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1. Bring a medium pot of water to a boil and salt it. Stir in the lentils and return to a boil. Add the rice and return to a boil, then lower the heat so the water bubbles along nicely. (If you're using brown rice, add the rice and lentils to the boiling water at the same time.) Cook undisturbed-white rice for about 5 minutes, brown rice for about 15 minutes. Drain and set aside. Taste (the rice and lentils will be only partially done), add salt if necessary, and sprinkle with pepper.
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2. Melt the butter in a small bowl or pot (or just put the oil in) and stir in the saffron if you're using it.
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3. Put half of the melted butter or oil in a large, heavy pot with a tight-fitting lid over medium-high heat. Add the onion, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned, about 10 minutes. Stir in the dates, remove, and turn off the heat.
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4. Add the remaining butter or oil to the pot. Cover the bottom with the pita pieces. Add half of the rice and lentil mixture, then the onion, and finally the other half of the rice and lentils. Sprinkle it all with 1/3 cup water. Wrap a clean kitchen towel around the lid of the pot so that the corners are on top and don't fall anywhere near the stove and cover the pot. Turn the heat to medium-high. When you hear sizzling-about 5 minutes-turn the heat down to very low. Cook, completely undisturbed, for about 30 minutes, or until the pita starts to smell toasty-you will know-but not burned. Remove from the heat and let sit for another 5 minutes.
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5. Carefully remove the lid and the cloth and turn the pot upside down over a plate. If the pita comes out in a single crust, terrific. If not, use a spatula to scrape the pieces out of the pan and put them on top of the rice. Serve immediately, sprinkled with a bit of salt and pepper if you like.
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Add the julienned zest from 1 orange to the dates (or eliminate the dates if you like) and add 1/2 cup mixed nuts (like pistachios, almonds, and pine nuts) in Step 3. Sprinkle the rice with 1/2 teaspoon or more coarsely ground cardamom seeds.
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Here it's the rice that makes the crust: Eliminate the saffron, dates, and pita. Add chopped hot fresh chile to taste and about a tablespoon peeled and minced fresh ginger to the onion in Step 3. Stir in a tablespoon or so of curry powder or garam masala, then gently stir in the rice and lentils.
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Omit the lentils, saffron, and dates. And a chopped bell pepper (any color) with the onion in Step 3. In Step 4, line the pot with tortillas instead of pita. Layer the rice with the onion mixture and a cup or so of drained cooked beans (like black, pinto, or kidney beans).
