On a trip to Turkey as a young woman, chef Ana Sortun fell in love with the food and spent months learning the traditions of Turkish cooking from local women. Inspired beyond measure, Sortun opened her own restaurant in Cambridge, Massachusetts, the award-winning Oleana, where she creates her own interpretations of dishes using the incredible array of delicious spices and herbs used in Arab-Mediterranean cuisine. In this gorgeously photographed book, Sortun shows readers how to use this philosophy of spice to create wonderful dishes in their own homes. She reveals how the artful use of spices and herbs rather than fat and cream is key to the full, rich flavors of Mediterranean cuisine.
2 cups long-grain rice, such as jasmine or basmati
1 teaspoon salt plus more to season to taste
3 eggs
1/2 cup whole-milk plain yogurt, preferably Greek style
1 tablespoon canola or vegetable oil
1 teaspoon butter
Soak the rice for 20 minutes in warm water to cover. Add 1 teaspoon of the salt to remove some of the starch.
Bring 8 cups of water to a rolling boil over high heat.
Drain the rice and sprinkle it into the boiling water, little by little. Stir well.
Reduce the heat to medium and simmer the rice, stirring from time to time, for 6 minutes, until tender.
Drain the rice and allow it to cool for at least 20 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Meanwhile, in a medium mixing bowl, whisk the eggs with the yogurt until smooth and combined. Stir in the rice and season with salt to taste.
Heat a medium non-stick, ovenproof sauté pan over high heat, and add the canola or vegetable oil and butter. When the butter browns, drop in four to six 1/2-cup scoops of rice and cook over medium heat until the bottoms brown, about 6 minutes. Repeat the process until all the rice cakes are cooked.
Place the pan in the oven and cook for 10 minutes. The bottoms of the rice cakes should have a beautiful crust and the tops should be soft. Serve immediately, with the crust side up, side by side with the seared sea scallops.
