Saturday, April 21, 2012

PEE DEE Purlow, Also known as Pilaf, Pilau

Don’t demean this classic sportsman’s dish by calling it Chicken and rice.  This ain’t chicken-n-rice, and it ain’t chicken bog either!  This is the real deal, chicken purlow, and it may be one of the best things you ever put in your mouth! See more recipes on the Briary River Recipe Page
            I am going to give you a small recipe for a five quart cast iron pot.  Purlow must be cooked in a cast iron pot Lodge Logic Dutch Oven, 5qt. (Google Affiliate Ad).   If it’s not cooked in cast iron then it is just chicken-n-rice.  If you decide to cook purlow once, you will try it again.  The more you cook purlow, you will learn that it is a subjective dish.  You can substitute any small wild game you like for the chicken.  You can cook larger or smaller pots based on how many people you want to feed.  And lastly you have to cook it often – the more you cook it the better you get at it.  This dish has been called by many spellings it is also often spelled Pilaf, or Pilau.


Ingredients
6 chicken leg quarters
1 lb. bacon
1 link of smoked sausage
1 medium onion
1 can cream of mushroom soup
4 cups of chicken broth
4 cups of water
4 cups of Blue Ribbon Extra long grain rice
Worstichiere sauce – to taste
Salt – to taste
Black pepper – to taste
You will need:
5 quart cast iron pot with lid
(commonly called a Dutch oven)
Stock pot
Cooking utensils
1.         Put the bacon and smoked sausage in the freezer to chill.
2.         In the stock pot, boil the chicken down until it is so tender it falls from the bone.  Make sure there is plenty of water in the stock pot to use for broth in the purlow.  After the chicken has boiled, take it out of the broth and give it time to cool.
3.         While the chicken is boiling and cooling, cut the chilled (but not frozen) bacon into half inch pieces.  Cut the chilled (but not frozen) smoked sausage into medallions approximately ¼ of an inch thick (use your discretion for this, I like mine a little thinner.)  And dice your onion to taste, I like to dice mine as small as possible.
4.         When the chicken has cooled enough, de-bone it.  Some people like to leave the bones in the purlow.  I leave this to your discretion.  I remove  the bones and skin.  Make sure you save the broth.
5.         In your cast iron pot, fry the bacon.  Keep stirring it to make sure it doesn’t burn.  When it’s fully cooked remove it quickly and drain the grease from it.
6.         Fry the sausage medallions in the sausage grease.  Brown them and remove them from the pot, drain the grease from them.
7.         Drain most of the grease from the cast iron pot, leaving just a little grease in the bottom.  Fry your onions in the remaining grease.  Fry your onions well, almost to the point of burning them.
8.         Add your liquid to the onions in the pot.  4 cups total.  This includes the worstichiere sauce, add a couple tablespoons to your measuring cup as you are measuring out the other liquids.  Try to go about half and half broth and water, or about 4 cups of each, just make sure you total 8 cups of liquid.
9.         Add the can of cream of mushroom soup.
10.       Add your meats, the chicken, bacon and sausage.
11.       While you are heating the broth mixture up, salt and pepper to taste.  You want the broth mixture to be a little on the salty side, but remember, you can always add salt and pepper, but you can never take them away.  So if you err, make sure you err on the side of not enough salt and pepper.
12.       Bring the broth mixture to a boil, then add your 4 cups of rice (trust me here, make sure you use Blue Ribbon extra long grain rice).  Let the rice and broth mixture boil for 3 minutes.  Fold the rice from the outside of the pot to the inside, don’t stir it!  Then cut the heat down to simmer and cover the pot.
13.       Let the mixture simmer for 15 minutes, fold the rice again.  Check the rice, if it has hard grains, cover the pot and let it simmer for 5 more minutes.  The purlow should be finished cooking by this time, but if it’s not allow it to simmer a little longer, just be sure not to scorch the rice.
14.       Bless the food and enjoy.
NOTES
* Most Sportsmen enjoy purlow with light bread, pickles, and a cold soft drink.
* Your rice should turn out fluffy and flakey.  However, water in different areas cooks rice a little differently.  If your rice turned out grainy, add a little water next time.  If it turns out boggy, use a little less water next time.
* Cooking purlow is not an exact science, but it is a science!  If you skip steps you will not end up with purlow.
  Great Pot for Purlow.




































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