Greek-style mildly spiced tomato rice pilaf with shrimps

Inspired by traditional recipes which are very popular during the fasting periods in Greece this is really a delicious rice recipe! Full of colours and aromas for this simple dish which, though, will please you to the full! Fresh shrimps always are the best option but of course you can also use frozen shrimps which are already cleaned of their shells and make things easier and faster

Cooked by Georgia Kofina,

from the Greek version of "Olive" magazine of "Proto Thema" newspaper

Ingredients (for 6 people):

1 Kg of medium size shrimps (fresh or frozen)
2 ½ cups of water
3 tbsp of malt vinegar

1 ½ tea-cup of long grain rice (Uncle Ben's the one I prefer)

1 medium yellow onion, grated

2 Spring onions, finely chopped (both white and green tender part)

½ tea-cup of finely chopped flat-leaf parsley

½-1 tea-cup of finely chopped tomatoes
1 tsp of granulated sugar

½ a glass of white dry wine

3 tbsp of malt vinegar

½ tea-cup of olive oil

½ tsp of ground coriander

salt
pepper
pinch of sweet paprika

Method:
Put the water and the vinegar in a pot and blanch the shrimps (shells on if fresh) on medium heat for 2 minutes. Drain in a colander but saving their stock in a bowl. Peel the shrimps of their shells and finely chop most of them, but keep a few whole to decorate the dish.

    

In a wide pot warm the oil on medium heat and sauté the grated onion until wilted. Add the Spring onions, the parsley, the coriander and season with salt and pepper. Sauté everything for 2 minutes stirring with a wooden spatula.

Pour the wine and allow the alcohol to evaporate. Then add in the pot the tomatoes, the sugar and the stock of the shrimps, also adding enough water so to end up with 3 tea-cups of stock (in total). 

Allow the ingredients to come to the boil and then add the rice. Turn the heat to medium-low and simmer the rice, with the pot uncovered, for 7 minutes and then add the shrimps.

Continue cooking for another 3 minutes and then turn the heat off. Cover the pot with a clean kitchen towel, put on top the lid and leave the pilaf to rest for 5 minutes.

    

Fill a round bundt cake tin with the rice pilaf and then turn it on a round serving platter.

Garnish on top with the whole shrimps, sprinkle with the paprika and serve immediately.