This is embarrassing to admit: when I first lived on my own, I used to plan my meals by the Safeway coupon book. I was eighteen years old and living in my own apartment, since there wasn’t any on-campus housing at my small art college. I was a theatre major and my roommate, Kathy, was a dancer. We had no idea what we were doing, but had the added pressure to shop for groceries, cook and pay bills during our freshman year. Both Safeway and Taco Bell were two blocks away and I shudder to think of what we ate.
It was all yellow. Mac and Cheese, Top Ramen and Rice-a-Roni. Bleh! Time to confront my demons of groceries past, which brings us to this week’s edition of Making Groceries: Rice Pilaf, formerly known to me only as Rice-a-Roni. It’s actually quite easy to prepare and much more flavorful than ordinary rice. The biggest benefit of making your own is keeping the ingredients clean; the boxed versions have crazy ingredient lists. Also if you are a vegetarian or cooking for one, many manufactured brands used dehydrated chicken, so often times it is off the menu. I have been making this for years, but must credit Rachel Ray for originally teaching this on 30 Minute Meals. I love the fact that she frequently explains, that she’s teaching a method, not a recipe. That’s what this is. Feel free to branch out with your own flavor profiles, but this recipe is a classic. It serves 4, but you could easily adjust the recipe for more.
Rice Rilaf
olive oil
1/2 small onion, diced
2 garlic gloves, minced
1 T butter (optional, you could use more olive oil)
1/4 c broken pasta pieces
1 c rice
2 c vegetable stock
1 bay leaf
1 t lemon zest
2 T fresh parsley, finely chopped (thyme or any other herb you love would also work)
1. Break pasta into small bits. I like to use spaghetti or linguini noodles and break them into 1 inch pieces. Set aside
2. Place a medium-sized saucepan over med-high heat. Coat the bottom of your pan with olive oil (about 1 T). Once hot, add the onions, a pinch of sea salt and black pepper. Cook for about 3-5 minutes, until soft and translucent. Stir often. Add garlic and saute for another minute.
3. Add a pat of butter to your pan and add the pasta bits. Saute for about 2 minutes, stirring the whole time. Add dry rice and saute for anther 2-3 minutes. Stir, so every grain gets nice and toasty.
4. Add stock and bay leaf. Season again with sea salt and black pepper. Bring to a boil. Cover and reduce heat to a simmer. Don’t peek, but allow rice to cook for 20 minutes.
5. Fluff rice with a fork. Add lemon zest and chopped herbs. Gently toss. Serve and enjoy.
The Bottom Line
I love this recipe because it’s simple and tastes great. Sometimes I make this with brown rice and whole wheat pasta. It’s nice to be able to make it as healthy as I want. This rice isn’t as nearly salty as the manufactured brands and it definitely has a fresher taste. Sometimes I add diced carrots, celery and mushrooms to increase the veggies my kids eat and vary the flavors. (You do this after the onions, but before the pasta, for about 5 minutes.) My version isn’t quite as yellow as the store brand, but I suspect that’s a good thing.
Here’s the big news: this costs about a quarter to make at home. It’s $1.35 in the box. Wow! Buying rice in bulk makes it very cheap and also reduces packaging waste. I always make my own stock, so that’s free. I didn’t count the lemon, because I always have those on hand and I only used a bit of its zest. It takes some effort to make this, but not much. Chop an onion, stir the pot and wait. I can easily manage that.
Another fabulous benefit is not feeling like I need to have purchased a specialty box to make this. I can decide on a moment’s whim to cook these grains because they use pantry staples. I don’t have to think, plan and clip coupons like I did as a college student. Cooking without a box sets you free. Free from cost, free from chemicals and preservatives and sometimes free from planning. Get to know your pantry and enjoy cooking from it. Bon appetite!
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