Greek Tomato Pilaf (Domatorizo)

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I'm a big fan of Greek food (okay, really any ethnic food), and eat it occasionally at one or two of the local Greek restaurants I've come across. One of the restaurants serves this rice pilaf alongside their dishes that I just love. When I decided to make chicken gyros for the first time, I knew I wanted that rice too!

I Googled my heart out and didn't come across exactly the rice I had in mind but I did find this Greek tomato rice at Souvlaki for the Soul. It looked easy enough, and used my favorite rice (basmati!) so I decided to give it a try. Plus, with that gorgeous red color, how could I resist?

As soon as I put the sauce onto simmer, Jason remarked that is smelled good. Thankfully it did more than smell good - it tasted delicious! It might be a Greek dish but this one could definitely be served alongside a number of dishes for a flavor punch.

I did tweak the recipe a bit, and he tweaked his off someone else's, so feel free to backtrack and check out the other versions if you'd like.

Greek Tomato Pilaf
Olive oil to coat your pan plus a tablespoon of butter
1/2 onion, finely chopped
2 cloves of garlic finely minced
1 large can crushed tomatos
2 cups of chicken broth or stock
1 and 1/2 cups of basmati rice
1/8 teaspoon cayenne
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
A handful of finely chopped parsley
Salt and pepper to taste

Saute the onions and garlic in some olive oil and butter until they become translucent.

Add the tomatoes and cover allowing it to cook for about 15 mins or until the sauce begins to thicken.

Add the remaining ingredients except the rice and bring to a boil.

Add the rice, stir thoroughly and reduce the heat.

Cover the pot and let it simmer on a low heat for 15 mins until the rice is just tender BUT the liquid has NOT all been absorbed.

Remove from the heat and place a kitchen towel between the lid and the pot and let it rest until the rice has swollen. The residual heat will allow this to cook a little further.

Serve with a dollop of Greek yogurt, if preferred.