I heard a request at a meeting last night for baked rice.  If  you have been stuck in a rut with rice, try this alternative method of cooking rice.  It is seriously good. and it releases the flavors in a whole new way.  You might never look at rice the same way again.

Simple Baked Rice

Ingredients:

Olive Oil spray

1 cup long-grain rice

1 tablespoon olive oil

¼ cup carrot, celery, onion

2 cloves garlic

2 cups chicken stock

2 bay leaves

½ teaspoon kosher salt

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Coat baking dish lightly with olive oil spray
2. Spread long-grain rice into prepared casserole dish.
3. Heat olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat.  Add carrot, celery, and onion and saute until onion is soft and translucent, about 5 minutes.  Add garlic and stir 1 minute more.
4. Increase heat to high, add chicken stock and bay leaf to saucepan and bring to a boil. Pour the mixture over the rice in the casserole dish.  Cover the dish tightly with foil.
5. Bake 20 minutes.  Remove the foil an bake until most of the liquid is evaporated and absorbed, about 20 minutes more.  Remove and discard the bay leaf. Season with freshly ground black pepper, fluff with a fork, and serve.

Note:  If you like drier rice, return to the oven an additional 5 to 10 minutes, to your taste.

Baked Brown Rice

Ingredients:

2 cups brown rice

1 teaspoon butter

3 cups chicken stock

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 teaspoon dried minced onion

1 pinch cayenne pepper (optional)

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
2. Toast rice and butter in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring frequently until rice gives off a nutty fragrance, about 5 minutes.  Transfer rice to a Dutch oven or heavy casserole pan with a lid
3. Bring chicken broth, olive oil, salt, powder, onion, and cayenne pepper to a boil in the same saucepan; pour over the rice and stir to combine.
4. Cover and bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes.
5. Fluff with a fork before serving.