Constantinople Atzem Pilafi (Ατζέμ Πιλάφι)

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •heavy pot with tight-fitting lid, 24cm to 26cm
• •fine sieve for straining broth
• •clean kitchen towel for resting the rice

Instructions

1. 1

   Make the broth

   Put the lamb in a heavy pot with the water, halved onion, bay leaf, cinnamon stick, peppercorns, and 8g of the salt. Bring it slowly to a bare simmer, skimming the gray foam as it rises. Cover partly and cook for 1 hour 15 minutes, until the meat pulls easily when pressed with a fork.

2. 2

   Strain and shred

   Lift the lamb to a plate. Strain the broth and measure 720ml for the rice. If you have less, add hot water. Pull the lamb into generous pieces, discarding the bones, bay leaf, cinnamon stick, onion, and peppercorns. Taste the broth. It should be well seasoned but not sharp with salt.

3. 3

   Rinse the rice

   Rinse the rice in several changes of cool water until the water runs mostly clear, then drain it very well for 10 minutes. Wet rice jumps in the butter and softens too quickly, so let it sit in the sieve until the grains look separate.

4. 4

   Toast the nuts

   In a wide heavy pot with a tight lid, warm the olive oil and 20g of the butter over medium heat. Add the pine nuts and stir until pale gold, 2 to 3 minutes. Take them out with a spoon and keep them aside. They darken fast, and burnt pine nuts bully the whole pot.

5. 5

   Soften the onion

   Add the chopped onion to the same pot with a pinch of the remaining salt. Cook gently for 6 to 8 minutes, until soft and translucent, not browned. Stir in the raisins, allspice, cinnamon, and black pepper for 30 seconds, just until the raisins shine and the spices wake.

6. 6

   Toast the rice

   Add the drained rice and the remaining 50g butter. Stir patiently for 3 to 4 minutes, until every grain is glossy and the pot smells nutty. This is the step that makes pilafi pilafi: fat coats the grains before the broth enters, so they cook separate and tender instead of turning heavy.

7. 7

   Cook the pilafi

   Pour in the 720ml hot lamb broth and add the remaining salt only if the broth needs it. Bring to one lively boil, stir once, then lower the heat to the gentlest bubble. Cover tightly and cook for 15 minutes without lifting the lid.

8. 8

   Rest the rice

   Take the pot off the heat. Lay a clean kitchen towel under the lid and let the rice rest for 15 minutes. The towel catches the condensation, and the rice finishes quietly. Don't rush this part.

9. 9

   Finish and serve

   Fold the lamb pieces and toasted pine nuts through the rice with a fork, lifting rather than stirring hard. Cover again for 5 minutes so the meat warms through. Serve warm, with parsley if you like, and a spoonful of the glossy rice from the bottom for each plate.

Chef Tips

• •Choose lamb shoulder over leg here. Shoulder gives better broth and softer meat, and the broth is the soul of the pilafi. Boneless meat works, but bone-in gives you a deeper pot.
• •Use pine nuts if you can. If they're impossible to find or too expensive, leave them out before you replace them with a random nut. The raisins can be small black currants, which many Politiki kitchens prefer.
• •Atzem Pilafi sits well for a dinner table. Keep it covered off the heat for up to 30 minutes, then fluff it with a fork. Reheat leftovers gently with a spoon or two of broth or water.

Advance Preparation

• •The lamb and broth can be made 1 day ahead. Chill them separately, then lift off any hardened fat you don't want before cooking the rice.
• •Rinse and drain the rice up to 1 hour ahead, but don't leave it soaking. This pilafi wants separate grains, not swollen ones.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 290g)