Thursday Side: Nigerian Jollof Rice

This is a classic Nigerian side dish that is almost always used as an accompaniment to meat dishes or with dodo, another traditional dish made with fried green plantains. However, it would make a wonderful, aromatic side dish to serve with roasted meats or stews. Enjoy!

Nigerian Jollof Rice

Serves 8 to 12

Ingredients:

2 large ripe tomatoes, peeled, cored, seeded, and cut into pieces

1 large red onion, peeled and chopped

1 large red bell pepper, cored, seeded, and chopped

4 cups long grain white rice

Salt to taste

Cayenne pepper to taste

¼ cup vegetable broth

Preparation:

-Preheat the oven to 350ºF.

-Combine the tomatoes, onion, and pepper in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade.

-Process to a smooth puree and set aside.

-Combine the rice with 6 cups of cold water in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. -Bring to a boil and reduce the heat to a gentle simmer. Simmer for 15 minutes and then add the reserved tomato mixture, stirring to blend well. Season with salt and cayenne pepper to taste.

-Return the mixture to a simmer and stir in the vegetable broth.

-Cover and transfer to the preheated oven and bake for about 30 minutes or until the rice is very dry.

-Check from time to time to make sure that the liquid has not evaporated too quickly, as you don’t want the rice to burn before it is cooked, but you also do not want the rice to be soupy.

-Remove from the oven and serve hot.

Noted recipe and restaurant consultant Judith Choate is a three-time James Beard cookbook award winner. She is the author or coauthor of many highly-praised cookbooks. Her collaborators include chocolate-maker Jacques Torres, and such celebrated chefs as Charlie Trotter, David Burke, Charlie Palmer, and Michael McCarty. She and her husband, photographer Steve Poole, live in New York City. Her latest book is “The Best Little Book of Preserves & Pickles: Easy Jams & Jellies, Chutneys & Condiments, Sauces, Spreads and Syrups” (Red Rock Press, 2011). You can learn more about “A Reader’s Cookbook” by visiting http://www.redrockpress.com/delicious.html#readersCookbook.