Cardamom-Scented Baked Raisin Rice

This is our favorite rice to serve under dum or mild curries--anything subtly flavored, and especially anything with sweeter vegetables like tomatoes, carrots, sweet potatoes or winter squash. Baking rice in the oven rather than simmering on the stovetop has two key benefits: it frees up burner space for whatever else you're whipping up, and it heats your house so your living room isn't 40 degrees when you're trying to have a dinner party.

2 cups long-grain brown rice, brown jasmine rice or brown basmati rice
3 and 3/4 cups boiling water
1 tablespoon butter or canola oil
1 cinnamon stick
3 whole cloves
5 green cardamom pods, lightly crushed
1/4 cup raisins

Preheat oven to 350. Grease a lidded casserole dish (if you have a Le Creuset, well...we've got a proposition for you which involves being our best friend). Combine ingredients in the casserole dish, cover with a sheet of parchment paper or aluminum foil, and replace lid. Bake for 45 minutes to an hour, until water is absorbed.