Red Pepper and Onion Pilaf by Yotam Ottolenghy

Juana, author of La cocina de Babel, brings us a recipe that many of you may have heard of before, the pilav (or pilaf) recipe prepared following the approach of Yotam Ottolenghy. Flavorful and very easy to prepare — you’ll surely make it again at home!

Sometimes it seems unbelievable how times have changed. When I was a child, traveling through Turkey I tried "pilav" for the first time. In those years we hadn’t yet reached today’s globalization and we were completely unfamiliar with many ingredients from other countries’ cuisines and, of course, we had no way to buy them. For that reason it took many years until I knew that that delight, besides being called "pilav", was made with bulgur and until I had a recipe to make it in my hands.

"Pilav" is more a way of cooking rice and in this case bulgur than a specific dish. Its origin is attributed to the Turks and Persians, although many variants can be found throughout the Middle East and the Balkans.

"Pilav" in Turkish means "brown rice" and is comparable to what we would call paella.

Rice or bulgur are cooked with a mixture of spices, meat, vegetables and stock until the result is a dish really simple in preparation, but delicious and surprising in the outcome.

Emile Henry "Faitout" ceramic casserole, Seigaiha porcelain bowl by Tokyo Design Studio and Nezumi ceramic plates by Tokyo Design Studio

Ingredients (for 4 people)

• 4 tablespoons of olive oil
• 2 small white onions, sliced thinly
• 1 red pepper cut into thin strips
• 2 1/2 tablespoons of tomato paste
• 1 tablespoon of sugar
• 1 teaspoon of pink peppercorns
• 1 tablespoon of coriander seeds
• 50gr of Corinth raisins
• 200gr of bulgur
• 475ml of water
• Salt and black pepper
• A handful of chopped chives

Preparation

1. Heat the olive oil in the "faitout" by Emile Henry and sauté the onions and peppers over medium heat for about 12 minutes, or until completely softened.
2. Next, add the tomato paste , the sugar, the spices, the raisins and stir for approximately 2 minutes. Add the bulgur, the water and a little salt and pepper. Stir the Set and bring to a boil. As soon as the water boils, cover the “faitout” with its lid, remove from the heat and let the pilaf rest for about 20 minutes.
3. Finally, fluff the bulgur with a fork and add the chives. If the pilaf seems dry, add a little olive oil. Serve hot.

Pallarès carbon steel knife and "Faitout" ceramic Shallow Casserole by Emile Henry

This dish is delicious as a main course and served as a side it is perfect with fish… You decide!