Thursday, January 20, 2011

Smoky and Spicy Rice Pilaf

It's been a very hectic week around here...so hectic that this is the first chance I've had to post a delicious rice pilaf recipe that I made on Monday night. I've been a little under the weather, so I've been mainly resting after work in the evenings. Better late than never...and this is a recipe that you really must try!! It's a Weekend Gourmet original recipe...and proof that laziness can result in some of your very best culinary creations. 

I was off Monday for the MLK holiday and had been fighting a sore throat and cough since the weekend. I roasted a turkey breast over the weekend, so I planned to reheat the other half of that and serve it with rice pilaf and salad. The only problem? I didn't have a box of my go-to rice pilaf mix in the cupboard -- and I was much too lazy to change out of my comfy clothes and fight the crowds at the grocery store. Instead, I decided to look around the kitchen and see what inspiration might strike!

What I came up with was a rice pilaf flavored with shallots, bacon, mushrooms, curry powder, and sliced green onions. It was a little smoky, a little spicy...and altogether delicious! The only thing I might do differently next time is add some slivered almonds just before serving for a bit of crunch. We really enjoyed the flavor combination of this pilaf, so I'm very excited to share it with you!

Smoky and Spicy Rice Pilaf

Step 1:  Heat a medium saucepan over med-high heat. Chop 3 slices of bacon and add it to the saucepan. Cook until the bacon is browned. Remove the bacon from the pan and drain on paper towels. Pour out all but 1 tbs. of the bacon drippings.

Step 2:  Add 1 chopped shallot, a grated clove of garlic, and 1/2 cup chopped cremini mushrooms to the pan. Saute for 2-3 minutes. 


Step 3:  Add 1 cup converted white rice and stir to combine. Cook the rice until lightly toasted, stirring constantly. This will take about 2-3 minutes. Add 1 tsp. curry powder and the reserved bacon. 


Stir over med-high heat for another couple of minutes, until the curry powder is fragrant. Add 2 cups broth of your choice; I had cubes of veggie stock on hand, so that's what I used. Bring to a boil. Give the rice a good stir, lower the heat to med-low, and cover. Cook for about 20 minutes.

Step 4:  After 20 minutes, remove the pot from the heat and set aside for 5 minutes to let any remaining liquid absorb back into the pilaf. Just before serving, stir in two sliced green onions and 1 tbs. flat-leaf parsley.


This pilaf pairs very well with turkey, but it would also be good with pork chops or grilled shrimp. Although it's a really great side dish, the bacon and mushrooms make it hearty enough for a light main dish; I ate the leftovers for lunch at work the next day. I hope you'll give this pilaf a try and let me know what you think.

Be sure to come back here this weekend for my next giveaway! I'm teaming with Cookwell & Company, a Texas-based company that offers a full line of gourmet food products, to bring you some great recipes and new products to try!! You won't want to miss this giveaway...

14 comments:

  1. It sounds and looks delicious :) We like rice dishes a lot.. And I think I haven't seen it with bacon, at least I know we never had :)

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  2. Glad you're feeling better! Laziness has it's finer points hehe. But wow this looks so darn good!! I am definitely bookmarking this gorgeous rice recipe!!!

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  3. Glad you're on the mend. The pilaf looks awesome, Wendy. I love rice, so I'm adding this to my collection of recipes.

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  4. This looks wonderful and I love rice. I will be preparing this very soon.

    Carolyn/A Southerners Notebook

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  5. I have been hit by a crazy head cold and this sounds FABULOUS right now. The perfect thing to warm me up. Thanks so much for linking this to Saturday Swap. I hope you are feeling better and have a great weekend!!!

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  6. Love your take on the rice pilaf, with the smokey, and the spicy flavor. So colorful, and yummy!!!
    Beautiful presentation too!
    Wendy-glad you're feeling better, now!

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  7. Sure hope you are feeling better Wendy! My daughter has been fighting cold-like symptoms for weeks. We finally got antibiotics, hopefully it will clear soon.
    LOVE this pilaf!!! My husband will go crazy for it. I'm not much of a bacon fan, however, in something like this it's wonderful. I can see this making our regular rotation!

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  8. Looks lovely. You should use basmati rice for pilafs - so fragrant!

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  9. Hoe that you're feeling better. Your pilaf turned out much better and healthier, than the box version. Looks great! Because we have to watch sodium in our diets, my husband and I don't by processed food in a box, because the sodium is way, way, to o high.

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  10. This is one delish looking dish! Savory and comforting. It doesn't get much better than that.

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  11. Thought I would come over for a look from Sommer J's link to your site and I hung about for a little while.

    Your pilaf collation a definitely full of smoky flavour as you have demonstrated. Back in 1991 I visited San Antonio for a few days, and found it to be my fav texan city.

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  12. Hectic here too, girl! But I would love to try this. Sunday is for cooking!!!!!!

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  13. Looks great...think I will try this with brown rice!

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