Spinning Off Rice Pilaf

Rice pilaf is a classic accompaniment for roasted and grilled meats and fish. However, a creative chef can find many other exciting uses, according to Zov Karamardian...

Rice pilaf is a classic accompaniment for roasted and grilled meats and fish. However, a creative chef can find many other exciting uses, according to Zov Karamardian, chef-proprietor of Zov’s Bistro in Tustin, Calif., a Middle Eastern restaurant with a vegetarian-friendly attitude.

For starters, Karamardian suggests making pilaf the Middle Eastern way, adding vermicelli noodles, broken into short lengths and browned in the oven, to the U.S.-grown rice for greater texture and flavor. This pilaf can be used as a flavorful stuffing for briouats, small pastry turnovers filled with seasoned rice and beef.

Another option is to make Oriental Salad, a mixture of chilled pilaf, chopped celery, onions, mushrooms, sugar snap peas, ginger, cilantro, garlic, soy sauce and toasted sesame oil. Or, for an alternative vegetarian dish, pilaf garnished with toasted pine nuts, diced dried apricots, golden raisins, slivered almonds and pistachios makes an enticing meat-free entree, she notes.