Carolina Pilau Perloo Recipes

LOWCOUNTRY PERLOO

Steps:

• Peel all the shrimp and put the shells, and heads if you have them, into a pot with the bay leaves, onion, celery and carrot. Cover with 7 cups of water and bring to a simmer. Simmer gently for 30 minutes while you chop everything else for the perloo.
• As the stock is simmering, slowly fry the bacon in a large, heavy pot. When it is crispy, remove the bacon (eat a slice) and chop roughly. Set the bacon aside.
• Saute the 2 cups chopped onion, 2 cups chopped celery and the diced yellow bell pepper in the bacon fat until soft but not browned. Add the garlic and rice and cook, stirring often for 3 minutes, until the rice turns translucent.
• Add the white wine, tomatoes and chile pepper to the pot and stir well.
• Set up a fine-meshed strainer with a paper towel in it. Ladle two or three ladles of the shrimp stock through this strainer into the rice pot. Stir well. Cook, stirring often, until the liquid is absorbed. Repeat this process until the rice is tender.
• Add one more ladle of shrimp stock to the pot, along with the shrimp and the parsley. Mix to combine, cover the pot and turn the heat to its lowest setting. Cover for 5 minutes to let the shrimp cook, then mix in the bacon and black pepper and serve.

CAROLINA PILAU (PERLOO)

Steps:

• Fry the bacon in a large skillet over very low heat, just until it reaches the crisp stage. Remove from pan, crumble and set aside. Pour off all but 2 tablespoons of the bacon fat, then add the rice and stir, cooking slowly until rice is lightly browned.
• Add the boiling stock, stir, and bring back to the boil.
• Add chicken, vegetables, bay leaf, salt and pepper.
• Reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 30 minutes, or until rice, chicken and vegetables are done and liquid is absorbed.
• Serving Ideas : Sprinkle with crumbled bacon and parsley.

CHARLESTON SHRIMP PILAU

Steps:

• Fry bacon until crisp; remove and cook onion in bacon fat until translucent.
• Add tomatoes and rice; mix well, cover and heat to boiling point.
• Lower heat and simmer 20 minutes, stirring occasionally with a fork to prevent sticking.
• Set in a warm place where there is no danger of scorching for another 20 minutes to allow the rice to become fluffy.
• Add shrimp and bacon; place in a casserole dish and bake at 350F for 15 minutes.