This is a magnificent rice dish, one that could overwhelm other dishes with which you serve it. Therefore, it’s best to give it its due and accompany it with a couple of grilled sausages or very simply cooked steak, chicken, or shrimp.

　　

Ingredients

makes 4 servings

　　1 large onion, peeled and cut into chunks

　　6 to 10 garlic cloves, peeled

　　1/2 cup fresh parsley leaves

　　1/2 cup fresh basil or cilantro leaves

　　3 tablespoons corn, grapeseed, or other neutral oil

　　2 cups long-grain rice

　　Salt and black pepper to taste

　　3 cups chicken stock, preferably homemade (page 160), or water

　　

Step 1

Combine the first 4 ingredients in a food processor and puree. Put the oil in a 6- or 8-cup saucepan with a lid over medium heat. A minute later, add the rice and cook, stirring occasionally, until it glistens, just a couple of minutes. Stir in all but a tablespoon of the onion mixture and some salt and pepper and cook for a minute or two, stirring.

　　

Step 2

Add the stock, bring to a boil, and cover; turn the heat to medium-low and cook until the liquid is absorbed, 15 to 20 minutes. Stir in the reserved onion mixture and serve immediately.

　　The Best Recipes in the World by Mark Bittman. © 2005 by Mark Bittman. Published by Broadway Books. All Rights Reserved.MARK BITTMAN is the author of the blockbuster The Best Recipes in the World (Broadway, 2005) and the classic bestseller How to Cook Everything, which has sold more than one million copies. He is also the coauthor, with Jean-Georges Vongerichten, of Simple to Spectacular and Jean-Georges: Cooking at Home with a Four-Star Chef. Mr. Bittman is a prolific writer, makes frequent appearances on radio and television, and is the host of The Best Recipes in the World, a 13-part series on public television. He lives in New York and Connecticut.