Oranges Filled with Raisins Chickpeas & Rice
Submitted by rangerc14
Stuffed oranges filled with wild rice, chickpeas, and raisins bound in an orange-tahini sauce. A vegetarian Middle Eastern-inspired dish served in the orange shell itself.
YIELD
2 servingsPREP
15 minCOOK
1 hrsREADY
1 hrsThis is one of those dishes that looks like you spent an afternoon on it and actually takes about an hour. Halved jumbo oranges get hollowed out to serve as edible bowls, then filled with a long grain and wild rice pilaf mixed with chickpeas, raisins, and a creamy orange-tahini sauce. The fresh orange segments you carve out go straight into the filling, which is what builds all the citrus brightness from the inside out.
The orange-tahini sauce is the flavor anchor and worth making a double batch. Tahini, yogurt (or soft tofu for vegan), fresh orange juice, cumin, and paprika blended smooth in the food processor. It doubles as a drizzle for roasted vegetables or a dip for pita all week long. The rice-chickpea-raisin blend underneath pulls Middle Eastern and North African notes together, and the shell of the orange perfumes the filling as you eat.
Kitchen Tips
- Choose jumbo oranges (Cara Cara or navel) for the most generous filling cups. Slice off just enough from the rounded bottoms to let them stand level.
- Save the juice that runs out while segmenting; stir it into the rice or add it to the tahini sauce.
- A long grain-wild rice blend gives the best texture; all-wild rice can be chewy, all-brown can read bland.
- Make the rice and sauce the day before; assembly takes 5 minutes the day of serving.
Variations
- Swap raisins for dried cranberries or chopped apricots for a different fruit note.
- Add toasted slivered almonds or pine nuts for crunch.
- Use the filling without the orange shell over a bed of arugula as a lunch salad.
Ingredients
Directions
FOR THE ORANGE-TAHINI SAUCE: In a blender or food processor, combine all ingredients. Refrigerate until ready to use.
FOR THE FILLING: Melt the butter or heat the oil in a medium saucepan. Sauté the onion until soft, about 10 minutes. Add the rice and stir to coat with the butter. Add the broth, bring to a boil, cover, and simmer over low heat until rice is tender and liquid is absorbed, about 45 minutes. Let cool to room temperature.
In a large bowl, toss together the cooked rice, Orange-Tahini Sauce, chickpeas, and raisins.
Prepare the oranges for stuffing by slicing off the rounded ends so that each half stands squarely on a plate. Using a paring knife, carve out the fruit, cut it into bite-size sections, and toss it into the rice mixture. Once the fruit has been removed, cut away as much of the white portion of the peel as possible, leaving the shell intact.
Set the orange shells on a serving dish and fill them with the rice mixture. Garnish each with a sprinkling of sesame seeds and scallions topped with a whole cilantro leaf.
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