Recipe: Baked Rice

Baked Rice

2 Cups uncooked rice
2 1/2 cups chicken stock
1 1/2 tablespoon onion -- very finely chopped
1 1/2 tablespoon celery -- very finely chopped
1 1/2 tablespoon green bell pepper -- very finely chopped
1 1/2 tablespoon unsalted butter -- melted
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
pinch white pepper
pinch cayenne pepper
pinch black pepper

If you make this ahead of time and store it, omit the bell peppers -- they tend to sour quickly. Use chicken stock if you are serving the rice with a chicken dish, seafood stock with a seafood dish, beef with a beef dish.

In a 5x9x2 1/2-inch loaf pan, combine all ingredients; mix well. Seal pan snugly with aluminum foil.

Bake at 350F until rice is tender, about 1 hour, 10 minutes. Serve immediately. However, you can count on the rice staying hot for 45 minutes and warm for 2 hours.

To reheat leftover rice, either use a double boiler or warm the rice in a skillet with unsalted butter.