Rice & Pine Nuts

This is a brown rice pilaf with Middle Eastern bones, built around the classic pairing of pine nuts and sweet raisins that shows up in everything from Turkish stuffed peppers to Sicilian pasta dishes. The sweet-and-savory contrast is what gives this side dish more character than your average rice pot.

Browning the onion and garlic in oil before the rice goes in is the step that transforms this from boiled rice into a proper pilaf. Those sauteed aromatics build the flavor base that the rice absorbs during the long simmer.

Brown rice takes 45 minutes to cook properly, so this is a make-ahead side. Stir in the pine nuts and parsley only at the very end, after the rice has finished absorbing the liquid. Add them too early and the nuts lose their crunch; the parsley turns dark and loses its bright color.

Kitchen Tips

• Toast the pine nuts in a dry skillet for 2 to 3 minutes before stirring into the rice. Toasted pine nuts have 10 times the flavor.
• Use long-grain brown rice, not short. Short grain goes sticky and doesn’t deliver the pilaf texture.
• Don’t lift the lid during simmering. Each peek releases steam and adds 5 minutes to the cook.
• Fluff with a fork, not a spoon. Spoons compress and mash.

Variations

• Add ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon and ¼ teaspoon allspice for a Turkish-style pilaf.
• Swap raisins for dried cranberries or chopped dried apricots.
• Toss in a handful of toasted slivered almonds with the pine nuts for extra crunch.