Basic Rice Pilaf for Camp

Pilaf is ideal camp food. It's easy to prepare, doesn't require a lot of pre-preparation work and tastes great. And it you have to set the pot aside for a few minutes while you finish the rest of the meal, that's okay. The rice will finish cooking while your heavy pot will keeps it warm.

Since pilaf is more of a preparation method than an ethnic dish, it easily adapts to most rice dishes. With it you can travel from spicy red rice of Mexico to the vibrant yellow saffron rice of the Middle East. Once you learn the basic recipe, adapt family favorites to the pilaf method.

Sauté, simmer, set aside

To cook great pilaf, select a sturdy, wide-bottomed pan with a tight-fitting lid. Heat olive oil or butter over medium-high heat and sauté minced onion (and garlic, if desired). Add rice, brown to a chestnut color and pour in hot water or stock (chicken is best -- both for flavor and color) and simmer until the kernels are tender, about 15 to 20 minutes. Before serving, set pilaf aside off heat for 10 to 15 minutes to finish cooking. Here's a few tips:

Sturdy, wide-bottomed pan. A thick, heavy saucepan produces the best rice. Slow, even heat gradually cooks the kernels as they absorb moisture. For cooking rice pilaf in camp, the cast iron Dutch oven produces superior results. I find that a 10-inch camp oven (with a 4-quart capacity) is that ideal size for a family of four or five. The 12-inch oven is just too large to cook rice for small groups. Reserve the larger oven for 10 or more servings.

Sauté until brown. Sauté the kernels of rice with aromatics like onion and garlic until browned and a nutty flavor develops. How brown? Let your taste buds guide you. The subtle differences between hues -- from pecan to chocolate to coffee bean -- will yield flavors distinct from each other. From the nutty pecan to the robust coffee bean, the kernels will evolve as they sauté.

Simmer with less liquid. Culinary wisdom dictates a ratio of 2 cups liquid to each cup of rice. For fluffy pilaf that's firm and tender at the same time, I like to use less liquid. I find that a ratio of 1-1/2 to 1-3/4 cups of liquid to each cup of rice produces a superior product. The kernels will fall apart when fluffed with a fork.

Set aside. Before serving, set the pot aside off heat for 10 to 15 minutes. Leave the lid on, and don't peak. The rice will finish cooking while you scurry about the camp kitchen and complete another wonderful meal.

Basic rice pilaf

Use the recipe for basic rice pilaf as the jumping off point for many culinary creations. Additions can be as simple as diced green bell pepper and carrot or more complex dishes like Spanish Rice Pilaf and Saffron Chicken Pilaf. For ideas, see the California Rice Commission website and the Recipe Source.

3 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 medium onion, minced
1-1/2 cups long-grain rice
2-3/4 cups chicken stock
1 bay leaf
1 sprig fresh thyme

Use a 10-inch Dutch oven for this recipe. Ignite 21 charcoal briquettes and let them burn until they are barely covered with ash, about 20 minutes. For a 350-degree oven, you'll need 5 briquettes underneath and 16 on top of the oven.

Arrange 16 briquettes underneath oven in a checkerboard pattern. Pour oil in oven and heat. Add onions and sauté until limp and translucent. Add rice and coat with oil. Brown rice until the desired color develops. Add stock and seasonings. Stir.

Place lid on oven. Removes 11 briquettes from underneath the oven and set aside. Arrange remaining 5 briquettes underneath oven in a circle. Arrange 16 briquettes on lid. Replace lid and cook for about 20 minutes, until done. Remove from heat and let rice set for 10 minutes. Fluff rice with a fork. Serves four to six.