Browned Sage and Onion Rice

Okay friends, this is my answer to boxed rice products. For years I used prepackaged rice side dishes to accompany my home cooked poultry. Then I discovered the trick of browning regular, raw, white rice in butter.

Browned rice does not stick together in clumps and lumps. Instead, the rice is fluffy and golden brown. The butter browns the rice, but it also adds a buttery richness to every bite.

The amount of sage in the recipe can be adjusted from a "barely there" 1/4 teaspoon. to an "okay I taste sage" 1/2 teaspoon (or more if you want).

Ingredients

3 Tbsp. salted butter
1 cup white rice
2 chicken bouillon cubes, or 2 tsp. instant chicken bouillon
1 tsp. dried minced onion
1/4 tsp. celery seed
1/4 tsp.to 1/2 tsp. ground sage  I use the lesser amount.
Salt as desired

Directions

First

• Heat 2 cups of water in a microwave to boiling
• Add the 2 bouillon cubes
• Stir until the cubes dissolve
• Set aside

Second

• Melt butter in a 4 to 6 cup saucepan. 
  
• Add 1 cup of rice
• Saute the rice in the butter until the rice turns golden brown. 
  
• Remove the pan from the heat
• Carefully add the 2 cups of chicken bouillon water
• Add the remaining ingredients
• Stir until the spices are blended into the broth, once or twice
• Place the pan of rice back on the burner
• Bring the mixture back to a boil
• Cover with a tight fitting lid
• Reduce heat to low.
• Simmer for about 20 minutes. 
• At 15 minutes, if the pan isn't steaming, or you can't hear it simmering, shut the heat off and leave it on the hot burner for 5 minutes. No peeking! Then, follow the next step.
• Remove the pan from heat, but do not remove the lid. No peeking!
• Let the pan of rice sit for 5 minutes
• Remove the lid and stir with a fork to fluff the rice up.
• Taste and add desired amount of salt. The salt in the bouillon and butter are enough salt for me, but Bill always adds salt to his. He's a salt-aholic. 

Yields 3 cups of rice