February 2005 - Caramelised Leek and Bacon Pilaf

Moving right along to 2005, so half way there already this month, which I am very pleased with. Issue #35 turned out to be very tempting and it was very difficult to make a decision on what to make and blog about. There are several recipes in here that I will make, like Pork with Fresh Peach Chutney, who wouldn't want to use the wonderful stone fruit that is available at this time of year. The Barley Salad with Feta and Pine Nuts sounds really good and I am sure it will be some thing nice and healthy to have in the fridge for lunches. Although I would probably substitute the pine nuts for pistachios or almonds, I am not keen on pine nuts outside of pesto. Another quick and easy recipe that I considered was Linguine with Chilli Tuna and Broccolini. I love pastas dishes and I think that I will make this one for dinner soon.

In the end I decided to go with another easy dish for a quick meal after a long, frustrating day at the office. The Guest Chef in this issue was Ainsley Harriott, I haven't used a lot of his recipes before. Although I know that in another issue of delicious. some where down the line there is a wonderful Beef Bourguignonne recipe of his that is just divine. However his Caramelised Leek & Bacon Pilaf was not divine. In fact it was pretty average. After following the recipe the rice was cooked but there was still an awful lot of liquid in the bottom of the pan. When I tested it, it was pretty bland so I decided to add some veg to it and poured in a heap of frozen peas and some chopped up mushrooms that I had in the fridge. I turned the heat up to high and cooked until the liquid was boiled off, the peas were heated through and the mushrooms cooked. In the end it turned out okay taste wise but the rice was, of course, over cooked. If I make it again the liquid in the recipe will need to be reduced, oh and don't use as much butter as suggested I drained a lot of it away and it was still pretty greasy.

Caramelised Leek and Bacon Pilaf

Serves 2

Ingredients

• 50 g unsalted butter (I would use no more than half this)
  
• 2 leeks (white part only), washed, finely sliced (I used a couple of red onions as that was all I had)
• 2 good pinches of ground allspice
• 100 g rindless bacon, chopped
• 3/4 c (150 g) basmati rice
• 2 c (500 ml) vegetable or chicken stock)
  
• 1/2 c chopped flat-leaf parsley
• 2/3 c Greek yoghurt
• 1 small garlic clove, crushed

Method

• Melt butter in deep pan with lid over med-low heat. Add leeks with a pinch of allspice and cook until softened and beginning to brown slightly. Add the bacon and cook until golden.
  
• Add rice and stir until coated then add stock and season.
  
• Bring to the boil cover with the lid and simmer for 10 - 12 minutes or until the rice is cooked and liquid absorbed.
  
• Fold in the parsley and adjust seasoning as necessary.
  
• While rice is cooking, mix the yoghurt, garlic and remaining allspice to serve with the pilaf.