Fluffy savory rice pilaf amandine is made with rice, orzo and crunchy almonds and is a perfect quick and easy side dish.
Rice Pilaf Amandine
By Sue Lau | Palatable Pastime
This week for Sunday Supper we are sharing recipes which include orzo. I decided upon my recipe for rice pilaf amandine, which is a simple side dish suitable for weeknight meals, done in a couple of easy steps.
Amandine is the French term for sprinkling foods with almonds, although in this case they are stirred right in. This is more of a retro dish as it used to be quite commonplace as a topping for rice and occasionally vegetables such as broccoli, and often used with fish, as in trout meuniere.
In the USA, the term amandine is also distorted as almondine, but they both mean the same thing.
This rice is quite similar to a rice-a-roni clone I did awhile back, part of many different rice recipes in my repertoire. I’d serve this with anything you might serve rice-a-roni with, especially baked fish, and is commonly made in my kitchen as I don’t generally buy the boxed mixes.
Orzo pasta is added to this, just as you might see in the boxed rice mixes, which also occasionally include things like broken vermicelli (hence the “roni” part of their name.) You can make this without orzo, but it does create textural interest since the bite on the rice and the pasta feels different.
You can change up the type of broth base you use in this. The better than bouillon brand makes quite a few different ones. That way you can adapt this to many meals and keep it a regular part of your cooking rotation.
Rice Pilaf Amandine
Ingredients:
- 1 cup uncooked long grain rice, rinsed
- 1/2 cup orzo pasta
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 to 1-1/2 tablespoons chicken base
- 2 cups water
- 1 teaspoon all-purpose seasoning salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 cup slivered blanched toasted almonds
- 1-2 tablespoons fresh parsley
Method:
- Heat butter and brown rice and orzo lightly, then stir in the chicken base with water (or you may use chicken broth) and season with salt and pepper, stirring.
- Bring ingredients to a boil; cover, reduce heat and simmer 25 minutes.
- Stir in almonds and parsley and fluff with fork.
From the kitchen of palatablepastime.com
Orzo Pasta Recipes
- Beef with Onion Gravy Orzo by Cindy’s Recipes and Writings
- Greek Orzo Pasta Salad with Chicken by Sunday Supper Movement
- One Pot Italian Sausage Orzo with Spinach by A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures
- Orzo Risotto with Asparagus and Shrimp by Delaware Girl Eats
- Orzo Salad with Watermelon and Feta by Positively Stacey
- Elegant Orzo Shrimp & Vegetable Salad Stuffed Avocados by Kudos Kitchen by Renee
- Orzo with Provencal Pesto by Cooking Chat
- Rice Pilaf Amandine by Palatable Pastime
- Roasted Vegetable Salad with Orzo, Mozzarella and Basil by That Skinny Chick Can Bake
- Southwestern Orzo by The Freshman Cook
- Stovetop Orzo Macaroni and Cheese by Pies and Plots
- Summer Vegetable Orzo Pasta Salad by My Fearless Kitchen
Would you like to join the Sunday Supper Movement? It’s easy. You can sign up by clicking here: Sunday Supper Movement.
