Saturday, March 24, 2012

beef and quince plov

Plov is the national Azerbaijani dish, and it basically appears to mean (from what I've had) rice cooked with saffron and broth served with a stew of sorts. Our cook at work makes it and includes meat, dried fruits, and chestnuts. I love rice, and what's not to like about meat and fruit?

I also love quince, which I probably haven't had in the 23 years since I lived in Germany. It's a special, sweet flavor. So when my German friend who is an extraordinary international cuisine expert suggested a quince with beef plov, that sounded perfect.

I pretty much copied it from this site, and I'll make notes to remember for later.
Link
Overall, it was really good - just really rich and a tad too sweet. I'd love to add more vegetables to it so I need to think about what would go well. Or maybe the answer is to have a good salad with it and reduce the portion size of the plov. It was quite a bit of work to saute everything separately, but I do think it made the taste really, really good. It was exactly what I wanted after a week of pretty "meh" food in Istanbul (don't know how we found the only blah places in town, but we did).

My beef was pretty tough but before it got tender the quince got a little too soft - so I'd probably add the quince in later and let the beef stew away first.


Persian beef with quince (Khoreshe behh)
(Blog: "In Erica's Kitchen" and adapted from a recipe by Haydeh Bina Motavasel)
  • 4 Tbsp olive oil, divided
  • 2 onions, finely chopped
  • 2 pounds stew beef cut into smallish cubes (lamb or veal work also)
  • 1/2 tsp turmeric
  • 1/4 tsp cinnamon (definitely no more - this small amount is great)
  • 2-3 Tbsp tomato paste
  • 1/4 cup lemon juice
  • salt and pepper
  • 2-3 quinces, cored and cubed, not peeled (resist impulse to put in more - but do figure out vegetables to add in)
  • handful of prunes
  • 3 Tbsp honey (reduce or omit - the fruit is sweet enough)
Heat 3 Tbsp olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Brown the meat in batches until it is seared well on all sides, then remove the meat to a plate. Add the onions and cook 6-8 minutes, until the onions are starting to brown nicely. Add the meat and any juices that have accumulated on the plate back to the pot. Add the turmeric, cinnamon, tomato paste, lemon juice, salt and pepper, and enough water to come halfway up the meat mixture. Stir to combine and bring the pot to a simmer.

While the meat is coming to a simmer, heat the remaining 1 Tbsp olive oil in a skillet and saute the quince for a few minutes. You don't want to cook it thoroughly, just to start caramelizing the edges. Add the quince to the stew pot along with the prunes and honey. By this time the stew should be simmering; stir everything to combine, cover the pot, and let it cook a good three hours over very low heat. Check it occasionally to make sure there is enough liquid in the pot, and if it looks dry, add some water. Shirin notes that the longer it cooks, the better it will be.

***
HERE IS ANOTHER RECIPE (2024 update) that includes a lot of carrots so that sounds good and I'll make it today with brown basmati (halving it).  Edit:  the brown rice I just couldn't get to cook so I think I need to partially cook it and then add it.  The quince can be cooked less.  And, it took like three hours to cook, which I wasn't expecting.  But, otherwise it's good and I would definitely make it again. 
 
  • 1 cup brown basmati rice, rinsed
  • 1/2#+ stew beef or lamb
  • salt, pepper
  • 1/3 cup oil 
  • 2 onions (or 1 large), cut into wedges
  • 1/2 tsp ground cumin
  • 1/2 tsp ground allspice
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 quince, cut into wedges and cored and peeled
  • 3 carrots, cut into thick matchsticks
  • 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
  • 1/2 tsp black pepper
  • 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
  • 1/4 tsp paprika
  • 6 garlic cloves, unpeeled
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • 1/4 cup currants (or other dried fruit)
  • fresh pomegranate seeds for garnish

Prepare the Plov

1. Put the rinsed rice into a large bowl of cold water to soak while you start the recipe. Season the beef with salt and pepper.

2. Heat the oil in the pan until hot and foaming.

3. Brown the beef over medium–high heat, in batches if necessary, then remove from the pan with a slotted spoon leaving the oil behind. Lower the heat to medium and add the onions, cumin, and allspice. Cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and golden.

4. Return the beef to the pan with any collected juices, the bay leaves, quinces, and a small cupful of water. Bring to a boil then turn the heat down very low, cover the pan, and gently simmer for one hour until the meat is tender.

5. Spread over the carrot matchsticks, but don’t stir as you want to keep the layers separate. Scatter with the spices and cover and cook for another 10 minutes.

6. Drain the rice and layer it on top of the carrots. Poke the whole garlic cloves and cinnamon sticks into the rice and flatten the top with the back of a spoon. Scatter over the currants. Season very generously with salt and slowly pour in enough boiling water to just cover the top of the rice. Increase the heat and leave the pan uncovered so that the water starts to boil away.

7. When the liquid has cooked off, make six holes in the rice using the handle of a wooden spoon to help the steam escape. Cover the pan and cook at a low simmer for five minutes. Turn off the heat without removing the lid and leave the dish to steam undisturbed for another 10 minutes. If the rice isn’t cooked, add a splash more boiling water and cover again.

8. Serve the layers in reverse, first spooning the rice onto the platter, then the carrots, and finally the tender chunks of meat on the top. Rain fresh pomegranate seeds over the top.

 

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