For whatever reason, I've avoided cooking with eggplant
for the most part lately.
But then, I discovered a new reason to enjoy eggplant.
I was perusing my own cookbook library when I found a recipe for Patlıcanlı Iç Pilav (Turkish Aubergine
Rice) that sounded interesting.
In "Secrets
of the Turkish Kitchen" by Angie Mitchell, she describes this as
one of 40 special eggplant dishes from the Ottoman palace kitchens. Apparently,
the sultans couldn't get enough of this vegetable originating from southeast
Asia.
With the Turks fondness for patlıcan, I thought there would be at
least 100 different recipes. And maybe there are because every dish is up to
the cook's own interpretation as well.
The cinnamon, allspice, dried currants and fresh herbs
make for a flavorful and interesting dish. There's a pinch of sugar that's
makes the dish slightly sweet too. I paired the pilaf with a batch of
traditional Turkish köfte thanks to Claudia's recipe at A
Seasonal Cook in Turkey.
If
you're bored with plain white rice for dinner, then you must try this Ottoman-style
pilaf.
What's your favorite way to cook with
aubergine, eggplant or patlıcan?
Afiyet olsun!
 |
| A delicious side dish of
Turkish Aubergine Rice (Patlıcanlı Iç Pilav). |
Turkish Aubergine Rice/Patlıcanlı
Iç Pilav
(Adapted from "Secrets of the Turkish Kitchen"
by Angie Mitchell)
Ingredients:
1 c. (190
g.) long-grain rice (Baldo pilav)
1 T. dried
currants (kuş
üzümü)
3-4 small long
aubergines or eggplant
4 T. olive
oil
2 T. pine
nuts (çamfıstığı)
1 ea. medium
onion, finely chopped
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. ground
cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground
allspice
1 ea. large
tomato, seeds removed and chopped
2 c. (475
ml.) hot water
1/2 c. fresh parsley, mint and dill,
combined together and roughly chopped
To
taste salt
and freshly ground black pepper
In
a medium-sized bowl, soak the rice and currants in hot salted water for 30
minutes. Then, rinse under cold water, drain and set aside.
Meanwhile,
peel the eggplant in alternate vertical stripes from the stem to the base. Cut
off the stalk. Submerge and soak the eggplant in salted water for 30 minutes,
drain and squeeze dry. (This step is supposed to help remove the bitterness
from the eggplant). Cut into small cubes about 1/2-inch wide.
Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a heavy saucepan over medium-high heat. Sauté the eggplant, with a pinch of salt and sugar, until they are softened. Remove the eggplant with a slotted spoon, and set aside on a paper towel to absorb any extra oil.
In the same pan, sauté the pine nuts and the onion with the remaining olive oil, until the pine nuts are golden and the onion has softened. Add the drained rice and currants, stirring to ensure the grains are evenly coated. Add the salt, sugar, spices, tomato and 2 cups of hot water.
Bring the rice to a boil, stirring once and
cover with a lid. Cook on medium heat about 10 minutes or until the water is
absorbed. Do not stir! Turn down the heat to lowest setting and cook for 3-5
more minutes.
Remove the saucepan from the heat. Add the
eggplant and cover the top of the pan with a kitchen towel or paper towels and
replace the lid. The rice will continue cooking in the steam and the towels
will help absorb any extra moisture.
Let stand, covered, for 20 minutes before
serving. Then, season the pilaf with salt and pepper; add the chopped herbs and
stir to incorporate all the ingredients. Fluff the rice with a fork.
Serve immediately.
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