Recipe of the week

Rice-a-Roni won Americans’ hearts decades ago, but “homemade rice pilaf is far superior to anything you can find in a box,” said Andrew Janjigian in Serious Eats. A dish that’s fundamental to diasporic Armenian cuisine, pilaf “takes barely more than 30 minutes, most of it handsoff,” and once you’ve repeated the steps a few times, you won’t need a recipe.

Armenian-style rice pilaf

1 cup long-grain white rice • 3 tbsp unsalted butter • ¾ cup thin pasta (such as vermicelli or fine spaghetti), broken into 1-inch pieces, or ½ cup of small, non-tubular pasta, like orzo • 2 cups homemade or store-bought low-sodium chicken stock 1 tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt • ½ tsp black pepper • 1 tbsp minced fresh parsley or dill (or a combination), optional, divided

• Place rice in a medium bowl and rinse with hot tap water until water runs clear, about 30 seconds. Cover rice completely with fresh hot tap water and set aside for 10 minutes. Drain rice thoroughly in a fine-mesh strainer; discard soaking water.

• Melt butter in a 3-quart saucepan over medium heat. Add pasta and cook, stirring regularly, until evenly golden brown, 4 to 6 minutes. Add rice and cook, stirring occasionally, until edges of rice begin to turn translucent, about 3 minutes. Add stock, salt, and pepper, increase heat to high, and bring to boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and cook until liquid is absorbed, about 10 minutes. • Remove pan from heat, remove lid, cover pot with a folded dish towel, and set lid back in place. Let sit for 10 minutes. Fluff rice with a fork, stir in half of parsley, if using, and transfer to a serving dish. Sprinkle with remaining parsley. Serves 4 to 6.