Rice-a-Roni

Here's the original Rice-a-Roni recipe (maybe):

Pailadzo Captanian’s Rice Pilaf (Original Rice-a-Roni)

Pailadzo Captanian’s rice pilaf dish has been passed through the family over the years. They aren’t sure if Pailadzo included mushrooms or pine nuts in her version of the recipe, and there may have been adaptations as the recipe moved through the family. But to the best of everyone’s knowledge, this is it.

If you follow these directions exactly, you should have a perfect pilaf every time. But avoid the urge to peek at the cooking rice. Lifting the cover during cooking will affect the texture and fluffiness of the dish.

Rice Mixture:

7/8 cup long grain white rice
1/8 cup fideo capellini crushed into small pieces
½ cube butter
½ large onion, chopped
½ 4.5 oz jar sliced “Green Giant” mushrooms packed in water and drained. (mushrooms can be substituted with any other canned mushrooms.)
1 Tbs pine nuts

Broth:

2 ½ cups boiling water
2 ½ chicken bouillon cubes
½ Tbs dried parsley flakes
Salt and pepper to taste.
(The broth should taste somewhat salty before it is added to rice mixture.)

Melt the butter over medium high flame in a medium sauce pan and add rice and fideo cappellini and stir constantly, cooking until it starts to turn golden.

Add chopped onion and cook until almost clear.

Add mushrooms and pine nuts. Stir constantly over medium high flame, until the mixture is golden brown with dark flecks of fideo capellini.

Meanwhile, make broth by heating water to boiling and adding bouillon cubes, parsley flakes, salt and pepper (you can heat this in the microwave or on the stove). Stir to dissolve the bouillon.

Add boiling broth to browned rice mixture, (note: broth /rice mixture should taste slightly salty), return to a bowl, stir once, and cover, then turn down the hat to a low simmer. Do not lift the cover for 35 minutes.

Remove from the heat, fluff with a fork; let rest until ready to serve.

P.S.: Cover pan with a cloth to keep warm (If I am traveling with the rice over a period of several hours, I wrap the pan in several beach towels and it will stay nice and warm).

P.P.S.: To double the recipe: Use 7/8 cube butter; 4 7/8 cups water and 5 chicken bouillon cubes and cook rice for 37 minutes. (You can double all the other ingredients).

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