Jasmine Rice Pilaf with Pine Nuts and Vermicelli

Circle B Kitchen

1 cup of jasmine rice

2 tablespoons butter

1 ½ cups vermicelli or coiled fideo, broken into 2-3 – inch lengths

½ cup pinenuts

1 large shallot, chopped

1 ¾ cups chicken broth

1 teaspoon salt

2-tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Rinse the rice 2 or 3 times and drain thoroughly

In a 2-3 quart sauté pan, toast the pinenuts until lightly browned. Keep an eye on these because they can burn quickly. Remove to a bowl and set aside.

In the same pan, melt the butter over medium heat and add the shallot and sauté until soft. Add the vermicelli. Brown the vermicelli, turning with tongs or a metal spatula so it browns evenly without burning. When the vermicelli has taken on some nice color, add the rice to the pan and continue to toast for another couple of minutes.

This is the point at which I like to dump this in my rice cooker with the salt and chicken broth and push “cook”. But if you don’t have a rice cooker, then just add the chicken broth and salt to the pan and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce the heat to low and cook for 15 minutes. When the 15 minutes are up, remove the pan from the heat and let is sit, covered for another 5-6 minutes.

Just before serving, stir in the toasted pinenuts and chopped parsley, reserving a sprinkling of the pinenuts for the top.