Pilaf (plov, плов) is a rice dish cooked in seasoned broth with addition of spices and meat whose selection is dictated by the region of its origin. Various cooking techniques are applied to produce rice that does not adhere. The rice is first washed in cold water to rinse out starches and then steamed over low heat to make sure it remains fluffy and separated. These independent rice grains are infused with flavour from ingredients they were cooked with. The origins of pilaf evolved from ancient Persia and spread around the world. Today pilaf is a staple dish in many world regions including my beloved Balkans.
This weekend I made a pilaf with Azerbaijan origins. I truly enjoyed its distinct smokiness of roasted rice and flavour that kept lingering in mouth for hours after the meal. It is fantastic! As most of pilaf recipes the ingredients are simple and are easily accessible. However, the dish is made in two separate steps and hence requires a bit of a planning. What that means is on a day one I cooked a flavoured beef and beef broth and on the second day I made a pilaf.
Beef preparation recipe can be found in my previous post Dopplebock Beef Recipe.
Once you cooked the rice and mixed it up with the rest of ingredients, you prepared the base for the dish. It can be kept in the fridge for 2-3 days. At this point you can divide and roast portion of it for dinner every night. Every day you will be rewarded with a beautiful, freshly prepared, aromatic and amazingly flavorful dish. It takes only about 20 minutes for finishing off once you have the dish base prepared.
I find the most rewarding part is that lingering flavour that stays around for so long in your mouth. After the dinner we watched a movie and by the time we were done I still could feel it. I love it, it is really a great dish! The only complaint I received from my wife is that the portions were too small. Tomorrow I will be making double.
The recipe was created by chef Greg Easter who used some non-traditional ingredients to reproduce traditional flavors, adapted to home kitchen.
| Prep Time | 30 min |
| Cook Time | 75 min |
| Servings |
servings
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- 100-120 g Dopplebock Beef previously prepared (see earlier blog post)
- 60 g Dopplebock Beef broth previously prepared (see earlier blog post)
- 120 g basmati rice rinsed
- 250 ml water
- 45 g pomegranate seeds
- 30 g grated Parmesan
- 30 g shallot chopped, fine
- 30 ml fresh lemon juice + some for garnish
- 1 tbsp garlic crushed
- 3/4 tsp Marjoram dried
- 3/4 tsp oregano dried
- 1/2 tsp black pepper ground
- 1 egg yolk
- 100 g artichoke hearts in oil ( and not in vinegar)
- extra virgin olive oil for brushing baking pan
- green onions for garnish
Ingredients
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|
- Rinse basmati rice in sieve with cold water.
- Put the rice in the medium size sauce pan and add beef broth and water. Over high heat (9 out of 10) bring it to boil and keep the boil for about a minute.
- Turn the heat down to low (2 out of 10), let it simmer for 10 minutes. Stir occasionally.
- Turn the heat off, put the lid on the sauce pan and set aside for 35-40 minutes.
- Cut Dopplebock beef in small cubes and transfer to a medium size mixing bowl.
- Add cooked rice, marjoram, ground black pepper, oregano, Parmesan cheese to the mixing bowl and mix gently until incorporated.
- Add to pomegranate seeds, crushed garlic, shallots, lemon juice and artichoke hearts to mixing bowl; stir it all together.
- Oil a 9"-10" diameter stainless steel frying pan with metal handle (oven resistant).
- Preheat oven to 220ºC (425ºF).
- Separate egg yolk in a medium size mixing bowl. Add about 1/4 of rice/beef mixture to the bowl and mix thoroughly with the egg yolk. Transfer this whole mixture to the frying pan and spread evenly.
- Add another 1/4 rice/beef (without egg yolk) and spread evenly on top of layer layer in the fraying pan.
- Put the frying pan on the stove and over medium high heat (9 out of 10) cook for 4-5 minutes.
- Cover the pan with aluminum foil and put it in the oven for 15 minutes.
- After taking the pan out of the oven and removing aluminum foil, cook on the stove over medium high heat (9 out of 10) for another 2-3 minutes. You want the rice at the bottom start caramelizing but not burning. This is a critical part of creating desired smoky flavors and with experience you will learn how to gauge when it is done by smell and gently checking the bottom layer from the side of the pan.
- Serve hot, sprinkled with freshly cut green onions and a drizzle of lemon juice.
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