Saffron Rice Pilaf (Riz au Safran)

Saffron Rice Pilaf (Riz au Safran)
Saffron Rice Pilaf (Riz au Safran)
THIS SABBATH RICE DISH, typical of Provence, reveals the history both of pilau or pilaf, as it is called in French, and of Persian Jews who settled in the area near the Camargue, the rice-growing area of southwestern Provence located on the triangle of land between the two major tributaries of the Rhône River. Jews, first by barge and later by boat, used the river to bring goods here from the Mediterranean. The word and the dish pilau come from Persia, taking various forms as the dish traveled around the world. In India, it became pulao; in modern-day Iran, it is called polo; and in Provence, pelau or pilaf. Rice, and therefore pilaf, traveled with the Jews to Provence, where many Persian Jewish merchants and scholars settled and lived until the end of the fourteenth century or even later. These Jews, who traded rice, cooked it for the Sabbath with fragrant spices like nutmeg, garlic, cumin, cinnamon, and saffron. Some scholars believe that Jews brought saffron to Europe from Asia Minor for their Sabbath rice. The late Karen Hess, author of The Carolina Rice Kitchen, repeatedly told me that Jews first brought rice to the Camargue. In their Inventory of the Culinary Patrimony of France, Philip and Mary Hyman relate that emigrants from the Piedmont paid a dîme of rice to noblemen in the year 1497. And although pilau and riz au safran are no longer particularly Jewish dishes in Provence, they are clearly rooted in the Sabbath tradition. This simple recipe is typically eaten on Rosh Hashanah, alongside a symbolic whole roasted fish with a Sephardic sweet-and-sour greengage-plum sauce.
  • Preparing Time: -
  • Total Time: -
  • Served Person: 4 servings
French Jewish Side Vegetarian Rosh Hashanah/Yom Kippur Dinner Pine Nut Saffron Healthy Sugar Conscious Vegan Pescatarian Dairy Free Wheat/Gluten-Free Peanut Free Soy Free No Sugar Added Kosher
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
  • freshly ground pepper to taste
  • pinch of saffron
  • 1 cup long-grain rice
  • 1 large onion, finely chopped
  • Carbohydrate 43 g(14%)
  • Fat 22 g(34%)
  • Fiber 2 g(8%)
  • Protein 6 g(12%)
  • Saturated Fat 2 g(12%)
  • Sodium 259 mg(11%)
  • Calories 389

Preparation Stir the saffron into 2 tablespoons hot water in a bowl, and set aside. Heat the olive oil in a heavy-bottomed ovenproof pan. Add the onion and pine nuts, and cook over medium heat, stirring, for about 5 minutes, or until the onion is translucent and the nuts are fragrant and beginning to change color. Lower the heat, and stir in the rice. Add the saffron and its water, the nutmeg, the bay leaf, the salt, freshly ground pepper to taste, and 2 cups water. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to a slow simmer, cover, and cook for 15 to 18 minutes, or until the liquid is absorbed and the rice is tender. Fluff the rice with a fork, removing the bay leaf. Taste, and adjust the seasoning. Serve warm. Reprinted with permission from Quiches, Kugels, and Couscous: My Search for Jewish Cooking in France by Joan Nathan, © 2010 Alfred A. Knopf, a division of Random House, Inc.

Preparation Stir the saffron into 2 tablespoons hot water in a bowl, and set aside. Heat the olive oil in a heavy-bottomed ovenproof pan. Add the onion and pine nuts, and cook over medium heat, stirring, for about 5 minutes, or until the onion is translucent and the nuts are fragrant and beginning to change color. Lower the heat, and stir in the rice. Add the saffron and its water, the nutmeg, the bay leaf, the salt, freshly ground pepper to taste, and 2 cups water. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to a slow simmer, cover, and cook for 15 to 18 minutes, or until the liquid is absorbed and the rice is tender. Fluff the rice with a fork, removing the bay leaf. Taste, and adjust the seasoning. Serve warm. Reprinted with permission from Quiches, Kugels, and Couscous: My Search for Jewish Cooking in France by Joan Nathan, © 2010 Alfred A. Knopf, a division of Random House, Inc.

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