Persian Rice with Butternut Squash and Black Beans

This one is an elaboration of a basic Persian rice recipe you can find in the old standby, the Joy of Cooking. This is a great and interesting way to make rice that is very tasty and unusual.

Ingredients:

2 cups of wild rice blend
6 cups (more or less) of veggie broth (I always do tomato-free because it agitates my migraines. See my recipe post on broth for simple instructions to make your own).
1 stick of cinnamon
3-4 whole cloves (or 1/4 tsp ground)
3-4 whole peppercorns
1/4 tsp cardamom seeds (remove from pods and crush slightly)

4 tbs butter
1 large white onion, chopped finely
1/2 cup of golden raisins
1/4 cup of pine nuts
pinch of salt (smoked if you have it)
pinch of saffron if you have it

1 butternut squash, sliced in half
pinch of crushed sea salt

2 cups of black beans, cooked (approx one can)
1 tsp of finely chopped fresh ginger
1 tsp of molasses
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp olive oil

Preheat oven to 350 Degrees F.

In a medium size pot, add rice, spices and veggie broth and simmer thoroughly, adding more stock as needed, until rice is no longer crunchy. This should take approximately 30 mins.

While your rice is cooking, in a heavy oven-safe skillet, melt 2 tbs of the butter and add the onions cooking gently on medium heat until they become browned. Add the pine nuts and raisins and other seasonings and turn heat down to low, stirring occasionally.

Once the rice is fully cooked, add it to the skillet and press down firmly with a spoon. Melt the remaining 2 tbs of butter and pour over the top. Cover skillet tightly with tin foil and place into oven at 350 degrees F for one hour.

While your rice is cooking, place squash halves onto a cookie sheet face down and cook at the same time until you can easily slide a fork into the flesh. This should take about 30-45 mins. Once squash is cooked, cut into cubes and sprinkle with sea salt.

While your rice and squash is in the oven, add sugar, molasses, oil and ginger into a small saucepan and cook on medium heat, stirring, until a sauce forms. Add beans and stir until they are coated with sauce. Cook on low heat, stirring frequently beans are fully heated through, adding a little water if needed to moisten.

Once rice is done, remove from oven and let sit for ten minutes. Invert onto a cookie sheet and cut into wedges.

Serve rice with squash on the side and the bean mixture poured over the top. To go with it, I would recommend some steamed greens and a dry white wine. Tasty!!