One-Pot Wonders
Saffron Rice Pilaf with Meatballs and Dates
- Prep time 5 minutes
- Cook time 50 minutes
- Serves 4-6
Author Notes
My grandparents immigrated to New York from Israel in 1959. My Grandmother Zahava was all about schlepping things back and forth, everyone in her mind needed to use their full weight allowance when flying between Israel and America. But mainly it was us in America bringing things to our cousins in Israel. And the one item that made us all laugh were the dates. Though every box of dates we took to Israel said on them ‘Product of Israel,’ our family in Israel couldn’t get a hold of them -- they were left with what in Israel is disdainfully termed ‘sug bet’ or substandard produce, while all of Israel's first-rate produce was being shipped overseas.
Thankfully, that is no longer the case: Israel can now ship its amazing produce around the globe and hold onto the first-rate stuff at the same time.
This dish is one of those amazing all-in-one type of dishes, made as my Savta (grandmother) would on the stovetop, but still special enough to be served any day of the week! —Ilana Epstein
Ingredients
- Meatballs
-
2 teaspoons
ground cumin
-
2 teaspoons
paprika
-
1 teaspoon
cinnamon
-
1 teaspoon
kosher salt
-
500 grams
ground beef
-
3 tablespoons
onion, finely chopped
-
2
garlic cloves, minced
-
2 tablespoons
olive oil
- Rice Pilaf
-
120 milliliters
water, boiling
-
1 pinch
saffron threads, crushed
-
1
small onion, finely chopped
-
1 cup
red bell pepper, finely chopped
-
5
Medjool dates, pitted and chopped
-
1 teaspoon
kosher salt
-
2 cups
long-grain rice (preferably Basmati)
-
1 liter
reduced-sodium chicken broth
-
1/4 cup
flat-leaf parsley, chopped
-
1/4 cup
fresh mint, chopped
-
zest of one lemon
Directions
- For the meatballs: In a medium bowl, mix together the cumin, paprika, cinnamon, and salt. Add the beef, onion, and garlic and mix until well combined. Scoop 1 tablespoon of the beef mixture into your hands and roll into a small ball. Repeat until all the mixture has been used. You should get about 24 meatballs. (The meatballs can be prepared to this point 1 day ahead; cover and refrigerate. Bring to room temperature at least 30 minutes or up to 1 hour before continuing with the recipe.)
- Heat a heavy, large saute pan that has a lid, over medium-high heat, when hot add the olive oil, heat the olive oil until shimmering and add the meatballs and brown on all sides, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove the meatballs to a dish, you may need to do this in two batches, as you do not want to overcrowd the pan.
- Combine the saffron and 120ml (½ cup) boiling water, mix well, and set aside.
- Ensure that you have about 2 tablespoons' worth of fat at the bottom of the pan, if you have too much, pour some off, if not enough add more olive oil. Heat the fat in the pan over medium-high heat, until hot, add the onions and peppers and saute until very soft, about 5 minutes.
- Add the rice to the onions in the pan, and stir until the rice is well coated with fat and the onions and peppers are evenly distributed. Stir in the dates and season with salt.
- Place the browned meatballs over the rice, pour in the saffron water along with the chicken broth, bring the broth to the boil, as soon as the liquid is boiling lower the heat so to a simmer, cover the pan and cook over low heat for 20 minutes, until the rice and meatballs are cooked through.
- Combine the parsley, mint, and lemon zest in a small bowl and sprinkle over the casserole before serving.
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