I learned to make rice pilaf in cooking school, I thought it was so fancy. At the time I was living at home with my parents and I probably made it so many times, they got sick of it. I make it as a side dish quite a bit at home still, almost everyone loves it and you can use the veggies you have on hand.

This is a great recipe to make in bulk and bring to a pot luck, it’s always nice to have something a bit different.

Rice Pilaf

30g Butter

2 Stalks of Celery, diced

2 Carrots, diced

1 Shallot, diced

1 Tsp Herbs Du Provence

2 Tsp Chicken Better than Bouillon

1 1/4 Cups Long Grain Rice (not par boiled)

2 3/4 cups Chicken Stock or Water

Start off by heating the stock in a separate pot or microwave, this will give you a head start on the cooking process. Then melt the butter in a medium sized sauce pan, add your vegetables and sweat on medium/low heat for approx. 2-3 minutes until they begin to soften. Add the rice to the pan and stir to coat the grains with the butter. Add the Herbs du Provence and the bouillon and stir. Finallt add the warm stock/water and quickly stir to combine. Add a tight fitting lid and keep the heat at medium/low. Cook covered for 12-15 minutes until all the liquid is absorbed. Try not to peek or it lets the steam out and the rice won’t be as fluffy. Once finished, turn off the heat but keep covered for an additional five minutes. Fluff with a fork and serve.