RICE AND GRAIN

RICE PILAF

Rizi Pilafi

YIELD: 4 TO 6 SERVINGS

       4 tablespoons butter

       1 cup raw converted rice

       2¼ cups boiling chicken stock

Melt butter in a heavy casserole. Add rice and sauté, stirring, over medium heat for 3 minutes, or until rice is opaque. Add boiling stock and stir. Cover casserole and simmer, without stirring, for about 20 minutes, or until rice has absorbed all the liquid. A linen towel can be placed over the casserole after rice is cooked to absorb excess moisture. Replace cover and let casserole stand for five minutes.

Variation: ¼ cup minced onion can be added with rice to melted butter and sautéed as above. For a tomato flavor, add one tablespoon tomato paste or ½ cup tomato sauce to stock. If a richer flavor is desired, increase butter by 4 tablespoons.