#75 saffron rice with barberries, pistachio and mixed herbs

from Jerusalem

Here's another recipe I was motivated to make because of the fresh chervil in my garden. Definitely very Persian inspired, this is consisted of steamed rice, sauteed in butter with saffron poured over it, then mixed with barberries, pistachios, chervil, dill and tarragon. I love the barberries in this, they offer almost no sweetness but a nice hit of tartness, almost like a lemon.

As an aside, the owner of the Persian store told me to keep barberries in the refrigerator or freezer to prevent them from turning black. Interestingly, the picture in the book has the blackened barberries in it. Did Ottolenghi forget to keep his in the fridge?