Brown Rice Pilaf

1. Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add rice and stir until starting to brown, about 3 minutes. Add water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to maintain a low simmer, cover and cook until the rice is tender, 30 to 40 minutes (see Tips). Remove from heat and let stand, covered, for 10 minutes. Fluff with a fork and toss with currants and almonds.

Tips

Tips: To toast slivered or sliced nuts, cook in a small dry skillet over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until fragrant and lightly browned, 2 to 4 minutes.

To have the most success cooking whole-grain rice, use a pan with a tight-fitting lid and cook on your coolest (or simmer) burner, making sure the rice is simmering at the “lowest bubble.” When preparing a recipe that calls for less than 1 cup of dry rice, like this pilaf, we found that the cooking time varied greatly depending on what stove we used: it was sometimes done in as little as 30 minutes and burned at 50 minutes. So, when cooking a small batch of rice, start checking it after 30 minutes to make sure it doesn't burn.