Rice Pilaf With Spinach And Caramelized Onions Recipes

RICE PILAF

Steps:

• Melt the butter in a large skillet (that has a lid) or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the rice and cook, stirring regularly, until the rice is browned - about 2-3 minutes. Add the onion, celery and carrot; cook, stirring regularly, until the vegetables start to soften - about 4 minutes.
• Add salt and pepper, to taste. If you're using salted chicken broth, you probably won't need too much extra salt. If you're using low-sodium or homemade unsalted broth, you may need up to ½ - ¾ teaspoon of salt.
• Add the broth to the skillet with the rice and vegetables. Add the bay leaf; bring the liquid to a simmer, then reduce the heat to low, cover the skillet, and let the rice simmer for 18-20 minutes. Once the liquid has been absorbed and the rice is tender, turn off the heat, discard the bay leaf, fluff the rice with a fork, and stir in the fresh parsley and toasted almonds.

SPINACH RICE PILAF

Steps:

• Trim the stem end off the onion. Leave the root end in tact to hold the layers of the onion together. Cut the onion in half lengthwise and remove the peel. Working with one-​​half of the onion at a time, make horizontal cuts into the onion before making vertical and then crosswise cuts to finely chop the onion, using the root end as a sort of a handle. Set the onion aside.
• Peel and mince the garlic. Set aside.
• Pick over and trim the spinach. Rinse it clean , spin or pat it dry. You really want the spinach dried off to avoid having to cook off the water later. Cut the leaves into thin ribbons. Set aside.
• In a medium pot over medium-high heat, melt the butter. Add the onion and salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is soft, about 3 minutes.
• Add the garlic to the onion and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in the spinach. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the leaves are wilted and any liquid that has cooked out of the spinach has evaporated, about 4 minutes. If there's a lot of liquid, turn up the heat and boil it off.
• Add the rice and stir to coat it and make sure it's as well-combined with the spinach and onions as possible. Add the broth and bring to a boil. Add the dill, if you like. Cover and reduce the heat to low. Cook, undisturbed, for 15 minutes. Without removing the cover, remove the pot from the heat and let sit 5 minutes.
• Remove the cover. Fluff the pilaf with a fork. Stir in the pepper, if you like. Serve the pilaf hot or warm.

SPINACH, MUSHROOM & LEMON RICE PILAF

Steps:

• Cook the onion and garlic in the butter in a large shallow pan until soft and golden.
• Add the mushrooms and cook until softened. Add the spices and cook for 2 minutes, then stir in the rice, lemon zest and stock. Cover.
• Cook on a gentle heat for about 15 minutes until the liquid has been absorbed.
• Stir through the spinach and lemon juice, cover for 2 minutes until wilted and serve.

SPINACH AND LEMON RICE PILAF

Steps:

• Bring the stock to a boil, add rice, reduce heat to low and simmer till done. (About 40 minutes).
• Melt the butter in a frying pan, add spinach, carrot and green onions, saute over medium low heat till spinach is wilted and vegetables softened, about 2 minutes.
• Stir vegetable mixture and lemon juice into hot cooked rice, fluff with fork and serve.

CARAMELIZED ONION AND LENTIL PILAF

Steps:

• In a large heavy-based saucepan, heat ghee over medium heat. Add onion slices, and sauté until softened and deep golden brown. Remove half the onions and set aside.
• Reduce heat to medium-low and add turmeric, cumin, coriander, cloves, mustard seeds and curry leaves. Add salt, and season with black pepper to taste.
• Combine lentils and rice in a fine-meshed sieve, and rinse well with cold water. Drain, then add to pan. Add 4 cups water, raise heat, and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to very low, and cook for 15 to 20 minutes. Water should be completely absorbed; if not, remove pan from heat, remove lid and cover pan with a kitchen towel, then replace lid and allow to stand for 10 minutes.
• To serve, fluff pilaf with a fork, and transfer to a serving bowl. Garnish with reserved onions.