We took a weeknight trip to Central Asia.
Although we would love to always travel, it just isn't reality for us just yet. We do still have family who want to see us on occasion and full time jobs that, unfortunately, are not remote. When we are forced to remain home, one of our favorite pastimes is what we have termed "Bourdain Night". We grab a bottle of wine, put on an episode of one of Anthony Bourdain's epic food/travel shows (Parts Unknown or No Reservations are our current watch list), and pick a couple of foods to try ourselves.
I love lists and guidelines, Alan will attest to this, so we have created some guidelines to make certain we don't stray from our goals:
We go through the episodes in order
Episodes filmed at local destinations can be skipped
Dinner does not have to be an exact dish but must honor the spirit of the episode
Must always take opportunities to move outside of our normal cooking style
*Online ordering is a huge help in sourcing some of the more unusual ingredients.
The recipe listed below was the result of the Uzbekistan episode from No Reservations.
Plov
Prep Time: 35 mins Cook Time: 1 hr Servings: 6
INGREDIENTS
1 1/2 lb sliced chuck steak
2 medium onions
5 medium carrots
3 cup basmati rice
3 bay leaves
1 bulb of garlic
1/2 cup olive oil
salt to taste
pepper to taste
2 tsp cumin seeds
2 green onions
pomegranate seeds
DIRECTIONS Scrub carrots and julienne leaving carrot pieces about 1/4 of an inch thick. Dice onions to medium size. Slice your chuck steak (freezing meat for about 10 minutes before slicing makes for easier work). Preheat a dutch oven on stovetop until hot, add oil. Add meat to the pot and cook until the steak has a nice brown crust. Add onions and carrots to the meat; cook until they become soft. Add cumin seeds. Add rice and bay leaves to the cooking ingredients. Peel the garlic cloves and place them inside of the rice. Cover everything in the pot with warmed broth. The broth should be filled just about 1 inch over the rice. Season with salt and pepper. Once the broth comes to a simmer, cover dutch oven and turn the heat to low. Cook for about 45 minutes. About halfway through the cooking time, stir all ingredients together to ensure even cooking. Top with pomegranate seeds and green onions.
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