Rice and vegetables pilaf

Often when I cook rice I make extra and use the leftover rice in a pilaf a day or two later. It’s a good way to use up odds and ends of veggies that are lingering but are still beautiful, fresh and crisp.

A classic pilaf is rice sautéed in oil with aromatics and then cooked in flavoured broth with vegetables or non-vegetarian proteins. My method here is different, sautéeing vegetables first and then adding cooked rice and a little broth to finish the dish. Anything to make life easy and still eat fresh.

Today I had a few crisp asparagus stem, a few cauliflower florets and a couple of garden carrots so this is what I used. I also had steamed spinach left from a vegetarian lasagna I was making so I added some of that at the end. You can vary the ingredients according to what you have in the fridge. Brown rice works just as well as white rice.

Serve with a little hot sauce and a salad with tangy vinaigrette on the side.,

Enjoy.

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Ingredients:

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4 cups chopped vegetables (asparagus, cauliflower, carrots)

A handful spinach leaves, steamed in microwave

3 cups cooked rice

3 tablespoons olive oil or as needed

1/2 cup stock

Salt and pepper

Garnish: chopped roasted peanuts or pistachios

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Directions:

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Heat oil in a large skillet, add the vegetables and cook until almost done. If your skillet is not too large do it in two batches, you want the vegetables to sautée, not steam.

When the vegetables are almost cooked add the rice and mix to combine. If you set half the vegetables aside add them now.

Season with salt and pepper and add some of the stock, as necessary, to keep the dish moist but not soupy.

To serve spoon into serving bowls, sprinkle the nuts on top and serve with a green salad and hot sauce on the side.

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