This Peruvian-inspired dish is a wonderful Holiday treat!
Ingredients:
- ½ cup Fresh Harvest Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 6 strips meaty bacon cut into small pieces
- 1 onion, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, chopped finely
- 2 cups uncooked white rice
- 4 cups boiling water
- 1 tsp. cinnamon powder
- ½ cup toasted almonds
- ½ cup dried and chopped apricots, macerated in 1 cup of white wine up to one day (drain before adding to recipe)
- 2 cups fresh spinach, cut into thin slices
- ½ red bell pepper, diced
- 2 tbsps. marmalade or jam (Elderberry is best)
- salt & pepper to taste
- ½ cup Fresh Harvest Traditional 18-year-old Balsamic vinegar
- fresh sage leaves, sliced into strips (optional)
Directions:
Heat the olive oil in a saucepan, add bacon, onion, and garlic, cook over medium-high heat, stirring every now and then, until bacon is mostly cooked. Add rice, stir, and add salt, pepper, and cinnamon.
Add boiling water, cover, reduce the heat to low, and cook for 20 –25 minutes until the rice is done.
Add apricots, toasted almonds, spinach, red pepper, and jam or marmalade to cooked rice mixture and stir well.
In a small saucepan over medium heat cook the balsamic vinegar until reduced by about a third. Add sage leaves, stir and pour over the rice. You can pack the mixture tightly in a bowl or mold (brushed with olive oil for release) for presentation.
