“This dish came from staff meals, where we always have a big pot of aromatic rice ready to share,” says chef Marcelo Munoz. “I love rice. It’s a classic Spanish thing, to stuff things with rice.”
Ingredients
Method
1.Place currants in a heatproof bowl and cover with hot water. Stand for 30 minutes; drain.
2.Heat oil in a large heavy-based deep-sided, ovenproof frying pan with a lid over low-medium heat. Add onion, garlic, spices, chilli, and bay leaves and cook, stirring occasionally, until translucent (8-10 minutes) Stir in paste and cook, stirring frequently until lightly toasted (2 minutes). Stir in rice and cook, stirring frequently until well coated (1 minutes). Increase heat to medium-high and stir in currants and hot stock; bring to the boil and season to taste.
3.Preheat oven to 200˚C. Place lid on pan and cook in oven until stock is absorbed and rice is cooked (18 minutes); stand covered on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Fluff rice with a fork, remove whole spices and bay, stir in dill and pine nuts, season to taste.
4.Gently stuff peppers with spiced rice and place on a large serving platter. Drizzle with lemon juice and extra oil. Serve with mixed olives on the side.
Bomba rice, a short-grain rice used for paella, is available from select delicatessens. Piquillo peppers, a Spanish variety of pepper roasted over fire, then peeled and canned, are available from The Essential Ingredient, Simon Johnson and select delicatessens. If unavailable, substitute roasted, peeled red capsicum.
Notes
