Pecan Rice Pilaf

Several posts ago, I made a rice pilaf that was generally good, but was somewhat lacking in flavor. Because of this, I've been hoping for an opportunity to try the recipe again with some modifications. When I was invited to a potluck recently, and heard that most of the dishes were "main course" options, I jumped at the opportunity. Because a friend recently gave me a bag of fresh pecan's from her tree, I decided to incorporate those as well.

I liked the method that I used previously (adapted from Good Eats), so I used the same approach. As you can see below, I added the pecans after the dish was done cooking. However, I wanted the flavor of the pecans to be more prominent than that, so I tried something new. I steeped some ground pecans in the broth for about an hour before I started cooking with the hope that the broth would take on the flavor.

Delicious!

Because the potluck was relatively small, I had plenty of leftovers. One time, I tossed in some dried cranberries after reheating the pilaf in the microwave, and though the flavor worked well with the dish.



Pecan Rice Pilaf

Ingredients:
2 tbsp butter
1 tbsp olive oil
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 onion, minced
1/2 c carrot, minced
1/2 c mushrooms, minced
garlic powder, kosher salt, and pepper, to taste, plus a dash of nutmeg
2 cups long grain rice
3 1/3 c chicken broth (I only used 3 c, and that did not seem to be enough)
1 bay leaf
1/2 c pecans, roasted and minced, plus 1/4 c finely ground

Directions:

• Mix broth with ground pecans and let sit on counter for 1 hour
  
• Preheat oven to 350°
• In a heavy, wide, lidded pan, melt butter over medium-low heat
• Add garlic, onion, carrot, mushrooms, and salt, sweat until aromatic, stirring constantly
• Add olive oil
  
• Add rice and stir to coat and rice begins to smell nutty
• Add chicken broth, pepper, and nutmeg, and bay leaf & bring to boil
• Cover pan with moistened dish towel (or tea towel). Place lid on pan and fold towel corners over lid
• Bake for 15 minutes
• Rest at room temperature for 10 to 20 minutes without removing the cover.
• Remove lid from rice and turn out onto a platter
• Fluff with a large fork and add roasted pecans (I roasted the pecans for ~ 10-minutes while the pilaf was cooking in the oven)
  

Bacon-Braised Brussels Sprouts

Since Z is not currently here, I have been trying fewer main course meals lately, and more side dishes. Also, since there are some foods she doesn't like, I've been making dishes I wouldn't be able to make with her in town. In particular, earlier this month I made a bacon-braised Brussels sprout recipe. This was a Tyler Florence recipe I found here, and it was pretty easy.


First, for those of you who are not familiar with Brussels sprouts, they are like miniature cabbages that grow on a club. I was shocked that the local grocery store sold them by the club, so I succumbed to temptation, and bought this beauty here.


It was a bit more work than buying the pre-cleaned, bagged Brussels sprouts, but I got it anyway for nostalgia's sake (we always had these in our garden when I was growing up).

This is what the pan looked like when done

Served with a citrus herb marinated chicken breast

Bacon-Braised Brussels Sprouts

Ingredients:
1 club of Brussels sprouts
1/4 lb bacon
1 garlic clove, additional garlic powder (I only had one clove!)
dried thyme (I didn't have fresh)
1-1/2 cup chicken broth (I added gradually, 2 cups seemed like too much)
Salt & pepper
3 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1-cup panko bread crumbs
1/4 cup grated Parmesan
2-sprigs rosemary
Olive oil

Directions:

• In a large, oven safe pan and over medium-high heat, cook bacon for 2 to 3 minutes
• Add the garlic clove, thyme and Brussels sprouts and cook until slightly caramelized, ~4-5 minutes
• Add chicken broth and reduce heat to a simmer
• Season with salt and pepper, cover and simmer for 12 to 15 minutes
• Remove lid and add a splash of vinegar and reduce until syrupy, 2 to 3 minutes
• In a bowl, toss bread crumbs with rosemary, thyme leaves and garlic powder, then drizzle with a little olive oil, salt, and pepper
• Sprinkle bread crumb mixture and Parmesan over Brussels sprouts and bake in a 350°oven until golden and crispy.

Honey Curry Squash

I remember liking squash as a kid, but haven't had much luck myself making squash that actually enjoyed (not winter squash, at least). So, wanted to instill variety in my vegetable repertoire, I compelled myself to buy an acorn squash last week, and decided to try a few things out. The recipe below is the one that is definitely worth sharing with you, my loyal readers (AKA Z and her mom).

This recipe I got from this month's Cooking Light magazine. It turned out very well, and will definitely be one I put into a regular rotation. I tweaked the recipe based on what I had (and the fact that I was cooking for one), but didn't make any huge modifications.


Honey Curry Squash

Ingredients:
1/2 acorn squash, cubed
1 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper, to taste
golden raisins (not sure how many I used - I added them until it "looked right")
1-2 tbsp honey
curry powder and cayenne pepper, to taste

Directions

• Toss squash cubes with olive oil, salt, & pepper
• Bake at 500° for 15-20 minutes, or until tender
  
• Toss remaining ingredients and serve

(see, I told you it was simple)

Rice Pilaf

I'd always wanted to try making a rice pilaf. I mean, it seemed so simple - rice, some sort of seasoning, and perhaps a vegetable or two. However, whenever I tried an "impromptu" (i.e., without looking up a recipe) pilaf, I failed miserably. Then, one day while watching Good Eats, I saw Alton Brown make a rice pilaf that seemed remarkably easy. So, last month, when Z was here and I was therefore cooking and blogging more regularly, I thought that it would be a great time to try making a pilaf. Alton's recipe was remarkably easy, although it was not super flavorful. I'm not sure exactly what I'd change (more garlic, perhaps, or some pepper), but it is something I will certainly play around with.


Rice Pilaf
adapted from Good Eats

Ingredients:
2 tbsp butter
1/2 onion, minced
1/2 red bell pepper, minced
2 pinches kosher salt
2 cups long grain rice (I used jasmine rice)
2-3/4 c chicken broth
1/2 tsp orange zest
Pinch of saffron strands, steeped in 1/4 cup hot water
1 bay leaf
Golden raisins for garnish

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350°
• In a heavy, wide, lidded pan, melt butter over medium-low heat
• Add onion, pepper, and salt, sweat until aromatic, stirring constantly
• Add rice and stir to coat and rice begins to smell nutty
• Add chicken broth, orange zest, saffron and water, and bay leaf & bring to boil
• Cover pan with moistened dish towel (or tea towel). Place lid on pan and fold towel corners over lid
• Bake for 15 minutes
• Rest at room temperature for 10 to 20 minutes without removing the cover.
• Remove lid from rice and turn out onto a platter
• Fluff with a large fork and add raisins

Crash Hot Potatoes

I saw this recipe on Pioneer Woman, and thought it looked absolutely delicious. Last night, we tried these for the first time and were VERY happy with how they turned out. They take a bit more time than other potato preparation methods, but they are well worth it. The recipe basically involves cooking the potatoes, crushing them on a baking pan, and then seasoning and baking them.


In all honesty, this isn't a huge departure from how we often cook potatoes - by dicing them, tossing them in olive oil and seasoning (often times salt, pepper, and rosemary), and then baking them. But, the pre-cooking and subsequent mashing seems to add a lot to the texture of the dish.

Crash Hot Potatoes
recipe from Pioneer Woman

Ingredients:
Potatoes (small/medium size)
Olive oil
Kosher salt
pepper
rosemary

Directions:

• Boil potatoes in salted water until fork-tender
• Coat a baking sheet with olive oil
• Place potatoes on baking sheet and crush with potato masher (we don't have one, so I used a large serving fork)
• Brush potatoes with more olive oil
• Liberally salt and pepper the potatoes, sprinkle with chopped rosemary
• Bake at 450° for 25-minutes