Main Ingredients:

See below ingredients and instructions of the recipe

Cooking Preparation of the Recipe:

5 tb Butter or 1 1/2 c Long-grain rice
3 tb Butter and 3 c To 4 c
2 tb Olive oil -boiling chicken stock
1 lg Onion(s), minced Salt and pepper to taste
1 md Garlic clove(s), minced

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 1/2 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
: 1/2 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.

The Versatile Grain
and the
Elegant Bean
by Sheryl and Mel London
ISBN 0-671-76106-4
pg 177-179
Submitted By DIANE LAZARUS On 03-29-95

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