Evening Edge
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DEL.ICIO.USHalei's Lebanese Rice - from John Kessler
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Halei -- our Lebanese-Brazilian, compulsively neat baby sitter -- used to make fantastic world food in the afternoon while the kids took their naps. She got everything made, the children fed, the counters wiped and the dishes washed and put away in the cupboards before we got home. The kitchen looked as if it hadn't been touched, except for the occasional leftover, set in a small bowl on the kitchen counter with plastic wrap stretched to timpani tautness over the top. It was my nightly treat. The best was her rice, fragrant with a perfumed nuttiness that I could never identify, and studded with chestnut-brown grains. I learned the secret was orzo, browned in butter. "Slowly, or it will burn," she said. A little research revealed that Halei's rice and toasted orzo pilaf is popular in Lebanon and Syria as a side dish and stuffing for cornish hen known as Roz Ma'a Shareeyee.
--John Kessler
Hands on time: 19 minutes Total time: 35 minutes Serves: 8
Ingredients:
-
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 cup orzo
2 cups long-grain rice, rinsed
1 teaspoon salt
4 cups water
Instructions:
Melt butter over medium flame in medium saucepan. Add orzo and toast until brown, stirring constantly. Add rice, salt and water and bring to a boil. Cover with paper towel and tight-fitting lid, trimming towel with scissors if it hangs too close to the flame. Cook over medium flame for 8 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low and continue cooking for another 8 minutes. Turn heat off and leave covered for 15 minutes. Remove cover and fluff with a fork.
Notes:
I've made this pilaf dozens of times and can identify a few secrets for success. First, toast the orzo over a medium flame, stir it constantly and don't ignore it for a second. If, alas, it burns, trash it and start fresh.
Choose a premium long-grain rice (such as basmati, jasmine or Texmati) and give it a rinse to rid it of milling dust. I have included measurements of rice and water in the recipe below, but at home I always use this trick: The depth that the water rises above the rice should equal the length of the first joint of my middle finger, with the combination of the two filling the saucepan by a half to two-thirds before cooking. This trick works whether I make rice for two or 20.
Finally, I use Halei's trick and put a paper towel between the lid and the pot as the rice cooks to keep the steam in.
This dish goes as well with roast chicken or lamb as it does with a veggie-tofu stew. And it's very amenable to a few toasted nuts (almonds, hazelnuts), slivered scallions and a dusting of cinnamon when it needs to dress up for company. The nutty smell alone will get comments.
Choose a premium long-grain rice (such as basmati, jasmine or Texmati) and give it a rinse to rid it of milling dust. I have included measurements of rice and water in the recipe below, but at home I always use this trick: The depth that the water rises above the rice should equal the length of the first joint of my middle finger, with the combination of the two filling the saucepan by a half to two-thirds before cooking. This trick works whether I make rice for two or 20.
Finally, I use Halei's trick and put a paper towel between the lid and the pot as the rice cooks to keep the steam in.
This dish goes as well with roast chicken or lamb as it does with a veggie-tofu stew. And it's very amenable to a few toasted nuts (almonds, hazelnuts), slivered scallions and a dusting of cinnamon when it needs to dress up for company. The nutty smell alone will get comments.
Nutrition:
Per serving: 219 calories (percent of calories from fat, 8), 5 grams protein, 44 grams carbohydrates, 1 gram fiber, 2 grams fat, 4 milligrams cholesterol, 307 milligrams sodium.
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