SRC Reveal: Jeweled Squash Rice

It's time for Group B's October 2015 Secret Recipe Club reveal. This month I was assigned to A Spoonful of Thyme which is written by Kathy. Back in May of 2014, I explored her blog and made Smoked Salmon Deviled Eggs.

Kathy became part of a gourmet group which really challenged her cooking and enhanced her understanding of food and skill in the kitchen.  It has been 33 years and they are still meeting! That's astounding.

About the name of her blog, she writes: I truly believe that there is always "thyme" to cook and sit down as a family for the evening meal. Cooking is a wonderful way to bring family and friends together to enjoy food and each other. With a good recipe and "a spoonful of thyme" wonderful things can happen!

I considered her Watermelon with Sweet Balsamic Syrup, her German Cucumber Salad, her Scallops Provençal, and her Lemon Drop Martini. But since it's pumpkin time, I opted to make her Jeweled Pumpkin Rice.

Jeweled Squash Rice
slightly adapted from Kathy's Jeweled Pumpkin Rice

Ingredients 

• 1 butternut squash (approximately 2 C of peeled, 1/3" dice)
• 1 t fine sea salt
• 2 T olive oil
• pinch of saffron
• 3-1/2 oz unsalted butter
• 2-1/2" length of cinnamon stick
• 4 allspice berries, crushed
• 1 large onion, peeled and thinly sliced
• 1/4 C dried barberries (or currants)
• 1/4 C chopped macadamia nuts
• 1/2 t ground cardamom
• 2 C rice (I used a Camargue red rice)
• 2 C vegetable stock
• 1/4 C fresh chopped cilantro

Procedure

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Toss the diced butternut squash with half  the salt and olive oil. Spread it in a single layer on  a parchment-lined baking sheet.

Roast until tender, approximately for 30 minutes. Mix the saffron with 3 T boiling water and add 1 oz of butter. Set aside. While the squash roasts, boil the red rice for 30 minutes. Drain and set aside.

Heat the remaining butter in a large, flat-bottom pan with the cinnamon and allspice until it foams. Add the onion and the remaining salt. Fry over medium heat until the onion is soft and starting to color. Add the barberries, nuts, and cardamom. Cook for another 10 minutes, until the onion is golden and sweet.

Add the drained rice to the pan, stirring for to coat. Fold in the cilantro, then pour in the stock. Taste for seasoning then scatter with the roast squash. Cover with a tight-fighting lid and cook over a high heat for 5 minutes. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for a final 5 minutes.

Remove the lid and drizzle with the butter-saffron water. Replace the lid and leave to rest, off the heat, for 5 to 10 minutes. Serve immediately.

An InLinkz Link-up