Rice Pilaf

Name: Rice Pilaf
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 50 min
Yield: 6
Cuisine: Middle Eastern
Ingredients: 1 tbsp Unsalted Butter (1 tablespoon unsalted butter); ½ piece Yellow Onion (1/2 medium onion, finely chopped); ½ piece Red Bell Pepper (1/2 medium red bell pepper, finely chopped); 2 tsp Kosher Salt (2 teaspoons kosher salt); 2 cup Long Grain Rice (2 cups long-grain white rice); 1 pinch Saffron (1 pinch saffron, steeped in 1/4 cup hot but not boiling water); 3 cup Chicken Broth (3 cups chicken broth); 1 piece Orange Zest (1 (1-by-2-inch) strip orange zest); 2 pieces Bay Leaves (2 bay leaves); ½ cup Green Peas (1/2 cup cooked peas, fresh or frozen); ¼ cup Golden Raisins (1/4 cup golden raisins); ¼ cup Pistachios (1/4 cup pistachios, chopped)

A fragrant Middle Eastern rice pilaf baked in the oven with saffron, orange zest, and nuts.

50 minMiddle Eastern

Servings6

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Vegetarian
Pescatarian

Steps

1Heat oven to 350ºF.
2Melt the butter in a 3-quart saucier over medium heat. Stir in the onion, bell pepper, and 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Decrease the heat to low and sweat until the onion is translucent and aromatic but not browned, 3 to 4 minutes.
3Increase the heat to medium and add the rice. Cook, stirring frequently, until it smells nutty, another 3 to 4 minutes. Add the saffron and its water, the broth, orange zest, bay leaves, and the remaining salt. Increase the heat and bring to a boil.
4Okay, now the weird part: Thoroughly wet a clean towel, kill the heat, scatter the peas on top of the rice, then place the towel across the top of the saucier. Top with the lid, then fold the towel corners up over the lid. Transfer the saucier (towel and all) to the oven, and bake for 20 minutes.
5Remove and let rest at room temperature for another 15 minutes without removing the lid.
6De-lid and fish out the orange zest and bay leaves. Turn the pilaf out onto a platter, fluff with a large fork, and garnish with the raisins and pistachios. Serve family-style, right in the middle of the table.