Mediterranean Rice with Capers, Olives and Artichokes

A side of rice doesn't have to be ho-hum when you can make this Mediterranean Rice with Capers, Olives and Artichokes. See my tips below to get perfect rice every time.

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What Makes This Recipe Special?

• Rinsing and baking your rice makes for perfect rice every time.
• A quick saute in white wine and added capers, olives and artichokes make this an outstanding addition to any meal.
• Baking leaves you free to attend to other meal components.

Ingredients

• Long-grain rice is sturdier than basmati or jasmine rice, but you can use whatever you have on hand.
• The capers, olives and artichokes give this its savour profile, so I wouldn't skip them or substitute anything here. You can, however, have some fun with different kinds of gourmet olives if you want to take this up a notch. You can find orange marinated, almond stuffed, pimento stuffed, garlic stuffed - the list goes on!

How To Make It

• The secret to perfect rice is to rinse the starch off of it so it will not be sticky or clumpy.
• Sautéing the rice with some aromatics adds a depth of flavour to the finished dish. The extra time for this step gets made up for by the hands-off oven bake.
• Baking your rice instead of boiling also makes for a drier finished product. It is also hands-off, which is always nice.

Suggest Menu

Wine Pairing

There are lots of options here. To honour the Mediterranean profile, consider a Greek Assyrtiko or Sicilian Etna Bianco. A Pinot Grigio, Sauvignon Blanc, Verdicchio or Gavi would also work.

For reds, consider a Sardinian Canonnau (Genache) or a Sicilian Syrah.

Related Recipes

Mediterranean Rice with Capers, Olives and Artichokes

Perfect grains of rice, full of flavour from a quick saute in white wine and baked in the oven make for a memorable side dish. Capers, olives and artichokes give it Mediterranean flair.

Author: Carolyn Hetke

If you tried this, or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know it went in the 📝 comments below!

5 from 2 votes

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Course: Main Dish

Cuisine: Italian

Prep Time: 15 minutes mins

Cook Time: 55 minutes mins

Total Time: 1 hour hr 35 minutes mins

Servings: 8 servings

Ingredients

• ▢ 2 cups long grain rice
• ▢ 1 tablespoon olive oil
• ▢ 1 cup dry white wine divided ½ cup + ½ cup
• ▢ 3 cups chicken broth
• ▢ ½ teaspoon salt
• ▢ 1 lemon juice and rind grated
• ▢ 24 green olives pitted
• ▢ 1 14 oz can artichoke hearts
• ▢ ¼ cup capers

Instructions

• Rinse rice in cold water. Let rice soak submerged in water for about 20 minutes. Drain through a strainer and rinse again. This step is optional but it goes a long way to making your rice fluffy and not sticky.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Spray a 9 X 13" oven proof baking dish with cooking spray.
• Roughly chop the artichokes and olives. You can pulse a few times in a food processor but do not over process. You don't want a paste - you want a rough chop.
• Heat oil in a skillet over medium high heat. Add rice and stir to coat. When rice is hot (a couple of minutes) add ½ cup of wine. Wines should bubble and evaporate almost immediately. Add the lemon juice and zest and stir to incorporate.
• Remove rice from heat. Stir in artichokes and olives.
• Transfer rice to the baking dish. Add 3 cups of chicken broth and the remaining ½ cup of wine.
• Cover with foil or a lid and bake about 55 minutes. Check to ensure all the broth has been absorbed. Remove rice from oven, stir in capers and allow rice to sit 5 minutes before serving.

Notes

Wine Pairing

There are lots of options here. To honour the Mediterranean profile, consider a Greek Assyrtiko or Sicilian Etna Bianco. A Pinot Grigio, Sauvignon Blanc, Verdicchio or Gavi would also work.

For reds, consider a Sardinian Canonnau (Genache) or a Sicilian Syrah.

Nutrition

Calories: 248kcal | Carbohydrates: 40g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Sodium: 516mg | Potassium: 226mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 59IU | Vitamin C: 7mg | Calcium: 29mg | Iron: 1mg

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