<\/p>\n
Pilau is rice cooked together with meat, seafood or vegetables. Like most dishes with a long history, there are as many versions of it as there are cooks who make it. My version comes from my paternal grandmother, who was a native of St. Augustine, Florida. St. Augustine\u2019s cuisine is southern with a Spanish\/Caribbean twist, and my grandmother\u2019s recipe reflects that.<\/p>\n
This pilau has the \u201choly trinity\u201d of celery, onion and bell pepper, as well as the all-important bay leaves. It also uses ham, though it can easily be made vegan. What really makes it special is the liberal amount of allspice and whole cloves, flavors I haven\u2019t seen in other \u201cpurloo\u201d recipes but that are common in the Caribbean. Also, while some versions of pilau are more soupy, this is drier and is best served with a good dollop of mango chutney on top. The spices and chutney give my grandmother\u2019s pilau a zesty flair, and they make it almost impossible to stop eating before the pot is empty!<\/p>\n
Pilau<\/h5>\n
Serves 2 \u2013 4 (depending on how much you can eat!). Takes approx. 1 hour from start to finish.<\/em><\/p>\n Ingredients:<\/span><\/p>\n Instructions:<\/span><\/p>\n Heat the oil in a heavy pot (such as a casserole or Dutch oven) over medium heat. Add the onions, celery and peppers and saut\u00e9 about 10 minutes, until the vegetables have started to soften. Add the cubed ham, if using, and saut\u00e9 another 2-3 minutes. Add the remaining ingredients and stir everything together. Raise the heat and bring the ingredients to a boil, then cover the pot, turn the heat to low and cook undisturbed until the rice is tender (about 30 minutes).<\/p>\n Try not to stir the rice as it\u2019s cooking. You can fluff it with a fork, but stirring tends to make it mushy, and you want separate, firm grains of rice, not risotto. Ideally, you shouldn\u2019t even take the lid off until at least 20 minutes have gone by, because there isn\u2019t much liquid and the rice essentially needs to steam. Resist the urge to add too much extra liquid (unless you do want it soupy). The small can of tomatoes and splash of water might not seem like enough, but it really does work. Some rice will inevitably stick to the bottom of the pot, but that\u2019s okay.<\/p>\n Finally, the ham adds good flavor to the pilau, but you could also make the dish with smoked sausage, chicken, shrimp or just vegetables (or some combination of all of them). Pilau keeps very well, so you can make it ahead of time, freeze it if you need to, and reheat it in the oven or a microwave. Then serve it with mango chutney and hot sauce, if desired.<\/p>\n Source:<\/span><\/p>\n My paternal grandmother \u2013 I posted this recipe on my own food blog back in 2006: https:\/\/principiagastronomica.com\/post\/13<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Name: Jessica Spengler Class Year: 1995 Country of Residence: UK Why is this recipe great? What\u2019s its backstory? One-pot spiced rice dishes can be found everywhere, from Indian pulau to … Continue reading Pilau (Turkish rice with spices)<\/span> \n
![\"Pilau\"](\"http:\/\/new.alumnae.mtholyoke.edu\/europe\/files\/2020\/05\/pilau.jpg\")
<\/p>\n