Passover recipe: Sephardic Persian celebration rice from Alain Cohen of Got Kosher?

When Tunisian-born Alain Cohen came to Hollywood from Paris as a student, he prepared a Sephardic Passover seder for his Californian friends. Cohen, whose family traces its roots in Tunisia to 586BC and owns Les Ailes, a landmark kosher French-Tunisian restaurant in Paris, enjoyed introducing people to a different style of Passover cuisine.

Sephardic Jews, who hail from the Middle East, the Mediterranean and Asia, follow somewhat more lenient rules during Passover than their Ashkenazic (European) counterparts. Rice and beans are okay, saffron and hot peppers are common, and Sephardic dishes tend to include dates, figs and other dried fruits common in the lands of their heritage.

This colorful rice dish is a staple both on Cohen's Seder table and in his catering business, Got Kosher? near Beverly Hills. It can be eaten hot or cold.

For more Passover recipes, click here.
 

Sephardic Persian celebration rice (serves 8)

• 4 cups basmati rice
• 2 Tbsp grapeseed oil
• 4 cups carrots, thinly julienned (with mandolin or food processor or peeler)
• 1/2 cup orange rind, thinly julienned
• 1 cup sugar
• 4 onions, thinly julienned
• 1/4 cup grapeseed oil
• 1/2 cup zeresh (small tart dried berries, available in Middle Eastern stores or online)
• 1 cup golden raisins
• 2 Tbsp salt
• 1 pinch saffron threads
• 1 cup almonds, slivered
• 1 cup pistachios, de-shelled

Wash and rinse rice in cool water. Drain and cover with water; let stand and soak for about 2 hours. Note: Letting the raw rice soak overnight makes it even tastier.

Meanwhile, heat 1/4 cup grapeseed oil in a heavy pan. Add the carrots and boil for 15 minutes with the sugar and the orange rind.

Heat 1/4 cup grapeseed oil in another heavy pan set on low heat and add onions; cook until translucent and lightly colored. Boil the zeresh for one minute. When onions are caramelized, add zeresh and raisins to the mix. Remove onions and set aside.

Roast almonds and pistachios for 5 minutes in a 300F oven.

Rinse the rice twice in a colander. This makes the rice fluffier.

In a rice cooker or heavy pot, bring 8 cups of water and salt to a boil. Drain the rice in a colander and add to boiling water; cook for about 7 minutes or until “al dente” (with a little snap to it). Drain and rinse immediately in cold water. Set aside.

In another pot (preferably nonstick), pour the oil and shape the rice into a pyramid. Poke one or two holes with the handle of the spatula. Add 2 tablespoons of water. Cover very tightly or add a weight on the lid. Simmer 45 minutes.

Boil saffron in a little water for 3 minutes. Mix 1 cup of the cooked rice with the saffron water.

To serve:

In a large plate pile the rice into a mound, about 12 inches in diameter. At the base make a ring with the carrots, orange and sugar mix. Inside of it, shape another ring with the caramelized onions, zeresh and golden raisin mix. Inside this second ring make a ring of toasted slivered almonds. Inside the third ring make a ring of toasted peeled pistachios and on the final circle add the saffron rice.