Pilaf is one of those culinary words that refers both to the cooking method and to the food that is cooked by that method. Another is risotto, which by sheer coincidence happens to be another rice dish.

In fact, the pilaf and risotto methods are rather similar. They have more in common with each other than either one has with the standard boiling method of cooking rice, where rice goes in the pot with cold water, you bring it to a boil, cover and simmer until the liquid is absorbed.

In both the pilaf and risotto methods, we first sauté some finely minced onion in butter or oil, then add the uncooked rice and sauté it until it until it gives off a faint nutty aroma. For pilaf, we then add hot stock, cover, and transfer to the oven where it cooks until the liquid is absorbed.

(With risotto, after sautéing the onion and rice, hot stock is stirred into the rice a ladle-full at a time, rather than adding it all at once.)