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08/18/2003 Archived Entry: "Armenian Pilaf"

You can look at this as a way to extend a little rice, or a way to use up the end of a box of spaghetti. In any case, it was the inspiration for Rice-a-Roni, “The San Francisco Treat,” as the TV commercials used to say. It’s from my book What to Cook When You Think There’s Nothing in the House to Eat. It’s the perfect post-blackout dish as it calls for just a few standard pantry ingredients and some butter, which can be safely stored without refrigeration if necessary.

If you'd like to learn more about food safety after a blackout check out the Food Safety and Inspection Service's guide to keeping food after a power outage.

Armenian Pilaf
Serves 4

2 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup raw spaghetti, broken into 1/2-inch pieces
3/4 cup Carolina long grain rice
2 cups chicken, beef, or vegetable broth or bouillon
1 small clove garlic, pressed or smashed
1/2 to 3/4 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground black pepper

In a 2- to 3-quart saucepan, over medium-high heat, melt the butter and saute the broken spaghetti for about 3 minutes, until the spaghetti is getting tinged with color.

Add the rice and stir to coat with butter. Stirring frequently, sauté the rice and spaghetti about 3 minutes, until the spaghetti is mostly nutty brown.

Add the broth, garlic, and salt. Cover; simmer over low heat for 18 to 20 minutes, stirring a few times.

Stir in a few twists of the peppermill and serve immediately.

Variation: Stir in separately cooked onions fried in butter or oil to a deep brown -- even slightly burned. Add pine nuts or slivered almonds that have been toasted or sautéed with the spaghetti. In any case, the dish is even more delicious when topped with a dollop of yogurt.