Rice Pilaf

You never have to settle for plain rice again.  Use this recipe as a starting point and experiment with your own variations.

Rice Pilaf
Adapted from "The Language of Baklava" by Dianna Abu-Jaber

4 - 6 tablespoons butter (can substitute/blend with olive oil)
4 ounces spaghetti noodles, crumbled (can substitute any tiny pasta - orzo, pastina, etc.)
2 cups long-grain rice
4 cups water (or homemade/low-sodium chicken broth)
1 teaspoon salt (leave out if using broth)
1/2 cup pine nuts
1 teaspoon cinnamon
pepper to taste

Melt 2 tablespoons butter in bottom of large heavy saucepan with lid.  Crumble uncooked spaghetti into warmed butter, stir until spaghetti just begins to "toast".  Add rice, and if needed additional butter.  Continue to stir until rice is coated and spaghetti begins to smell nutty.  Add liquid and salt and turn up heat to bring to a boil.  Once water is boiling, cover with lid and lower fire to simmer, approx. 20 minutes.  Turn off heat and let stand 10 minutes.

Melt remaining butter in small sautee' pan and toast pine nuts until golden.

Sprinkle butter and pine nuts over rice and dust with cinnamon.  Add pepper to taste.

Variations: 

• Add or substitute almonds or pecans for the pine nuts and/or add dried cranberries, golden raisins, dried cherries.
• To make a rice dressing or to make this dish a main course, add cooked crumbled sausage or ground beef/turkey.

Grand Marnier Cranberry Muffins

After being so disappointed with the orange cranberry muffin mix earlier in the week, I thought I would try a homemade version.  This recipe is from one of my favorite culinary mysteries, Killer Pancake by Diane Mott Davidson.  I can highly recommend the recipe and the book.

Ingredients:
1 1/4 cups orange juice
1/4 cup Grand Mariner liqueur
3/4 cup canola oil
2 cups chopped cranberries
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup whole-wheat flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 tablespoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 tablespoons chopped orange zest
4 egg whites

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
• Combine the orange juice, Grand Marnier, and the oil; set aside while you prepare batter.
• In a large bowl combine the all-purpose flour, whole-wheat flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and orange zest.
• In another large bowl, beat the egg whites until frothy.
• Combine the juice mixture with the beaten egg whites.
• Add the egg mixture and the cranberries to the flour, stirring until just moist.
• Using a 1/4 cup measure divide the batter among 24 muffin cups that have been fitted with paper lines.  Bake for 25 minutes or until golden brown and puffed.