Rice Pilaf Amandine

Here you go, as promised, the second part of my retro meal:  Rice Pilaf Amandine.

This rice pilaf was a perfect partner for the chicken kiev.   The sliced almonds and haricots verts took it from a boring rice dish to something I really enjoyed!  The almonds provide a little bit of texture and nutty flavor, while the haricots verts add nutrition and beautiful color to the dish.  The dish is completed with lemon juice and lemon zest, adding just a hint of citrus flavor.

This rice dish was incredibly simple to make.  I slightly adapted the Food Network recipe, using brown rice instead of the parboiled white rice that the original recipe called for.  I rarely use white rice unless absolutely necessary, and in this dish, the brown rice was a fine substitution.

Rice Pilaf Amandine
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Recipe adapted from The Food Network Magazine - Jan/Feb 2012 issue
Yield:  6 servings

Ingredients:
1/3 cup sliced almonds
Kosher salt
1/2 pound haricots verts, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 Tbsp unsalted butter
1/2 medium onion, finely chopped
1 cup uncooked, brown rice
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 bay leaf
1 wide strip lemon zest
1 tsp fresh lemon juice
Freshly ground pepper

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.  Spread the almonds on a baking sheet and bake until golden brown, about 6 minutes.  Transfer to a small bowl and let cool.

Bring a saucepan of salted water to a boil.  Add the haricots verts and cook until crisp-tender, about 3 minutes.  Drain and rinse under cold water.  Wipe out the saucepan.

Melt the butter in the saucepan over medium-high heat.  Add the onion, season with salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft, about 4 minutes.  Add the rice and cook, stirring, until lightly toasted, 1 to 3 minutes.  Add the chicken broth, bay leaf, and lemon zest and bring to a boil.  Reduce the heat to low; cover and simmer until the liquid is absorbed, about 45 minutes.  Remove from the heat; add the haricots verts, cover and let stand 5 minutes.  Uncover and stir in the lemon juice,  half of the almonds, and pepper to taste.  Remove the bay leaf.  Transfer the rice to a serving bowl and top with the remaining almonds.