Turkish Pilaf

We live around Dallas, one big hub of Indians and Indian community related activities. 

We miss out on most activities.

Something, always, comes up.

One day, it is a late meeting.

The other it is a migraine.

Then the son decides to throw up his entire, dinner, for no reason.......wait, there is a reason, we had plans to go out. Right, glad I got that straight.

So all in all, you can imagine how our social calendar looks like. 

I ain't complaining, just tellin' it like it is.

I guess my parents went thru this too, when I was little. 

When I think of all this, I miss my parents, more than the usual. (Don't we all?)

My favorite type of entertainment is a small party of close friends over for dinner. Fun, laughter, good food and the closeness we share. We are lucky when our friends have their parents visiting, that way Little S  gets a small share of 'Aaji and Ajjja' (Grandma and Grandfather), that tides us over till the time I can convince our parents to visit us.

This summer, my good friend Sujata's parents were visiting her. This was an additional bonus for me, her daughter is my son's 'Tai' ( he treats her like his elder sister) and now he would get to share her grandparents too!  It's good learning for me too, Sujata's Mom is a fantastic cook and I was always in and out of her kitchen looking, learning and sampling! 

4 months passed off in a blink! We met, laughed, dined , celebrated birthdays and soon it was time for them to leave. 

We had to get together for dinner and say good bye to them. Sujata suggested I bring a couple of items and she would make something and make it a small potluck. 

Deciding on what to cook was easy. There was the 15th. August celebration  organized in the city, we did not go ( read the first few lines, they will explain why). Sujata and her family went and she got me this little cookbook. I was thrilled. I have tried a couple of Hare Krishna  recipes earlier and loved them. This book would provide some more with equally delightful results. I was sure.  

I decided on one recipe from this book and another from my very favorite, 660 curries.  Recipe coming up soon.

Turkish Pilaf sounded just right!  A fitting recipe to bid them Bon voyage.

the combination of the pilaf and curry was refreshingly different and we all enjoyed it.

Here's what you need to feed 6.

3 Cups Vegetable Stock or Water ( I used water)

1 Tbsp Extra virgin Olive Oil

1/2  cup Pine Nuts

1/2 tsp Yellow Asafetida powder

1 1/2 Cups Basmati Rice (or other good-quality long grain rice)

4 whole Cloves

One, 1 inch cube Ginger, sliced

2 Bay leaves

Two, 4 inch stalks Fresh Thyme

Three, 3 inch strips Orange Zest

1 1/2 tsp Salt

1/2 tsp Fresh Ground Black Pepper

1/3 cup Currants

3 Tbsp Chopped Flat leaf Parsley

Bring to a boil the Veg. Stock in a small sauce an over moderate heat

Cover and reduce to a simmer.

Heat half the olive oil in a 2 liter/ quart over low to moderate heat, when slightly hot, add the pine nuts.

Toast them in oil for  a minute or two, until golden brown and fragrant.

Remove  saucepan  from heat, quickly remove the nuts from the oil and drain on a paper towel.

Return pan and remaining oil to heat.

Warm remaining oil and sprinkle asafetida, stir momentarily, drop in the rice and stir for -3 mins. or until the rice grains turn translucent.

Pour the boiling stock on the rice. Add cloves, ginger, bay leaves, thyme stalks, orange zest, salt and pepper.

Raise heat to high and quickly bring rice to a full boil.

Immediately reduce the heat to very low and cover pan with a tight fitting lid

Remove saucepan from heat, allowing  the delicate rice grains to firm up for 5 minutes.

Lift the lid and carefully, allowing the delicate  rice grains to firm up for 5 mins.

lift the lid and carefully extract the cloves, thyme stalks, ginger and bay leaves, which should be sitting on top.

Carefully fold in the currants and flat leaf parsley and serve hot.

Notes : 

I made some changes to the recipe
- I used cranberries instead of currants , I could not find any :(

- I used Walnuts instead of pine nuts ( read about pine nut mouth) on Nupur's OHS and have been vary since. 

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