Seriously Simple: Color your guests impressed with this simple, vibrant dish
1/2 cup mint leaves
1/4 teaspoon salt
1. Preheat the oven to 475 F, or as high as your oven will go.
2. Place the rice in a high-sided ovenproof dish, measuring 8 by 12 inches. Season with 3/4 teaspoon of salt and plenty of pepper, then pour in the butter and boiling water. Top with the sprigs of mint, and cover the dish tightly with foil so that the rice is well sealed. Bake for 25 minutes, until the rice is light and fluffy and all the liquid has been absorbed.
3. Meanwhile, make the salsa: place the olives, pomegranate, walnuts, olive oil, pomegranate molasses, garlic, mint and salt in a medium bowl. Mix well, and set aside.
4. Take the rice out of the oven, and remove and discard the foil. Pull the leaves off the mint sprigs -- the stalks can be discarded -- then place them back on the rice and sprinkle with the feta. Just before serving, spoon the salsa evenly over the rice. Serve hot.
Note: To get ahead, the salsa can be made a few hours in advance and kept in the fridge.
Art courtesy of Yotam Ottolenghi, "Simple: A Cookbook" (Ten Speed Press).
(Diane Rossen Worthington is an authority on new American cooking. She is the author of 18 cookbooks, including "Seriously Simple Parties," and a James Beard Award-winning radio show host. You can contact her at www.seriouslysimple.com.)
