Brown rice pilaf with fresh herbs

August 17, 3:46 PMFood ExaminerEric Burkett

Previous Next

Comment Print Email RSS Subscribe

Subscribe

Get alerts when there is a new article from the Food Examiner. Read Examiner.com's terms of use.

Email Address   Include other special offers from Examiner.com Terms of Use

Full of flavor and texture, brown rice is wonderfully versatile.

Looking for a substantial side dish to serve with salmon at the market, I developed this recipe for brown rice pilaf. Toasting the rice beforehand gives it a deep, nutty flavor and makes it lighter and fluffier. Tossing in the herbs at the end introduces a freshness that would be lost if the herbs were cooked with the rice.

2 cups brown rice
2 medium yellow onions
4 ½ cups stock or water
½ cup lentils
½ cup raw cashews
3 tbsp butter
1 bunch parsley, chopped fine
1 heaping tbsp finely chopped thyme
1 heaping tbsp finely chopped rosemary
Zest of 1 lemon
Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

• Cut one of the onions into a small dice; slice the second onion into a fine julienne and set aside.
• In a large sauce pan with a lid, melt 2 tablespoons of the butter and sauté the diced onions until translucent. Now, add the rice, stirring to coat thoroughly with the melted butter. Reduce the heat to low and toast the rice until it is several shades darker. While the rice is toasting, you’ll have time to take care of several additional steps.
• Cook the lentils in two cups of water until just tender. Drain and rinse in cold water to stop the cooking process.
• Set aside.
• Spreading the cashew nuts on a cookie sheet, bake them until nicely browned, about 10 minutes (Alternatively, you could simply toast the nuts in a skillet on the stove top, but you’ll have to watch them closely to prevent scorching).
• Remove zest from lemon and set aside.
• Chop the herbs, if you haven’t already, and set aside.
• Once the rice is toasted, add stock and bring to a boil. Turn heat to low and cover, allowing rice to absorb liquid, about 45 minutes.
• In a sauté pan, melt the remaining butter and add onion julienne, caramelizing them over a low heat.
• When the rice has absorbed all the liquid, remove from heat and allow to rest covered for about 20 minutes.
• In a large mixing bowl, combine the rice, lemon zest, herbs, mixing thoroughly. Now toss the cashews and lentils with the rice and, finally, add the caramelized onions.
• Add salt and pepper to taste and serve.

Serves 4-6 as part of multi-course meal.