Let's Cook with Meg and Ted

Autumn pilaf

This is adapted from a recipe by Anna Thomas. The original recipe was for a centrepiece dish, with the pilaf stuffed into a roasted kabocha squash, cut into wedges at the table to reveal the pilaf, studded with jewel-like fruit and eggplant, spilling out. For a simpler meal I prefer this version.


1 large or 2 regularaubergines, chopped into 1.5 cm dice
1large butternut pumpkin, peeled and chopped into 1 cm dice
olive oil
1large onion, peeled and chopped
2cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
5 cm piecefresh ginger, peeled and chopped finely
1 teaspoonground coriander
1/2 teaspoonground cinnamon
1 teaspoonturmeric
1/4 teaspoonchilli powder
1 3/4 cupsbasmati or other long grain rice
2 cupsvegetable stock
1 1/2 cupswater
1/2 cupgreen onions, bulb and green part, thinly sliced
1/3 cupdried cranberries
1/3 cupdried sour cherries
1/3 cupsultanas
1 packed cupfresh coriander leaves, chopped
1/2 cuppine nuts, toasted

Place the chopped aubergine in a colander, and sprinkle lightly with salt. Leave for about half an hour, stirring occasionally, then rinse well and gently squeeze out any excess liquid. Place in a baking tray, toss with olive oil, and bake at 180C for about 30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes, until golden and soft.

In a separate baking tray, toss the pumpkin with olive oil, salt and pepper, and bake, for approximately 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until cooked. (The aubergine and pumpkin can be cooked in the same tray if you are confident that they will take the same amount of time to cook - this will depend on the type of pumpkin, size of the dice, ripeness of the aubergine, etc.)

Meanwhile, heat a little olive oil in a large saucepan, and saute the onion in it for about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and ginger and cook for another minute, then add the coriander, cinnamon, turmeric, chilli, rice and a dash of salt, and stir over medium heat for another 2-3 minutes.

Add the vegetable stock and water, then stir in the green onions, dried fruit and half the coriander. As soon as the liquid simmers, lower the heat, cover the pan, and cook the rice very gently for 15-20 minutes, without removing the lid. When it is cooked (check quickly at 15 minutes), remove from the heat and leave the pan to sit, covered, for 3 minutes.

Fluff up the pilaf with a fork, and stir in the pumpkin, aubergine, remaining coriander and pinenuts. Serve at once.

Serves 8.



30 September 2003

Recipe categories

Recent additions

Search www.woolfit.com


Email me