Dish of Adjar Pilaf
(click to enlarge)

Adjar Pilaf


Armenia, R. Georgia    
Makes:
Effort:
Sched:
DoAhead:  		 2-1/2 #
**
2-1/4 hrs
Yes		 This incredible pilaf is made with Adjar, an "almost wild" variety of wheat, highly regarded for pilafs in Georgia, parts of Armenia, and Iran - and I agree, totally!

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Ajar (1)
Onion
Mushrooms (2)  
Butter
Stock (3)
Tomato Paste  
Salt
-- Garnish
Parsley
Prep   -   (15 min, less without 'shrooms)
  1. Wash ADJAR to remove starch. Best to shake vigorously in a strainer under running water. Some people soak it overnight for faster cooking.
  2. Chop ONION small.
  3. IF using, cut Mushrooms into about 1/4 inch dice, or as desired.
Run   -   (1-3/4 hrs)
  1. In a heavy bottomed sauté or sauce pan melt butter and fry Onion over moderate heat until translucent. If using, stir in Mushrooms for another 3 minutes.
  2. Stir in Stock, Tomato Paste and Salt. Bring to a boil,
  3. Stir in Adjar and bring back to a boil. Boil over moderate heat for about 5 minutes, then turn down to a slow simmer, cover and simmer until the Adjar is tender. Once in a while, scrape it up from the bottom to see if you need to add boiling water. This simmering will take as much as 1-1/4 hour from the time the heat is turned down, less if the Adjar was soaked overnight. It should still be fairly "springy".
  4. Turn off the heat and allow to rest for 10 to 15 minutes.
  5. Serve warm, garnished with Parsley.
NOTES:

  1. Adjar:

      [ՙԱՃԱՐ, or ՙԱճար, Adjar (Armenia); Zanduri (Georgia); Parinj (Iran), Triticum timopheevii]   I have found this grain here in Los Angeles at Super King markets and Sunland Produce. It is sometimes labeled "Spelt", a more familiar name for English speakers, but also stated Adjar in Armenian characters. It is a near wild wheat species grown in Georgia and Armenia, and used also in parts of Iran, Spelt (Triticum spelta) is probably the best substitute. For details see our Wheat page.

  2. Mushrooms:

      This is an optional ingredient, you can omit it, but I won't. I used the small King Trumpet Oyster mushrooms now widely available in Southern California. For details, see our Oyster Mushrooms page.

  3. Stock:

      This is a very simple recipe, so the quality of the stock is very important. I used a fairly strong Chicken Stock for the photo example. Pork stock could also be used, or a good vegetarian stock for a purely vegetarian dish.

  4. Comments:

      Bulgur Wheat Pilaf is the common pilaf of Armenia, and it is sometimes served at room temperature accompanied by Yogurt, so I presume the same may be done with this pilaf.
  5. U.S. measure: t=teaspoon, T=Tablespoon, c=cup, qt=quart, oz=ounce, #=pound, cl=clove in=inch tt=to taste ar=as required
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