Symirna Rice/Pilaf

In many cultures, rice is considered to be an auspicious symbol of life and fertility. There is a rice dish to complement the meal in almost all cuisines of the world.

Pilaf is an important dish in Turkish cuisine too. Itis versatile and you could adapt it a number of ways, with meat, with vegetables, with poultry, with vermicelli, with tomatoes. In our family we love this kind with dried apricots. This dish is very good with poultry, meat and pork dishes, a wonderful combination of flavours and textures. I have made this dish many times. I served it at luncheon and dinner parties and had many many compliments.

Ingredients: 

• 3 tablespoons grated onion
• 2 cups uncooked white rice
• 3 cups chicken broth
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 6 tablespoons butter
• 3 tablespoons pine nuts
• 5 dried apricots (diced)
• 3 tablespoons currants
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon caster sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper  

 
How To:

Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Saute,  onion and pine nuts for 3 to 5 minutes or until onion is tender and the pine nuts get gold coloured.

Add diced dried apricots, currants, cinnamon, sugar, black pepper, salt and the chicken broth and bring to a boil. Add long grain rice, stir.  Cook on high heat for 5 minutes, reduce heat to low, cover pan and simmer for 15-20 minutes.

Remove from heat and let pilaf stand covered until grains are separate, 10 to 15 more minutes.

Enjoy!

 

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