Orzo - Rice Pilaf

This is a recipe from my grandmother - one of the most adorable elderly women I've ever met. The measures are not very specific. After 65 years of cooking, she doesn't really measure anymore.

You can do this as a side dish for pretty much everything. It's super yummy with veggies like eggplant or beans. I eat with yogurt, but I don't know if you guys are that much of a fan of it.

Also, last year in Turkey I got really drunk and asked the bartender to bring me some pilaf. At first he said he couldn't, but then he gave in after my friends explained him that I just came back from abroad. Delicious.

Ingredients

• 1 cup rice
  
• 1/4 cup orzo
  
• butter
  
• 1.5 cup boiled water (you can substitute with chicken broth or half cb half water, yumm)
  
• salt
  

Directions

The best way to cook rice is to wash the rice with warm-hot water a couple of times, then fill the cup of rice with warm-hot water to the top and let it sit for half an hour.

After 30 min, put the orzo in a pan and turn the heat on for those babies. Toast them till they get a bit brown, turn the heat off and let them sit for a while. You can transfer them to another pan for it to cool off faster.

Once cool enough not to burn the butter quickly, turn on the heat again. Put the butter in and mix. Drain the rice and put that in as well. Mix it a little bit and add the boiled water. For every cup of rice, add 1.5 cups of water. Add salt and cook covered on medium heat till the water is gone (for basmati rice and alike, it doesn't usually take longer than 10 min).

Once cooked, turn the heat off. Put a paper towel between the lid and the pot. This so that the vapor from the pot wouldn't get the rice wet. Let it sit for 5-10 min and serve.

ps. If you substitute water with chicken broth, put less salt.

Bon appetite and you're welcome!

-Big D