Pork Pilaf
Creamy pilaf with pork and peppers. It tastes similar to Serbian pilaf and has the creaminess of a risotto.
Like any rice pilaf, it's only good when freshly made. Because the preparation time is long, well over an hour and a half, the preparation can be divided into two stages: in the first you partially cook the meat and in the second you continue cooking the meat until done and finish the rice. The second part takes about 30 minutes, it's more convenient to do it just before serving the pilaf.
Ingredients
500g pork (leg, shoulder, or neck)
50g paprika sausage (optional)
1 large onion (about 150-200g)
2 bell peppers (one red and one green)
2 garlic cloves
1 sprig of thyme
1 bay leaf
1 liter water
3 teaspoons sweet paprika
1 heaping tablespoon tomato paste
2 tablespoons oil
salt, ground black pepper
175g risotto rice (arborio, carnaroli)
50ml dry red wine
1 tablespoon butter
25g hard cheese (parmesan-type)
1/4 bunch parsley
Servings: 4-5
How to prepare pork pilaf
- Heat the oil in a pot and sauté the chopped onion until very soft (about 10 minutes). Add the crushed garlic and sauté for 1 more minute. Add the tomato paste and sauté together for another 5 minutes, allowing the paste to caramelize a bit.
- Add the meat cut into approximately 2 cm cubes, along with the sausage cut into rounds, and sauté, stirring frequently, until the meat changes color.
- Add the peppers cut into small squares and sauté everything together for another 2-3 minutes, stirring frequently.
- Remove the pot from heat and add the paprika. Mix well and put the pot back on the heat.
- Add water, bay leaf, thyme, and salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a boil. Simmer covered, on low heat, for 45 minutes.
* At this point you can pause the pilaf preparation and resume it only when you want to serve it - In a small pot, remove 750 ml of liquid from the pot using a ladle, being careful not to take any solids. Enough liquid will remain in the pot for the meat to sit comfortably and continue cooking. Continue to simmer the meat covered, on low heat until the rice is ready.
- Keep the small pot with the liquid from the meat on low heat, to keep the liquid hot.
- In a wide pan, heat the butter and add the rice. Fry for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Deglaze the rice with wine and let it evaporate.
- Pour two ladles of hot liquid and turn the heat to medium-low, just enough for the rice to gently simmer.
- Continue to add the liquid, only one ladle at a time. Add the next ladle only when the previous ladle of liquid has been absorbed by the rice. Stir constantly in the rice, this is essential for it to become creamy! The process will take about 20-25 minutes, until you finish all the liquid. At the end, the rice will be about 80% cooked, still slightly firm in the center.
- Add all the contents of the pot with meat over the rice, stir gently (adjust salt), and let it simmer on low heat until the liquid is almost completely absorbed and the rice is cooked. Don't stir the rice during this time so you don't crush it, just occasionally shake the pan with back-and-forth movements.
- Add the grated cheese and chopped parsley and mix gently.
- Serve the pork pilaf immediately. It's not good or presentable reheated.
Sautéed meat and peppers
Add water and simmer
After 45 minutes of simmering
Liquid removed from the pot
Keeping the liquid hot
Rice deglazed with wine
Rice almost cooked
Add meat over the rice
Add cheese and parsley
Pork Pilaf
