Rice With Fresh Herbs

Ingredients

• 3 cups rice uncooked
• 0.7 cup butter melted
• 1 cup cilantro leaves fresh chopped (2 bunches)
• 1 cup optional: dill fresh chopped ( 3 [1-ounce] packages)
• 1 cup parsley fresh chopped (2 bunches)
• 3  garlic cloves unpeeled
• 4  green onions chopped
• 0.5 teaspoon ground cinnamon 
• 0.5 teaspoon ground saffron 
• 2 tablespoons salt 
• 4 tablespoons water hot divided
• 8 cups water 

Equipment

• bowl
• kitchen towels
• spatula
• dutch oven
• colander

Directions

1. Place rice in a large colander, and rinse until water runs clear.
2. Combine rice, 8 cups water, and salt, and soak 2 hours.
3. Drain, pouring salted water into a large nonstick Dutch oven. Bring to a boil, and add rice. Return to a boil, and cook 6 minutes, gently stirring twice to keep rice from sticking to bottom of Dutch oven.
4. Drain rice; rinse with warm water.
5. Dissolve saffron in 2 tablespoons hot water. Set aside.
6. Combine green onions and next 3 ingredients in a bowl.
7. Add half of melted butter to nonstick Dutch oven.
8. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon saffron mixture. Spoon about 1 cup rice over butter; top with about 1/2 cup green onion mixture, and top with garlic cloves. Repeat layers with remaining rice and green onion mixture, forming a cone shape.
9. Sprinkle with cinnamon, and drizzle with remaining half of butter, remaining 1 tablespoon saffron mixture, and remaining 2 tablespoons hot water.
10. Place a clean cotton dish towel over Dutch oven (make sure it doesn't touch the burner), and cover firmly with lid to prevent steam from escaping. Cook over medium heat 10 minutes; reduce heat to low, and cook 50 minutes.
11. Remove from heat, and cool 5 minutes.
12. Scoop rice, using a spatula, onto the center of an oval serving platter, leaving the crisp bottom intact. Gently lift crisp bottom layer with spatula, and serve on a separate plate, or crumble over rice on serving platter.
13. Quick-Cook Rice With Fresh Herbs: Rinse and soak rice as directed. Boil rice in salted water 12 minutes.
14. Layer rice and herbs in cone shape in Dutch oven as directed. Cover with a cotton dish towel and lid. Cook over high heat 2 minutes. Reduce heat to low, and cook 12 minutes.
15. Remove from heat, and proceed as directed. (The bottom will not be as crusty as it is using the original method.)