Full of vibrant colour and flavours, this recipe for pilaf with green beans, lemon and dill is one to try this week.
There’s nothing quite like having a plate full of colourful and healthy food.
Not only is it a feast for your eyes but also for your tastebuds too, and this dish from new cookbook Herb by Mark Diacono is sure to hit the spot when it comes to deliciously tasty meals.
With summer just around the corner, this is also sure to be a treat to dine on while sitting in the garden with a glass of white wine in hand – absolute bliss.
For more midweek meal ideas, take a look at the previous recipes in this series here.
Dill, lemon and green bean pilaf
(Serves 4-6)
Ingredients
- 300g (10oz) basmati rice
- 400ml (14fl oz) chicken or vegetable stock
- 30g (1oz) butter
- 1 onion, thinly sliced
- 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 2 bay leaves
- Big bunch of dill, stalks and leaves separated and both finely chopped
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- ½ tsp ground turmeric
- ¼ tsp ground cinnamon
- 200g (7oz) green beans, stalk end trimmed (or use thin slices of courgette/zucchini)
- Finely grated zest of 1 unwaxed lemon
- 40g (1½oz) shelled pistachios (or use whole almonds), roughly chopped
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to season
- Natural yoghurt and lemon wedges, to serve
Method
- Soak the rice in a bowl of cold water for 10 minutes, then drain well. Bring the stock to a bare simmer.
- Melt the butter in a wide pan over a low-medium heat and cook the onion, garlic, bay leaves and dill stalks for 10 minutes until soft. Add the spices and half a teaspoon salt and cook for a minute.
- Add the rice to the pan, along with the beans and half of the dill leaves, stirring for 30 seconds to coat well and so it doesn’t burn. Cover the rice with the hot stock, add the lemon zest and check the seasoning, adding salt and pepper to taste.
- Put the lid on and cook for five minutes over a high heat, then turn it down to the lowest heat and cook for 10 minutes until the stock is absorbed and the rice is just tender. Turn the heat off, remove the lid and place a tea towel over the pan, then return the lid and leave to rest for five minutes.
- Fluff the rice with a fork, then scatter over the remaining dill and the nuts and serve immediately with yoghurt and lemon wedges on the side.
Herb by Mark Diacono is published by Quadrille and is priced at £26. Photography is by Mark Diacono and the book is available now.
More in this series…
Midweek Meal: A Nepali pizza recipe to add to your repertoire from a Nepalese chef
