A True Rice Pilaf

A lot of the times when I cook lately I'm just throwing things together to see what combinations will work.

However today I actually followed a recipe that was a true rice pilaf with the addition of swiss chard.

What makes a pilaf? Cooking the rice in butter or oil (I used olive oil) and often onions or other vegetables, before adding other ingredients like stock.

I started by heating some olive oil (about 3 Tbsp) in a medium-sized pot and then added 1 cup of chopped onion and 2 cups of chopped swiss chard. I cooked the onions for 5 minutes before adding 1 1/2 cups of basmati rice and 2 minced garlic cloves. I stirred everything coating the rice with the olive oil and onion mixture then added some sea salt and pepper and turned the heat to low and added 2 1/2 cups of vegetable stock. I let everything cook with the lid on for 15 minutes or until most of the liquid was absorbed, then turned the heat off and let the pot rest for another 30 minutes.

It was delicious.... so flavourful!