
1 cup dry basmati rice, rinsed
¾ cup canned cannellini or great white beans, drained and rinsed
½ cup canned chickpeas, drained and rinsed
½ medium yellow onion, thinly sliced
⅓ cup fresh dill, plus more for garnish, finely chopped
3 tablespoons labneh or whole-milk yogurt, whisked
Add the peeled and quartered tomatoes to a blender or food processor. Carefully, in short bursts, blend the tomatoes until they’re a pulp. You don’t want them smooth, so don’t over blend them
In a medium pot, whisk together tomato pulp, water, tomato paste, 1 tablespoon olive oil, ½ teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon cumin, and the saffron. Let it stand until the saffron blooms, about 3 minutes. Pour in rice.
Set the pot over medium heat and bring it to a boil. Cover the pot and reduce the heat to low. Let the rice simmer until almost al dente, about 15 minutes. Without losing too much steam, mix in the cannellini beans and cover the pot again until they are heated, about 3 minutes. Turn off the heat and let the rice rest, covered.
While the rice cooks, set a medium pan over medium-high heat. As the pan heats up, pour in ¾ cup oil. Once hot, add the chickpeas and fry until golden, 4-6 minutes total. The chickpeas will start popping, so don’t be alarmed and watch out for flying chickpeas!
Using a slotted spoon, transfer the fried chickpeas to a paper-towel-lined plate. Lower the heat to medium and add the onions and remaining ½ teaspoon cumin to the pan. Fry the onions until darkened and some smaller pieces have crisped up, about 7-10 minutes. Transfer fried onions to a separate paper-towel-lined plate.
Fluff the rice and toss the fried chickpeas and dill into the rice, and season with salt. Garnish with fried onions, a drizzle of labneh, and more chopped dill.
Enjoy!