Basic Rice Pilaf

RICE PILAF

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One of the first “gourmet” dishes I  learned to make was rice pilaf.  I borrowed a cookbook from one of my aunts, shortly after high school, because I wanted to learn how to cook for myself.  I used it over the years, eventually tweaking it to use organic ingredients.  It is one of my wife’s favorite dishes, especially when paired with breaded chicken cutlets, which I made for her tonight.

Ingredients

1 ½ tsps organic butter

1 ½ tsps good grade olive oil (one you can eat after dipping in bread)

1 medium onion diced

2 ½ cups broth (use a flavor that compliments your dish)

1 cup organic long grain brown rice

2 tsps fresh organic thyme

½ tsp black pepper

Salt and additional pepper to taste

I will be the first to say that I can’t stand seeing a recipe that says “salt and pepper to taste,” but the fact of the matter is that with this recipe, it all depends on your broth.  Here, I use my homemade chicken broth, to which I don’t add salt.

  1. Preheat the oven to 375°
  2. Warm broth.  If unsalted broth, add 1 tsp of salt.  If salted, don’t add salt.  Check for seasoning at the end.IMG_4691
  3. Heat butter and olive oil in a bake safe dish.IMG_4692
  4. Add diced onions until translucent, then add thyme.IMG_4696
  5. Add rice to dish and sauté until rice is browned slightly.  Add black pepper.IMG_4697
  6. Add broth to dish and simmer for two minutes.IMG_4702
  7. Place in oven until liquid is absorbed (usually 45 – 60 minutes)
  8. Serve with your dish

IMG_4711Here, I made my wife chicken cutlets with steamed broccoli.  As you can see, I added a candle and fresh roses.  I wanted to give her a special evening.  She is a remarkable woman who sacrifices so much for our family.

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