Basic long-grain rice pilaf

6 servings

Ingredients

Quantity Ingredient
5 tablespoons Butter or
3 tablespoons Butter and
2 tablespoons Olive oil
1 large Onion(s), minced
1 medium Garlic clove(s), minced
The Versatile Grain
and the
Elegant Bean
by Sheryl and Mel London
ISBN 0-671-76106-4
pg 177-179
1½ cup Long-grain rice
3 cups To 4 c boiling chicken stock
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Melt the butter in a heavy shallow 2 or 3 qt. oven-to-table baking pan. Add the onions and garlic and saut slowly, stirring, over medium-low heat for about 2 minutes, or until the onions are translucent. Add the rice and continue to stir for 2-3 minutes more to coat the rice grains with the butter. Raise the heat, add the chicken stock and salt and pepper and return to boiling.

Cover the baking pan tightly with aluminum foil and reduce the heat to as low as possible. Cook 20-40 minutes, depending on the type of rice used. Remove the foil and test a few grains. Cover with foil again and let the rice stand for 5 minutes before fluffing with a fork. (The rice can also be baked in a preheated 375F. oven. After the stock comes to a boil, cover with aluminum foil and bake in the oven for about 30 minutes. Remove the foil, fluff wit ha fork, cover loosely with the foil again and return to the oven with the heat off, until serving time).

Variation #1 - Turkish Pilaf with Noodles and Pine Nuts: Add

: C. vermicelli or cappelini, broken into small pieces :1 tb. pine nuts

Add these to the raw rice and onion mixture and coat them with the butter. Proceed with the basic recipe.

Variation #2 - Pilaf with Herbs: Add

:1 bay leaf

:3 sprigs thyme

:3 sprigs flat-leaf parsley

Tie a string around the herbs for easy removal. Add to the rice with the stock; remove and discard before serving.

Variation #3 - Leek and Saffron Pilaf: Add :3 thin leeks, sliced into ½ inch pieces : ts crushed saffron threads

:1 bay leaf

:1 tb flat-leaf parsley, minced Instead of the onion in the original recipe, saut the leeks, Add the crushed saffron threads and bay leaf to the chicken stock, then add the rice. Remove and discard the bay leaf before serving. Sprinkle with minced parsley.

Variation #4 - Cumin and Sweet Pepper Pilaf: Add

:1 C. red and green bell peppers, finely diced : ½ ts ground cumin

Add the diced peppers to the onion mixture and saut. Add the ground cumin to the chicken stock before adding the stock to the rice mixture.

Submitted By DIANE LAZARUS On 03-29-95

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