Rice with Chick-peas and Currants

A traditional dish of chick-peas and rice with currants is still served at weddings in Konya (Iconium), a once-Greek city in Asia Minor. My friend Vali Manouilidi, who grew up in Istanbul, told me that rice with chick-peas was the traditional New Year’s dish in her home. The recipe calls for the chick-peas and the rice to be cooked separately and drained. Currants are added and a lot of browned butter is poured over the dish just before serving.

In Thessaly, in cent