Azerbaijan - Lamb Pilaf with Cabbage & Apple Salad

 

Overall this meal is a winner. The meal was simple to  make, with the Lamb Pilaf being basically a one pot meal. It was a heart warming, hearty meal that suited the cool winter night, & the ease of cooking gave us time to relax & enjoy ourselves. The Goddess once again doubled as  our YouTube DJ bringing  authentic Azerbaijani music & images into the kitchen as we cooked. I am sure the lovely folk music helped us to give that extra bit of loving heart & soul to the food, that it deserved & we loved seeing the Azerbaijani fashion (especially the hats), & the ladies fabulous hairstyles!

Surprise factor: the Lamb Pilaf was quite sweet to taste & the lamb was very tender considering the short cooking time

Our 

Azerbaijani

Menu Included:

Lamb Pilaf 

and 

Cabbage & Apple Salad 

with
warm pita bread on the side 

AZERBAIJANI LAMB PILAF

INGREDIENTS

• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 650g boneless lamb shoulder, cut into 1-inch cubes (I actually boned it out myself but you could get your butcher to do this for you)
• 2 onions, coarsely chopped
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 cup risotto, long grain or basmati rice
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 1 teaspoon saffron threads
• 1/3 cup pomegranate juice
• 3 Ѕ cups lamb or chicken stock, or water
• 2/3 cup no-soak dried apricots, or prunes, halved
• 2 tablespoons raisins
• Salt and pepper
• To serve:
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh watercress                     

METHOD:

1.     Heat the oil in a large, ovenproof casserole or wide pan over high heat. Add the lamb, and cook stirring and turning frequently for 7 minutes, or until lightly browned.

2.     Add the onions, and reduce the heat to medium-high, then cook for 2 minutes, or until starting to soften. Add the cumin and rice and cook, stirring to coat, for 2 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste and the saffron threads.

3.     Add the pomegranate juice and stock and bring to a boil, stirring. Stir in the apricots/prunes and raisins. Reduce the heat to low, then cover and let simmer for 20 minutes or until the lamb and rice are tender and the liquid  is absorbed. (I actually went against the recipe here and put the covered dish in the oven as a French style pilaf would be cooked - on low at about 180 

4.    Keep the lid on the dish until ready to serve then sprinkle with  mint and watercress

NOTE: we actually used both apricots & prunes in this dish to see which we liked best & the unanimous decision was the prunes were by far the more succulent & sweet – we recommend using the prunes in this dish for their flavour and also as they add another colour to the dish.

Recipe found at: http://www.efooddepot.com/recipes/azerbaijani_lamb_pilaf.html

KƏLƏM SALATı - CABBAGE & APPLE SALAD

INGREDIENTS

·      ½  a fresh white cabbage

·      3 carrot

·      1 large red apple

·      1 handful of  watercress sprigs

·      1 tbsp sugar

·      a few sprigs of fresh mint, chopped

·      salt

·      150 g/6 oz yoghurt

·      150 g/6oz mayonnaise

METHOD

1.     Remove the outer leaves from the cabbage & slice very finely.

2.     Grate/slice the carrot & apple.

3.     Mix & salt and sugar to taste.

4.     Add water cress & mint

5.     Dress with yoghurt

6.     Serve with mayonnaise on the side  in a dish

NOTE: it does taste better with the mayo, but having it in a side dish gives health conscious dinners the choice if they want to add it or not.

Adapted from a recipe found at
http://www.news.az/recipes/29242

Note: Photo used under Fair Use Laws from: 

https://www.azernews.az/travel/79043.html