Herbed Rice Pilaf

“I like rice. Rice is great when you’re hungry and you want 2,000 of something.”
-Mitch Hedberg.

I understand that rice is not always the most exciting side dish in the world. Even in our house, rice is usually an afterthought.  It’s often my answer when I present a dinner idea and Mr. Chef Juje replies  ”Sounds good, with what?” only for me to realize I hadn’t thought that far ahead.

Note to self: build my arsenal of side dishes.

Naturally, the fact that this herbed pilaf ended up being the highlight of our dinner was a huge surprise. I served with a new shrimp scampi recipe and although the scampi was categorized  ”make-again,” the rice was deemed “Chef Juje-worthy.”

So here we are.   The recipe relies on the pilaf method of cooking rice, which is similar to steaming except that you sautee  {insert accent aigu over the first e} the rice first with aromatics like onions. You then add liquid and either bake in the oven or keep over low heat on the burner until all liquid is absorbed.  As always, I recommend chopping and measuring before beginning.

Also, a question for my readers: What are some go-to side dishes in your repertoire? How do you find sides to accompany your main dish?

I need to work on my photography skills. And my cleaning-off-the-kitchen-table skills.  Like how I added the fork to make it fancy looking?

Herbed Rice Pilaf

Ingredients

2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 cup chopped yellow onion
1 cup long-grain white rice
3 tablespoons thinly sliced scallions
1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme leaves
2 cups chicken stock
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees, if you want to bake in the oven. You can also keep on stovetop over low heat.
2. Melt butter over medium heat
3. Add onion and sautee for 3-4 minutes or until soft a nice golden to brown color.
4. Add rice and sautee for 2-3 minutes. The mixture will become cloudy and will smell a bit nutty. At this point others in your household will exclaim “something smells good!” and ONLY YOU need to know that it’s just onions, butter and rice.
5. Add the remaining ingredients and stir.
6. Bring to boil, then either reduce to low or place in a 350 degree oven.
7. Allow rice to cook until all liquid is absorbed. Fluff before serving

Source for rice: Herbed Rice Pilaf

Source for shrimp scampi: Baked Shrimp Scampi