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["Start the rice cooking. Rinse the rice in a strainer until the water runs clear. Put it in a saucepan with the vanilla and set it over high heat until it comes to a boil. Turn the heat to low, stir the rice, and cover the saucepan with a lid. Simmer, without peeking, for 20 minutes or until all the water has been absorbed. While it is cooking, toast the almonds in a 350 degree oven for 10 minutes, until they are tan-colored and fragrant. Saute the onion in the butter in a small heavy skillet until the onions are starting to turn golden brown. Set aside until ready to assemble the pilaf. When the rice is finished cooking, turn off the heat and let it steam, covered, until the chicken is ready.", "In a medium heavy-bottomed skillet or dutch oven, heat the olive oil and butter until bubbling, then add the chicken breasts and brown both sides. Pour in the white wine and bring it to a boil. Cut the vanilla bean in half crosswise, then slit each piece in half lengthwise. Add the vanilla bean quarters to the white wine, and reduce the heat to a medium low. Cover and simmer the chicken for 10 to 15 minutes (depending on the size of your chicken breasts) until the chicken is cooked through. Remove the meat from the wine and set it aside in a covered dish to keep warm. Leave the vanilla bean pieces in the liquid. (I put the chicken in a bowl and cover it with the lid from pan I cooked the chicken in.)", "Add the white wine vinegar to the wine in the saucepan, and turn the heat up to high. Boil it briskly, uncovered, for about 10 minutes until it is reduced to 1/2 cup.", "While the wine is reducing, finish the pilaf. Add the golden raisins and toasted almonds to the caramelized onions, turn up the heat to warm them all through (about 1 minute). Add the onion mixture to the cooked rice, sprinkle with the salt and pepper and toss well to mix everything.", "Return you attention to the reducing wine. Once it has reduced to about 1/2 cup, you can either measure it or eyeball it. (And if you've missed the mark and boiled it too long, just add some water to it to bring it back up to 1/2 cup.) Remove the vanilla bean pieces, lay them on a cutting board and spread the cut sides open. With a butter knife, carefully scrape any remaining vanilla seeds out and return them to the wine reduction. (Reserve the pods to garnish the dish.)
