Ryż zapiekany z jabłkami (baked rice with apples) is a classic Polish dish that reminds me of childhood. It is a simple but comforting combination of lightly sweetened apples with cinnamon layered with cooked rice. Often it is topped with sour cream or yogurt, but can also be served plain.
Yield: 4-6 servings
Ingredients
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup jasmine rice, white rice, or basmati rice, rinsed and drained
- 2 pounds apples (5 medium), tart and/or sweet-tart (e.g. Cortland, Pink Lady), peeled, cored, and coarsely grated
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small cubes, plus more for the baking dish
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Yogurt Sauce (optional)
- 1 cup whole-milk plain yogurt (or full-fat sour cream)
- 2 teaspoons honey, plus more to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon (optional)
Preparation
In a medium pot, heat two cups of water with salt on medium high heat. Once water is boiling, add rice. Slightly cover the pot with a lid. Lower heat and gently simmer rice for 15 minutes or until all the water has evaporated. Remove from the heat and let sit for 5-10 minutes.
Preheat oven to 350F. Grease glass baking dish well with butter (I used an 8in x 8in baking dish. A glass casserole dish with a lid could also be used).
In a large bowl, add grated apples, honey, vanilla, and cinnamon. Stir to combine.
To assemble, add half of the rice to the bottom of the greased baking dish. Gently pat down with the back of the spoon to ensure an even layer. Then add the apple layer. Top with the other half of the rice. Using the back of a spoon, gently pat the last layer down to help the mixture hold together. Top with cubes of butter.
Bake in the oven covered for 40-50 minutes or until the apples have softened. For some crispy pieces, bake for 10 additional minutes uncovered (optional).
For the yogurt sauce, in a small bowl add yogurt, honey, vanilla, and cinnamon. Stir to combine. Before serving, the yogurt sauce can be added to the ryż z jabłkami as a topping.
Notes
For a more traditional version, cukier waniliowy (vanilla sugar) can be used instead of honey and vanilla extract.
The amount of honey can be adjusted based on the sweetness of apples.