Recipe by: Eileen M, Featured on Chef AJ Live on 3-19-24
Ingredients:
- 1 cup basmati rice
- 1 cup skin on almonds
- 1/3 cup chopped dried apricots
- 1 and 1/2 cups finely chopped parsley
- 2T. Apricot Balsamic, or more to taste
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Roast almonds on a rimmed baking sheet until golden brown, about 12 minutes. Let cool, then chop. Set aside.
- Rinse rice several times, until the water runs clear. Bring about 4 cups of water to a boil, add the rice, turn down the heat, and simmer about 12 minutes. The texture should be cooked but still firm. Remove from heat and drain. Scatter the apricots on top of the rice, cover and let sit 5 minutes.
- Fluff rice with a fork. Shake the Apricot Balsamic, add to the rice and stir to combine.
- Mix in the parsley and almonds and serve warm. Enjoy!
Notes:
- Feel free to substitute your preferred type of rice and to use your favorite method of cooking the rice. Almonds that have already been sliced and/or roasted can be substituted for the whole almonds.
- My preference is to use Unsulphured Dried Apricots, which means they have been dried directly in the sun without added Sulphur Dioxide. They have a dark brown appearance and a much richer and sweeter taste than the more common ‘orange’ apricots. The texture should be moist and chewy. If you can’t find them, any type of dried apricots, or golden raisins, can be substituted.
- This recipe is a good example of how using a California Balsamic product can carry the entire recipe. The Apricot Balsamic is very flavorful- slightly sweet but also tangy, with complex, layered tasting notes. It is simple to make and each bite is packed with flavor. It can serve as either a side dish or a main dish.