Each year I plant broad beans because of their delightfully scented pure white, black and white flower. The seed always germinates, even in this unpredictable Sintra weather, but when the beans arrive, I am sometimes at a loss for what to do with them.
This year, there were abundant succulent beans and sweet peas. Just in time, I came across this rice dish which enabled me to use all the various green bits and pieces from the garden that have emerged at this time of year.
The herbs soften the buttery rice and infuse it with flavour. The steaming method of cooking the rice forms a crusty bottom, creating crunchy shards of golden rice. It is a splendid outcome.
a buttery herbed pilaf
Serves 3 – 4
Recipe adapted ‘Gather Cook Feast’ by Jessica Seaton.
ingredients
1 cup/200g white basmati rice
½ cup/65g fresh young broad beans
½ cup/70g fresh sweet peas
1 large bunch/20g each fresh parsley, dill or fennel fronds
1 very large bunch/80g fresh coriander
½ cup/125ml melted ghee – divided (or 75g butter-melted)
salt and pepper to taste
zest from half lemon
juice from half lemon
soak the rice
1. Wash the rice in cold water and drain. Repeat three more times to flush out all the excess starch (this helps the rice to be fluffy with nice separate grains when cooked). Then leave to soak in cold water for 1 hour while you prepare everything else.
prepare the greens
2. Bring a saucepan of salted water to a boil. Blanch the broad beans and peas in it for 3 – 4 minutes, then drain and refresh in ice-cold water immediately to cool them down (this keeps them green). When completely cold, drain the peas and beans, set aside.
3. Finely chop the leaves and tender stems of all the herbs and mix. Keep any tough stems for soups or stews. Set aside.
prepare the rice
4. Drain the rice. Fill a medium saucepan (with a lid that fits) with very well-salted water. Bring the water to a vigorous boil and cook the rice for exactly 5 minutes, starting the timer from the moment the rice enters the pot. Drain in a colander and let sit for 5 minutes or so to steam dry.
assemble and cook the pilaf
5. Return the empty pan to the stove, add half of the melted ghee.
6. Split the pile of herbs in two – one to use now, setting the other half aside to use later.
7. Add one-third of the rice to the pot, then half of the herbs for using now. Do not mix. Repeat with the next third of the rice and the other half of the herbs. Finish with the last third of rice. Drizzle the remaining melted ghee over the top.
8. Cover the pot with a tea towel, then place the lid firmly on top, folding the corners of the tea towel over the top so they don’t catch fire. Cook over medium heat (#7 – electric stovetop) for 8 minutes, then place the pot on the lowest heat you can manage (#2 – electric stovetop) and continue cooking for another 45 minutes.
9. When the rice is ready, mix the reserved herbs from the bowl and the peas and beans into the rice and pile it all onto a good wide platter or bowl. Sprinkle over the lemon zest and squeeze over the lemon juice. Taste and season with salt and a few rounds of pepper. Scrape up the crisp rice at the bottom of the pot and tuck it into the pile of rice shards – it’s delicious.
variation
- Replace the peas and beans with 3 medium potatoes; cut into thin slices (no need to precook if thin) and assemble in a wide heavy-bottomed saucepan, starting with potatoes first (for a crusty potato bottom), then rice, herbs, potatoes, rice, herbs, rice then the remaining ghee.
- Vegan option; replace the ghee with ⅔ cup olive oil.
