Brown Rice and Pine Nut Casserole

CaliforniaJan's Note:

Delicious side dish that is easy to prep in advance of the dinner rush because it bakes over an hour and can be kept on warm until the rest of your meal is ready to serve. Note for ZWT #7 that rice and pine nuts are a typical part of Brazilian cuisine.

• Total Time: 1 hrs 20 mins
• Prep Time: 20 mins
• Cook Time: 1 hrs

Ingredients:

Servings: 8

• ½ cup pine nuts
• ¼ cup butter
• 1 cup brown rice , rinsed and drained
• ½ cup bulgur (cracked wheat)
• 1 large onion , chopped
• 1 cup fresh parsley , minced
• 6 tablespoons fresh chives or 6 tablespoons scallions , finely minced
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon pepper
• 3 (14 ounce) cans beef or 3 (14 ounce) cans chicken broth

Directions:

1. Saute the pine nuts in a medium-sized skillet with 2 tablespoons butter over moderate heat until browned, approximately 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
2. To the same skillet add and melt the remaining butter. Add the rice, bulgur, and onion. Brown for about 10 minutes, stirring frequently. Spoon this mixture into a 2-quart casserole. Add 3/4 cup parsley, chives, salt, and pepper.
3. Bring broth to a boil and stir into rice mixture. Bake uncovered in a preheated 375 oven for 1 hour and 15 minutes. Garnish with the remaining parsley.

Reviews

[D. Duckie]

This was AWESOME! My entire family really enjoyed this! My husband said multiple times this was a keeper and that I could make it any time I wanted. I ended up using 1 1/2 cups of brown rice since I had no bulgur. The 2 quart baking dish wouldn't hold the 3 cans of broth - more like just over 2. Next time I might try to use a bigger casserole dish to use the full amount of liquid. As it was, there was a wonderful crunchy topping. Excellent - thanks for sharing this!