Red Pepper and Onion Pilav by Yotam Ottolenghy

Juana, author of La cocina de Babel , brings us a recipe that many of you will have heard before, the pilav (or pilaf) recipe made following Yotam Ottolenghy 's suggestion. Tasty and very easy to prepare, you will surely make it again at home!

Sometimes I find it hard to believe how times have changed. When I was a child, travelling through Turkey, I first tried pilav. Back then, we had not yet reached the level of globalisation that we have today and we were completely unaware of many ingredients used in other countries' cuisines, and of course, we had no way of buying them. That is why it took many years before I found out that this delicacy, besides being called pilav, was made with bulgur and I had a recipe for 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 numerous variants can be found throughout the East and in the Balkans.

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

Rice or bulgur is cooked with a mixture of spices, meat, vegetables and broth until the result is a dish that is really simple to prepare, but delicious and surprising in its result.

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

Ingredients (for 4 people)

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

Preparation

1. Heat the olive oil in the Emile Henry “ faitout ” and sauté the onions and peppers over medium heat for about 12 minutes, or until completely softened.
2. Next, add the tomato paste , sugar, spices, raisins and stir for about 2 minutes. Add the bulgur, water and a pinch of salt and pepper. Stir everything together and bring to the boil. As soon as the water boils, cover the pilaf 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 saucepan by Emile Henry

This dish is delicious as a main course and served as a side dish it is perfect for fish … It’s up to you!