Wednesday, December 14, 2011

Rice Pilaf


Hey guys!  Hope everyone is doing well.  I know I've still been a busy bee, but after Friday, I'll have a little bit more time on my hands because it's my last final of the quarter.  So I'll have a two week break before having to go at it all over again.

And I tell ya, it's going to be a much needed break.  I might even find myself sleeping more (right now I'm averaging about 5 hours a night, if I'm lucky!).

Anyway, I thought I'd post an easy side dish that any one can make.  It's a versatile dish where you can really add practically anything to, and keeps really well if you have leftovers.

Ingredients:

1 oz. clarified butter
2 oz. onion, small diced
1 oz. celery, small diced
1 oz. carrot, small diced
1 cup white rice
2 cups stock (chicken, beef, fish, vegetable - I happened to only have beef in the fridge so I used that)
1/2 bay leaf
salt and pepper, to taste

our mise en place

Heat a medium saucepan under medium high heat and add your butter.  When your butter is heated up, add your vegetables and sweat (cook without browning) them, about 3-5 minutes.


Once the vegetables are slightly softened, add the rice.  Stir until lightly toasted, about 1-2 minutes.



Then slowly incorporate your stock of choice.


Then add your half of a bay leaf.


Bring mixture to a boil.


Then lower to a simmer and cover. 


Let cook for about 20-25 minutes, or until about 95% of stock is absorbed into rice.


Serve as is or use as a side dish for a main course.  We ended up sauteing a few shrimp, putting them on top of the pilaf, and calling it dinner!

Hope everyone is doing well and surviving the holiday season (once again, I've completed all of my Christmas shopping online, avoiding the malls like the plague!). 

Until next time...

47 comments:

  1. Glad you school term is coming to and end and I bet you can use the break! Sleep, rest and recharge!! This rice looks wonderful and I need to try cooking rice in a pot instead of in a rice cooker. Thanks for showing me how easy it can be. :)

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  2. I love this rice dish; simple and delicious. Enjoy your break!

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  3. I love rice dishes! I hate the box mixes, this one looks great!

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  4. yum!!! love this! hope you get some much deserved rest and santa recognizes your hard work!!! have a great day :)

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  5. If I want to make my man happy I make rice pilaff; been a while; thanks for the reminder. I make mine in the microwave.
    Hope you do get some rest; time does fly it seems.
    Rita

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  6. I love everything about Rice,This rice pilap is very simple but still looks yummy,homemade always taste better :)
    Ridwan

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  7. I love how simple and flavorful this is! I'm so impressed you've managed to keep blogging while in culinary school. Good luck on finals!

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  8. I love your simple photos, so talented. Also love this recipe.

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  9. Delicious, this is simple but wonderful recipe.

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  10. Such a nice, simple and perfect recipe. Get some rest!

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  11. nicely made pilaf.... Pilafs always get me craving for carbohydrates...

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  12. Oh Oh Peggy, its rice and I am jumping here, that we simply love but I will need to replace the beef stock with others, maybe chicken or veg stock.

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  13. I always love to see a post from you, Peggy! I love pilaf...and yours looks excellent with those perfect shrimp!!!

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  14. The pilaf looks heavenly but those shrimp look divine!

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  15. Yummmmmm!!

    I've been avoiding the malls too. Ugh! They always put me in a bad mood.

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  16. Glad you will be taking a break. Do get some rest definitely to recharge the batteries!

    I could not avoid the malls but I did get up at 6 am one Sunday morning to go out and do some shopping. That was one of the most productive mornings.
    Hope you have a great Christmas!

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  17. Poor Peggy - lack of sleep! Hang in there, hopefully you can rest a bit during holiday time. This pilaf looks so delicious. I love pilaf but a little Japanized version... =P I love how simple this recipe is!

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  18. I just found your blog. i love it and your food sounds sooo good.

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  19. Looks so wonderful with the shrimp! Enjoy your break Peggy!

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  20. That's awesome. I'm sure it tastes good.

    --------------------------------
    Regards
    Spoon and Chopsticks
    http://spoon-and-chopsticks.blogspot.com/

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  21. You know how you get pilaf is an option in restaurants as a side dish? If they served THIS pilaf, I'd be all over this!

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  22. Great clicks! The pilaf looks very tempting!

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  23. Yum! I can smell all those lovely aromas!

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  24. Your pilaf looks so delicious, it would be a shame to only have it as a side dish. I would have to put some shrimp or something on top and have it as an entree! Great post.

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  25. You sound just as busy as me! This looks like a flavorful dish. I hope you are having a relaxing Sunday, my friend. I'm about to begin a week of baking, traveling and celebrating with family. Much love and many blessings.

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  26. I love rice very much. I would use this recipe as a main dish as well. It looks very tasty. Thanks for sahring.

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  27. This sounds lovely. Quick and filling; one to remember over the festive period!

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  28. Gorgeous, darling! Great share :) I hope you're enjoying your break!

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  29. I think I could eat plain ol' rice with every meal, and this pilaf looks even better! Perfect side dish to go with anything.

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  30. wow this is good :) it's much healthier than fried rice that i normally have

    Latest: Featured In Magazine

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  31. Hope that your finals went well and that you had a great holiday. Enjoy the season!!

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  32. This looks delicious! Hope your holidays are going well.

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  33. Hope all your finals went well and you're enjoying your break!

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  34. Thanks for being such a lovely foodie friend. :) Wishing you the best for 2012... may all your dreams come true!! ~ Ramona

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  35. Peggy, what a wonderful pilaf! I loved the ingredients added and the pictures made me drool!!

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  36. This looks really good, a great way to add some flavor to rice!

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  37. Hi Dear,
    This dish is looking nice and tempting. Wish you and ur family a fabulous year and enjoy cooking appetizing delicacies. Thanks n Regards, Sonia

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  38. Im not even busting my booty nearly as hard as you and I could use a two week break. Only 5 hours a night. I wish I could remember what those days were like. Im a cranky b*tch unless I get at least 7. You are really taking awesome strides and I love hearing about school and work and Andy and all of it. I am so excited for you and cant wait to see where it all takes you. This pilaf looks comforting and tasty. Thanks for finding time to share it with us. Bring on 2012!

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  39. I am sure the combination of this pilaf with sautéed shrimps would have tasted divine. Delicious post

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  40. I came to your site for a good rice recipe and it looks like you have one. Problem is you list the ingredients by the ounce. This in itself renders your recipe useless to me and I suspect a good many other people as well. I have no means of measuring ounces in my kitchen. A practical recipe is written in cups or fractions of cups, teaspoons or tablespoons or even a two or three fingered pinch. An ounce scale is skmply not part of my kitchen and even if it were, trykng to actually measure the different stuff on a scale is needlessly cumbersome and time consuming. Get practical!!! I won't use links to your site as a first or even second choice from here on out.

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