Baharat Rice

1 cup white basmati rice

1-pound sustainable ground beef (ground turkey is an option)

1 ½ onion (cubed)

2-3 carrots (finely shredded)

A handful of finely chopped Italian parsley

½ cup pine nuts

3 ½ tbsp. Baharat spice

Salt

Black pepper

Coconut oil

Olive oil

Warm ½ tbsp. of coconut oil in a medium-size pot. Add 1 cup of basmati rice (washed and drained). Stir well. Add 1½ cups of water to the rice. Bring to boil with a dash of salt. Lower the heat to low/mid-heat. Cover. Cook until all the water is fully absorbed.
Meanwhile, in a deep big skillet warm 2 tbsp. of olive oil.
Add the onion, cook until soft and a bit golden.
Add the finely chopped carrots and parsley.
Cook until soft (only a few minutes) on medium heat.
Add the ground beef, Baharat spice, salt, and pepper. Cover.
Check every few minutes and stir until beef is fully cooked.
In a separate skillet or a cast-iron pan, toast the pine nuts until golden. Watch carefully as they can burn easily. It only takes 2-3 minutes to toast them.
Add the cooked rice and the pine nuts to the beef skillet.
Mix well and serve.

Washing the rice first will remove starch and prevent the rice from being sticky.
Stirring the rice in oil first (before adding water) will open up the rice and add flavor and aroma.
Great to freeze some portions for later.

Gluten-free

Serves 4-6 people

This hearty dish always reminds me of my mom (her cooking and baking were out of this world). It takes me back to Friday nights, while I was watching the Love Boat on the one and only channel in Israel at the time (there was nothing like the '70s and '80s), the house was filled with the aroma of the Baharat spice.

This dish doesn't require much to be complete - just a bit of Tahini sauce and Israeli salad on the side.

• Baharat is a blend of spices (black pepper, cinnamon, cumin, paprika, turmeric, clove, cardamom, nutmeg, and sometimes other spices). The best blend I found in the U.S is actually through Amazon – Zamouri Spices.