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+ servings

Mushroom Brown Rice Pilaf Recipe

Course Side Dish
Cuisine Italian American
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 55 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 5 minutes
Servings 4
Author Florentina

Ingredients

  • 1 organic small yellow onion -diced
  • 1 organic carrot – diced
  • 1 lb organic cremini mushrooms -sliced
  • 1 organic bell pepper -diced
  • 1/4 c extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 c organic brown rice -short grain
  • 3 1/2 c vegetable stock or water
  • 1/2 tsp sea salt + more to taste
  • 1 dry bay leaf
  • 3 thyme sprigs
  • 1/4 c italian flat leaf parsley roughly chopped
  • 2 tbsp smoked paprika

Instructions

  • In a large enameled cast iron pot heat up 2 tbsp of the olive oil and sweat the onion with a pinch of sea salt until translucent. Add the carrot and mushrooms and toss to coat. Sautee them together until all water has evaporated and the mushrooms start to caramelize.
  • Push the mushrooms to the sides of the pan to make space in the middle to add the remaining olive oil and the rice. Toss to gently coat and toast for a few minutes. Add the thyme, bay leaf, sea salt and paprika and stir everything together. You will sense a pleasant nutty scent from the toasting of the rice and spices together.
  • Add the bell peppers and water or stock and bring the mixture to a boil. Taste the liquid for seasoning and add more salt to your taste if desired. Cover with a tight lid, turn the flame down to low and allow to simmer for 45 minutes. Turn off the flame and allow the rice to sit untouched for another 15 minutes. It will continue to cook in the steam and create a perfect al dente texture for the rice. Fluff with a fork and serve sprinkled with the fresh parsley.
  • If you must have your rice super soft then let it cook an additional 5 minutes, personally I don’t like it mushy so I stick to 45 minutes cooking time.