The nutty whole grain flavors of brown rice, pearl barley and bulgur topped with roasted sunflower seeds and speckled throughout with garnet colored craisins is a treat for body and soul. Fluffy and satisfying at the same time, these whole grains offer loads of health benefits but that will remain our little secret. You should make this pilaf because it’s delicious. Full stop.
Multigrain Pilaf with Sunflower Seeds
As a young university student in the mid seventies, I associated any type of whole grain with “hippie food” to be purchased at the campus food co-op, a musty smelling hole in the wall with seeds and grains in bags, and the indifferent attentions of Birkenstock clad clerks. According to Menaka Wilhelm of NPR, “the grub that initially fueled the hippie movement, macrobiotics, was similar to the grain bowls on offer today, but not as Instagram-ready.”
“Whole grains for whole health: if whole grains were to run an ad campaign, that might be their slogan”. In spite of their many healthy benefits such as “preventing heart disease, dodging diabetes and maintaining a healthy weight”, whole grain rice, barley and bulgur would still be languishing on the shelves of your local health food store instead of your neighborhood supermarket if it weren’t possible to prepare whole grains in so many delicious ways today.
When I came across this recipe by Maureen Callahan in the September 2006 issue of Cooking Light, the combination of toasted whole grains with the mild, nutty taste of sunflower seeds told me that this side dish was going to pair beautifully with chicken and beef. According to Bob Moore of Bob’s Red Mill, interviewed in Bon Appetit magazine, dry-toasting the grains before adding the liquid unlocks even more of their nutty, earthy and slightly sweet flavor; you want to add a little color to the grains but not too much. And finally once you bring the grains up to a boil, simmering the liquid so that it doesn’t evaporate before the grains are fully cooked, makes for a fluffy and delectable whole grain dish. Using both of these suggested techniques, this tasty, satisfying dish is guaranteed to please your crowd every time you serve it. And whatever you do, don’t tell them that it’s good for them.
I use Lundberg wild rice blend although any brown rice blend would be fine in this recipe. Trim a single leek and slice through the stalk vertically. Using only the white and green parts, wash the leek thoroughly and slice it thinly. (You should wind up with about a cup of sliced leeks.)
Using medium heat, heat up a tablespoon of oil and sauté the sliced leek until it just starts to turn golden. Don’t wander away or the chopped leek will burn before you know it. Add the wild rice and barley to the pot and dry toast them until they darken slightly. Stir the pot every 10-15 seconds so that the grains toast as evenly as possible.
Add the consomme and salt to the leek, rice and barley mixture. Bring to a boil, lower the heat, cover the pot and simmer for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes the mixture will appear to have considerably less liquid and also have a cloudy appearance as pictured above. That’s your cue to add the bulgur and craisins to the pot. Cover and continue to cook for another 10-15 minutes until all the water is absorbed.
Remove the pilaf from the heat and transfer it to your serving dish. Top with the sunflower seeds and enjoy!
Multigrain Pilaf with Sunflower Seeds
Nutty toasted whole grains with a topping of sunflower seeds are a satisfying side dish with either chicken or beef.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 cup thinly sliced leek (about 1 large, white and light green parts only)
- 1/2 cup uncooked pearl barley
- 1/2 cup brown rice blend (such as Lundburg)
- 4 cups water and 1 tablespoon consomme powder (or use chicken stock if you have it)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup craisins
- 1/4 cup uncooked bulgur
- 1/3 cup sunflower seeds
Instructions
Heat a Dutch oven (that's just a fancy term for a nice large pot) over medium heat.
Add 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil.
Add sliced leek and sauté over medium heat until tender. (It should be starting to color slightly).
Push the sauteed leek to the side of your pot and add the rice and barley.
Dry toast the rice and barley for a minute or two.
Add 1 tablespoon of consomme powder to 4 cups of water and add to your pot along with 1/2 teaspoon of salt.
Bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer for 20 minutes.
After 20 minutes the mixture should appear slightly thickened and at least half of the water should have been absorbed.
Add the reserved bulgur and craisins.
Cover the pot and continue to simmer for 10-15 minutes until all of the liquid has been absorbed.
Transfer the pilaf to your serving dish and sprinkle with 1/3 cup sunflower seeds.
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