Cardamom-scented Ouzi
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Author Notes: I enjoyed an ouzi at a Middle Eastern restaurant, and then recreated my own version at home. This makes a great vegetarian dish, served in individual puff pastry pieces. You could add meat or chicken pieces for non-vegetarians, and you could use different vegetables, such as peas or shredded cabbage. To save myself, I didn't try to recreate the pastry, but just used store-bought puff pastry sheets. - thirdchild - thirdchild
Food52 Review: Thirdchild has created a fine recipe. A lovely mixture of fragrant rice studded with vegetables, raisins, mushrooms and nuts is baked inside a case of crisp pastry. The mixture of wild and basmati rice provides dramatic color contrast. as well as depth of flavor and texture. I shredded my vegetables (carrot, turnip, and parsnip) in the food processor, producing pieces about the same size as the cooked rice. I substituted phyllo dough for the puff pastry, using two leaves of dough, folded twice, for each serving. (Looking for a little less butter, although I brushed the phyllo surfaces with melted ghee.). If made as small-sized pastries, these ouzi would be delicious appetizers. Larger ones can be either an entree or a side dish. - AppleAnnie
Serves four
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper (or less)
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground allspice
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground cardamom
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper
- 2 good-sized carrots, small-diced
- 1 zucchini, small-diced
- 5 shiitake mushrooms, small-diced
- 1/3 cup golden raisins
- 1/4 cup chopped pecans or sliced almonds or pinenuts
- 2 cups cooked white basmati rice
- 2 cups cooked wild rice
- 1 cup vegetable or chicken stock
- salt to taste
- 1 puff pastry sheet, thawed in fridge for a couple of hours
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon water
- Heat olive oil in a good-sized skillet, then add diced onion. Saute for about 5 minutes, until soft.
- Add all the spice ingredients, and fry for an additional minute, until nicely fragrant.
- Add carrots, zucchini, and mushrooms (or vegetables of your choice) and stir.
- Pour in 1/2 cup of stock and cover pan. Cook for about 2-3 minutes.
- Add raisins, nuts, and the cooked rices. Pour in the remaining 1/2 cup stock. Check to see if there is enough liquid for a moist mixture. If dry, add more stock. Stir until well-mixed, with heat under the skillet. Add salt to taste, then turn off skillet and set mixture aside.
- Roll out puff pastry sheet, sprinkling with flour to prevent sticking. Cut the sheet into four pieces. Pile the rice filling onto the individual pieces, using about 1/4 of the filling for each piece, then fold the pastry over the top.
- Whisk together the egg and water, then paint the tops of the pastries with it.
- Place pastries on parchment paper on a cookie sheet and bake for about 30 minutes at 425 degrees. Watch so they don't get too too brown!
- This recipe is a Community Pick!
- This recipe was entered in the contest for Your Best Recipe with Cardamom
Tags: beautiful, dinner party, savory, Vegetarian
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almost 2 years ago thirdchild
I just wanted to add this comment. Some months ago my husband and I were asked to dinner at a friends' house. The chef (a psychiatrist in his 'other life', when he isn't cooking in his newly remodeled - by him - kitchen), explained that he was serving something really special. He had made it several times before, he said. Out of the oven came my ouzi recipe! I was amazed, and it tasted even better since I didn't have to labor over it! We all laughed over the coincidence, and thanked food52 for the opportunity!
over 2 years ago hardlikearmour
hardlikearmour is a trusted home cook.
When I saw the title of this recipe I thought it would be a beverage, like ouzo! LOL. Sounds fabulous, T.