Rice pilaf mixes used to be a crutch for me before we started our year of only eating unprocessed food. I would open the little bag with rice and seasonings, dump it into a bowl, add water and microwave it for 17 minutes. I thought it was a pretty elegant side dish, so I would make it once or twice a week, because it was a simple thing to make after work. And truthfully, I made it so much because it tasted good and it was easy.

Once we started cooking everything from scratch I learned (surprise!) that it's incredibly easy and much more delicious from scratch. And the best thing is that you can dress it up with spices or herbs in the kitchen, so it's not the same thing every time. So, for this batch I used a pinch of saffron from the container that Jedd's mother gave us recently.

Homemade Rice Pilaf

1 tablespoon of unsalted butter

10 strands of spaghetti, broken into 1 inch pieces

½ of a medium onion, diced

1 cup of jasmine rice

2 cups of regular or low-sodium chicken broth

Salt (Optional)

1 pinch of saffron

Pepper

Melt the butter in a sauce pan over medium-low heat and saute the onion until soft. Add the spaghetti pieces and stir for 1 minute. Add the chicken broth and bring to a boil. (If you are using low-sodium chicken broth salt to taste.) Add the rice and saffron and stir well. Wait for it to return to a boil and then turn the heat down to low, cover and cook for 20 minutes. Remove the rice from the heat and let the pot sit covered for an additional 15 minutes.

Serves 4.

(Photo by Launie Kettler)

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