Hi everyone! One of the best incentives to learn how to cook is to be able to remember places you have been or where you have eaten through your own culinary creations.
I was eyeing my gift of Saffron from my friend Gonzalo Fernandez, former owner of my favorite restaurant Xunta in the East Village, when I thought to make a Spanish rice dish. As many of you know, I lived in Spain off and on for years and miss that Saffron smell wafting through those hot streets of Sevilla. Sigh……
P.S. My friend Antonio from Sevilla taught me the saffron water trick!
Saffron Rice with Garlic and Almonds:
Serves 3-4 as a side dish
Ingredients:
2 cups cooked leftover white rice
3 pinches saffron immersed in a TBS water for 10-15 minutes
1 tsp minced or pureed garlic
1/4 cup chopped almonds
2 tsp olive oil
Steps:
In a medium sized frying pan, heat up the olive oil.
Add in garlic and stir for a minute
Add in white rice and coat with the garlicky oil
Add in the saffron with the water and stir
When all is heated through, top with chopped almonds and serve