Meatless Monday - Wild Rice Pilaf with Almonds and Cauliflower

When I was first leaning how to cook I wasn’t very good at it. Actually, I was terrible and I burnt quite a few meals. The joke was that when the smoke detector went off I knew dinner was ready. The thing is, some things are really delicious with a little char. It’s why we like foods cooked on the grill or blackened. The burnt butter in this recipe adds a layer of deliciousness similar to a char from the grill.

This recipe makes a terrific dinner on it’s own but you might want to make extra because the leftovers make a great lunch or side dish. I found it to be quite a satisfying meal.

You can make the rice ahead of time and store it in the refrigerator since it takes about an hour to cook.

Ingredients:

4 Tbs olive oil

1 small onion, thinly sliced

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1 1/4 cupswild rice

3 cups vegetable broth

1 cauliflower, stems trimmed, cut into small florets

1/3 cup chilled butter, diced

1/3 cup almonds, coarsely chopped

1 tbsp Sherry vinegar

Finely grated rind and juice of ½ lemon, or to taste

Garnish with chopped flat-leaf parsley and mint

Wild Rice Pilaf

Directions:

• Heat 2 Tbs oil in a saucepan over medium-high heat, add onion and garlic and fry until tender (4-5 minutes). Add rice, stir to coat, then add stock and 1 cup water. Season to taste and bring to the boil. Cover with a lid, reduce heat to low and cook until rice is tender and stock is absorbed (1-1¼ hours). Remove from heat and stand covered to steam for 15 minutes.

• Meanwhile, preheat oven to 200C and toss cauliflower with remaining oil in a bowl and season to taste. Spread on an oven tray lined with baking paper and roast, stirring occasionally, until tender and golden (45-50 minutes).

• Cook butter in a saucepan over high heat, swirling pan occasionally, until nut brown (4-5 minutes). Remove from heat and stir in almonds, vinegar, rind and juice.

• Serve pilaf warm topped with cauliflower and herbs and drizzled with burnt butter.

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