We had the tail end of a shoulder of lamb from the weekend to use up tonight. Could have curried it but there wasn't much meat so decided to make a pilaf. Very simple - fry a chopped onion, add spices, stir in rice, add twice the volume of stock and leave to simmer until the liquid is absorbed (about 15 minutes). Fry up lamb with more spices, add peas, herbs, whatever - something green. Fork through rice and tip on serving dish, top with lamb, a squeeze of lemon, more herbs and serve with plain yoghurt, chutney or sweet chilli sauceThe reason why these kind of leftover dishes are often so unappealing is that people tend to do one of two things. Either put the meat in with the rice while it's cooking in the mistaken belief that that's what's needed to cook it through thoroughly (It simply makes it unappetisingly squelchy) or fail to put in anything brightly coloured which creates a drab brown slop. I can't pretend my pilau was the most stylish dish ever - it was hurled together at huge speed - but it was pretty tasty. (The picture is of a platter for 2 btw in case you think we've got outsize appetites!)
I think a lot of people have memories of cookbooks etc that implored them to reheat cooked meat thoroughly ( ie at searing temperatures for as long as possible )upon pain of death. Granted, back before we had fridges this may have had a grain of sense in it. But putting in some cooked meat a few minutes before serving to heat through is not going to greatly endanger you, its keeping it fiddling around for ages at lukewarm temperature where the risk of food poisoning comes in.
ReplyDeleteNothing quite like something fresh and green to liven up tasty-but-beige ;)
I think frying the meat also helps, greenlady. Shoulder of lamb is quite fatty so if you add it to liquid or fork it through the rice without cooking it first it accentuates that. You don't need to use lots of oil, just get it a bit crispy. (Crispy, like fresh-and-green is always good ;-)
ReplyDeletePilafs can be very cost-effective. One of my favourite quick meals - which doubles as lunch for the day after if you get your portions right - is a prawn pilaf very similar in design to this one. With a pile of fresh coriander and a lemon wedge it's great for eating outdoors in summer and a warming meal in winter.
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely.Prawns are great too. Especially those small north Atlantic ones which are always better priced than those flashy king prawns!
ReplyDeleteLamb is very nutritious that is why i prefer to cook lamb for my family or when my boyfriend comes to my house. i like when i see him very happy. In fact i am trying to get some recipes because i want to cook varieties. i think this blog is perfect because show many new ideas and is sure i will prove it. this blog is helpful.
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