“Arroz de festa” or “arroz com passas” (raisins) is white rice, sweeter and tastier, cooked with raisins and white wine. It’s a side dish for Christmas turkey, smoked ham, baked fish and roasts, in special occasions such as Christmas and New Year’s Eve.
Ingredients
• 500 g Basmati rice
• ½ onion chopped
• 1 garlic clove chopped, optional
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 50 ml Porto wine or white wine
• salt
• 800 ml boiling water, approximately (almost double the volume of rice)
• 150 g black raisins
Preparation method
- Soak the washed raisins in warm water.
- Wash the rice several times until the water becomes clear.
- Sauté the chopped onion and garlic in the butter.
- Add the washed and drained rice, salt and fry for a minute.
- Add the wine, turn up the heat and reduce until almost evaporated.
- Add almost all the boiling water, stir one last time and cover the pan.
- Cook over low heat for about 5 minutes, add the drained raisins, mix well, cover the pan and cook for about 3 minutes. When water has dried, check if it is cooked. Add a little water if it is too hard.
- Turn off the heat and let the rice stand covered for about 10 minutes, so it turns out nice and fluffy and the grains do’nt stick.
Yield: 6 to 8 servings. (60 – 80 g per person).
Posted on: 05 December 2011
I’m an architect. I was born in Brazil and my father was Italian.