Turkish Rice Pilaf

January 14, 2022 by Carine Clary 2 Comments

So what’s special about Turkish Rice Pilaf?

Turkish Rice Pilaf is all about the flavor of the rice and the variety of added ingredients. Those come from coating the rice in oil and steaming it in a rich broth as I do in this version. This is just the simplest version with chicken stock, orzo, onion, and toasted almonds on top but you can go with saffron, garbanzo beans, green peas, or even thin sauteed strips of eggplant. Be creative!

A little history

As much as we link the far east with rice I’d have to give the nod to the Turks who have perfected rice pilaf as a stand-alone dish. It has specific varieties stretching from Kazakhstan to Kirkareli on the Bulgarian border. Wherever there are Turks (and Persians!) there is Turkish Rice or “Pilaf.”

In 1539, Sultan Süleyman the Magnificent even made a “feast record” to commemorate the circumcisions of his sons Bayezid and Cihangir. He notes plain Pilaf, along with noodle pilaf, saffron pilaf, green pilaf (cooked in spinach juice), red pilaf (with grape molasses), şehriye (thin vermicelli) pilaf, and pilaf with pomegranate molasses. Others mention mulberries, barberries, pomegranate seeds, ambergris, and raisins as delicious additions.

But for now, we’ll start simple.

What you need:

Rice (any kind, but usually long-grain)
Orzo (a pasta that looks like rice)
onion or shallot
butter
chicken stock.

The Stock

This gets its own category because it’s crucial. To be clear you may make a delicious Turkish rice dish with good old Swanson’s chicken broth or whatever canned version is your fav. However, if you want something amazing make your own stock and let it bubble away until it’s gelatinous. And I mean thick. If you can’t swing that, try the bone broth that’s sold in the grocery store. You won’t be sorry.

Assembly and Cooking

Once you have the ingredients lined up do the following:

Rinse and drain the rice.
Measure out the orzo.
Chop the onion.
Melt the butter in a pot with a lid (or your rice cooker) & brown the orzo and onion, adding the rice last.
Add the stock, cover and cook until done then fluff the rice and add some toasted almonds and parsley.

To Serve

Best in a covered dish especially if you end up with leftovers.

Other Similar Rice Dishes to try

Here on the Gulf Coast, we have Louisiana Dirty Rice which is one of our riffs on rice, and on the west coast of Africa, they have Jollof Rice.

5.0 from 1 reviews

Turkish Rice

Author: Carine Clary

Ingredients

1 cup long-grain white rice (basmati or jasmine is fine)
¼ cup orzo
3 tablespoons shallot, minced
2 tablespoons butter
2 cups chicken stock (or bone broth)
Salt and pepper to taste
1 bay leaf

Instructions

Melt butter over medium heat, add orzo & shallot & stir until brown.
Add rice and stir in to coat with oil
Add broth, bay leaf, cover, and cook over low heat until the stock is absorbed and soft.
Remove bay leaf and fluff with a fork.

5.0 from 1 reviews

Shrimp Creole

November 9, 2021 by Carine Clary Leave a Comment

If you crave a rich traditional Shrimp Creole keep reading! This will wake up your taste buds with lots of thyme, garlic, and three kinds of heat from red pepper flakes, to black pepper to cayenne. And this version offers the option of homemade shrimp stock or one with bottled concentrated stock.

So let’s get started:

What makes it different?

For starters, the roux. With most roux, you brown the flour in the fat first. With this one, you caramelize the onions in the fat then add the flour and brown. As it’s browning you add a tablespoon of tomato paste. All about layering flavor. Then you add the shrimp stock.
The stock. It can be homemade on the day you make the Shrimp Creole or pulled out of the freezer, or from a canned or concentrated stock. I’ve done it all three ways. When making it this time I had no premade stock so I browned the shrimp shells in the saucepan then used diluted concentrate to finish. Let it bubble for ten then strained out the shells and it was very good.
Herbs and spices. We all know that lots of tomato – good as it is – can overwhelm other flavors. That’s why I call for more of all the other good stuff. More garlic, more thyme, and more heat.

The Prep

Once the seafood stock is ready and the veg is chopped, it’s time to focus on the roux. Ideally, you’ll use bacon fat or lard but if you don’t have them on hand (and I didn’t this time) you can use vegetable oil and a strip of bacon for the flavor. Heat that over a low flame and then add the onions and stir until very brown. What you see below is about half cooked and will take another few minutes.

And hint – don’t walk away because they can burn quickly. Once browned, stir in the flour just as you would normally do for a roux, cooking until medium brown at which time you will add the other chopped veg, tomato paste and cook for about three minutes.

Finishing Up

This is the easy dump and stir part. Add the chopped tomato (and fire-roasted is good if you’re buying canned), tomato sauce, and half of the stock. Don’t add it all at once. Reserving a cup or so allows you to control thickness. Some people like it very thick, others not.

Everything’s here except the bay leaf and fresh thyme (I used dry in this). Once all of this has bubbled for 20 minutes or so, cut the heat, add the shrimp, cover, and let sit for at least ten minutes. Check for the thickness of the sauce and add more stock if necessary.

While it’s finishing you can cook your rice or nuke it (see option below), chop your green onion and parsley for garnish and serve! Best of all it’s good as leftovers.

And if you’re craving a side salad, my Orange Arugula is great. Great on its own and has a tartness that pairs well with the richness of the Shrimp Creole. Last, but not least, follow this link to the instructions for great seafood stock.

Shrimp Creole

Author: Carine Clary

Ingredients

1.5 lb. smaller shrimp, peeled and deveined
For the roux:
¼ cup bacon fat (or vegetable oil)
1 cup onion, diced
¼ cup flour
1 teaspoon tomato paste
For the Sauce:
1 cup celery, chopped
1 cup bell pepper, chopped
3 cloves garlic, diced
2 14.5 oz, cans of diced tomato with juice (or 3 cups peeled, seeded, & diced fresh ones)
1 8 oz. can of tomato sauce
3 cups seafood stock
1 bay leaf
3 tablespoons chopped thyme leaves (or two dried)
½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
½ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg (optional)
salt to taste
Green onion, chives, or parsley for garnish
white rice

Instructions

Peel & devein shrimp, set aside
Melt the fat in a pot and add the onions, stirring until brown.
Stir in the flour and cook over medium heat until the roux is brown, then add the tomato paste and cook for another minute.
Add the celery, bell pepper, and garlic and cook for 2 to 3 minutes.
Add two cups of the stock and fully incorporate, then add the tomatoes, tomato sauce, and all other seasonings.
Cover and cook over low heat for 20 minutes. Check for thickness and add more stock if necessary.
Once the thickness is to your liking, add the raw shrimp, cut the heat, cover and let steam for 10 minutes.
Taste the sauce and add a teaspoon of sugar if too tart and salt if necessary.
Chop garnish and serve with rice.

Balsamic Deviled Eggs

October 28, 2021 by Carine Clary Leave a Comment

Let’s talk Balsamic Deviled Eggs and deviled eggs in general. They’re an appetizer table cliché but one that is almost universally liked. You’ll end up making them for the holidays so what you want is something easy to peel and prepare, and this is it. The five ingredients are the eggs, the mayonnaise, flavored balsamic vinegar, some grated onion, and your choice of an herb that can be fresh or dried.

The grated onion is something I came up with years ago because I could never get the onion diced small enough to prevent an onion bomb from detonating in my mouth and gassing out my fellow guests. Grated onion (or shallot) is the answer. It gives you subtle flavor while keeping the smooth texture of the filling.

Easy to Peel Boiled Eggs

This is a trick I wish I’d known in college when I lived on these guys, but at least I know it now.

The trick is to fill a pan with a couple of inches of water, pour in a tablespoon or so of vinegar, put in a vegetable steamer, add eggs, and cover. Bring to a rolling boil for a couple of minutes then cut the heat and let stand for 5 minutes. Plunge into cold water for a few then crack and peel. The peels should come off easily. This is the perfect method for people who get easily distracted (like me). Anybody can stand around for two minutes to wait for the water to boil.

One of the best things about this method is that the post boiling steam bath renders the whites tender instead of rubbery.

The Filling

Mash the eggs with fork or fingers (hands are an underrated kitchen tool and one that comes factory equipped), add mayo gradually till you achieve your own preferred degree of smoothness then grate a small amount of onion onto a cutting board. Onions are watery so squeeze a little of that out then stir into the yolk mixture, add seasoning, vinegar, and you are done!

Additions & Garnish

Lots of ideas here:

Chopped chives
Capers
Olives
Paprika
Pimento
Pickles
Chilies
Roasted Garlic (very mellow when cooked low and slow)
Caviar
Bacon

Balsamic Deviled Eggs

Author: Carine Clary

Cuisine: Southern

Ingredients

12 medium eggs
⅓ cup Mayonnaise
1 tablespoon White Balsamic Vinegar (or flavored)
1 to 2 tablespoon onions, grated & drained of juice
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh herbs such as tarragon, chives or dill.
Salt & white pepper to taste.
Paprika for the top.

Instructions

Boil eggs in a vegetable steamer for two minutes, cut the heat and let steam for about 5 minutes, then place in ice water and peel.
Cut in half and put yolks in bowl. Mash well.
Add mayonnaise gradually to achieve your preferred consistency.
Stir in vinegar, also to taste. You may want a little more than is suggested. Tasting as you mix is a good idea. If you are using flavored vinegar you may want to skip the chopped herbs.
Add in finely chopped herb of your choice.
Sprinkle top with paprika.

Pastitsio

October 17, 2021 by Carine Clary 4 Comments

Classic Greek Pastitsio for anyone who wants a meaty layered casserole with a savory twist. The meat can be ground beef or lamb (with an addition of pork for flavor and juiciness) and it’s cooked with onions, garlic, oregano, and a pinch of cinnamon. Add a can of fire-roasted tomatoes, some red balsamic vinegar, pour it over pasta, top with a fluffy bechamel sauce and cheese and you are in for a treat.

So let’s get started:

Meat Sauce Layer

This is the same prep as Italian Bolognese but with the addition of oregano and cinnamon and with the caveat that it cooks much faster. It should be done in about 20 minutes and there should be enough liquid in the sauce for it to soak down into the noodles that you put it on. What you see below is cooked down too much (my bad) and I ended up adding a little tomato sauce to it.

Noodles

Everyone Greek will tell you to use Misko #2 noodles with the hole in the middle and everyone is correct! You may use Italian style Bucatini which has the hole, or other pasta, and I’ve tried, but somehow Misko cooks up best and you should be able to find it at a Middle Eastern grocery or online.

The Bechamel Sauce

I like mine puffy and fluffy so I separate the eggs and beat the egg whites which I fold in after the sauce is cooked. If you like it flatter and denser just use the whole egg when making the sauce. Either way is good.

And a word about the cheese. Greeks use Kefalotyri which is a hard salty sheep’s milk cheese. Use it if you can find it but substitute Parmesan or Pecorino Romano if you cannot.

To Serve

Goes well with a Greek Salad or just some arugula dressed with a little oil.

5.0 from 1 reviews

Pastitsio

Author: Carine Clary

Ingredients

For the Meat Sauce:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
3 garlic cloves, diced
¼ cup bell pepper, diced
1 pound ground beef chuck or lamb (or half beef/lamb & half ground pork)
1 teaspoon dried oregano
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons red balsamic vinegar (or red wine)
Kosher salt & black pepper to taste
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 (14.5 ounces) can diced tomatoes
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 tablespoons heavy cream (optional)
For the Bechamel sauce:
2 cups whole milk
2 eggs, separated
5 tablespoons butter
⅓ cup all-purpose flour
¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
½ cup yogurt
½ cup grated Pecorino or Parmesan cheese, separated (or Kefalotyri cheese)
Noodles:
½ pound Misko #2 pasta (half of a package)
1 egg, beaten
Assembly:
Put Drained noodles on the bottom of a lightly greased casserole dish.
Toss with the raw egg.
Spoon meat sauce over and even it off with the back of a spoon.
Pour bechamel over and top with ½ cup of the grated cheese.
Place in 350 degree oven until brown on top, about 30 minutes.

Instructions

For the Meat Sauce:
In a large, deep skillet, heat the olive oil over medium. Add the onion & bell pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute.
Add the meat, breaking up the meat with a spatula or wooden spoon, and cook until the moisture has evaporated and the meat is browned, 12 to 15 minutes. Stir in the oregano, and cinnamon, and season with salt and pepper.
Stir in the diced tomatoes and their juices, the wine vinegar, and the cream, and bring to a simmer. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the flavors meld, 5 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper and set aside.
For the Béchamel:
In a medium saucepan melt the butter over medium-low. Whisk the flour into the butter until smooth, golden paste forms, about 2 minutes. Whisk the egg yolks into the milk and gradually add to the roux and cook, stirring frequently, until the sauce is smooth and thick about 3 to 5 minutes. Whisk in the nutmeg and a half cup cheese, season with salt and pepper, and set aside.
Beat the egg whites to soft peaks and fold them into the bechamel.
For the Noodles and Assembly:
In a large pot boil and salt the water. Cook the pasta according to package instructions until 2 minutes short of al dente (the pasta will finish cooking in the oven). Drain and transfer it to a lightly greased 9-by-13-inch baking dish or equivalent round dish. Mix thoroughly with the beaten egg. Spread the meat sauce over it.
Spread the bechamel over the meat sauce and sprinkle with the remaining ½ cup cheese.
Place dish on a sheet pan and bake until the top is golden and begins to bubble, about 25 to 30 minutes. Allow it to stand for 10 minutes before serving.