Herbed Basmati Rice

I love it when I have low expectations for a recipe, and then it blows me away.  I had various types of herbs leftover last week, and I also needed a side dish to go with some baked halibut.  I started thumbing through The Barefoot Contessa at Home, and I came across this recipe.  Like I said before, I didn't really have high expectations - I mean, it's rice.  I figured it would suffice as a a side dish, and we'd move on.  Well, this really is a fantastic recipe.  The basmati is nutty and slightly sweet, you get a little bit of richness from the butter, and then a nice punch of flavor from the herbs.  You could really play around with the varieties of herbs, and I think some toasted nuts would be lovely as well.  This dish is open to many adaptations, and it  was also low maintenance and quick.  You can't beat that!


Herbed Basmati Rice
adapted from Ina Garten, The Barefoot Contessa at Home
serves 3 to 4

• 1 cup uncooked long-grain basmati rice
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 Tablespoon unsalted butter
• 2 Tablespoons minced fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 1 Tablespoon minced fresh dill
• 1 Tablespoon minced fresh basil
• 1 Tablespoon minced fresh scallions, white and green parts
• freshly ground black pepper

Combine the rice, 1 3/4 cups water, salt, and butter in a small saucepan.  Bring to a boil; reduce heat to low, stir once, and simmer, covered tightly, for 15 minutes.  You may need to pull the pot half-way off the burner to keep it from boiling over.

Turn off the heat, and allow the rice to sit covered for 5 minutes.  Mix in the herbs and season with salt and pepper.  Fluff with a fork, and serve warm.