Carrot, celery and leek pilaf

Pilaf is a kind of rice dish that can have, depending on the variation, vegetables, fruit (such as raisins and dates), nuts (pine nuts in particular), seafood, meat or any combination of the above mixed through it. I guess you could brand it a Middle Eastern take on risotto. The two main differences, to my mind, are as follows: firstly, pilaf has a shorter cooking time and secondly, pilaf is cooked with the lid on. This is a recipe for a very basic pilaf that could and should be expanded upon. The possibilities for variation are endless. Grilled eggplant? That'd work. Tomato? That'd be lovely, I reckon. Bacon? Fennel? Capsicum? Asparagus? Prawns? Yabbies? They'd all be good. Possibly not together, although pilafs that combine meat and seafood aren't unusual. The recipe below makes enough for two people.

Note that the truffle oil is absolutely optional. I happen to have a bottle of the stuff kicking around my cupboard. Rather than saving it for the most expensive meals, I'll often bring it out with cooking pasta and rice dishes or even pizzas (see this) as, really, if you have it, you may as well use it? After all, it's not like it has an unlimited shelf life.

Ingredients:

1 1/3 cup vegetable stock (ideally home made, but quality store-bought stuff will suffice)
2/3 cup long-grain rice, washed and drained
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 bay leaves, torn into pieces
1 carrot, cubed
1 stick of celery, cubed
1 leek, sliced
1 tbs butter, salt reduced
1 tbs olive oil
a splash of dry white wine or vermouth
freshly ground black pepper, to taste
sea salt, to taste
a drizzle of truffle oil (optional)



Heat the olive oil and butter in a large saucepan over a medium-low flame. When butter has completely melted, add celery, garlic and leek and fry until soft, stirring occasionally. Add rice, carrot and bay leaf. Stir, then add a generous splash of white wine. Stir the contents of the saucepan as the white wine evaporates. When wine has mostly gone, stir in the vegetable stock and a pinch of salt. Season to taste with freshly ground black pepper. Increase the heat to medium-high and bring to boil. Place lid on the pan, reduce heat to low and cook for 12 minutes. Remove lid and give everything a good stir, then spoon into bowls. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Drizzle with truffle oil, if using.