Best Duck Purloo 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.

JOHN MARTIN TAYLOR'S SHRIMP PERLOO

Steps:

• Peel the shrimp, breaking off the heads. Place heads and shells in an enamel or stainless steel stockpot. Place the bodies in a bowl, cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
• Roughly chop the carrots and celery and add to shrimp shells. Add thyme. Peel and quarter the onion and add to stockpot. Add water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and cook stock uncovered at a steady simmer for about 45 minutes, or until vegetables are soft and stock has been reduced by about one-third. (The stockpot may be covered if the stock appears to be reducing too much.)
• Remove from heat and strain through cheesecloth or a fine-mesh sieve. Discard the solids. You will need three cups of shrimp stock for the perloo. Freeze the rest.
• In a Dutch oven with a tight-fitting lid, saute the bacon over medium-low heat until crisp. Remove bacon, set aside to drain and pour off all but about three tablespoons of bacon grease - enough to cover the bottom of the pan.
• Add chopped onion to bacon grease and saute over medium-low heat 5 to 10 minutes, until onion is transparent. Add tomatoes, red pepper and parsley, stir to mix well and cook another five minutes.
• Add rice, salt and shrimp stock, raise heat slightly just to bring the stock to a simmer, then lower heat, cover pot and leave to simmer 20 minutes. Do not remove lid while cooking rice.
• After 20 minutes, lift the lid and fluff the rice with a big fork while tossing in the shrimp. Cover the pot again and turn off the heat. The perloo will be ready in 5 to 10 minutes and the shrimp will not overcook.
• Crumble reserved bacon and sprinkle over the top of the perloo with the additional chopped parsley. Serve immediately.

PEA AND BACON PIRLOU

Steps:

• Cook the bacon in a saucepan over medium heat until crispy, then remove and drain on a brown paper bag. Add the onion and celery to the bacon fat and cook and stir until the vegetables are soft, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and continue to cook and stir for 1 minute longer. Stir in the rice, thyme, mustard, paprika, cayenne, and salt and black pepper to taste and cook and stir for about 3 minutes to coat the rice.
• Add the broth and tomato and stir to mix. Bring to a low boil and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until most of the liquid is absorbed and the rice is cooked, about 20 minutes. The rice will be creamy, not fluffy and dry.
• While the rice is cooking, rinse and drain the peas, discarding any blemished peas or bits of pod. Place the peas in a saucepan with about 3 cups of water. Season with salt and black pepper and bring to a low boil. Simmer, stirring occasionally, skimming as needed, for 15 to 20 minutes, until the peas are tender. Drain and set aside to keep warm.
• Add the parsley and butter to the rice mixture and season with additional salt and black pepper, if necessary. Spoon the peas over the pirlou, sprinkle with the reserved bacon and more parsley, and serve.

PURLOO

Steps:

• Cook bacon over medium heat in large skillet until brown; drain fat, leaving about 1/2 tablespoons
• Stir in onion, pepper, okra and garlic; saute 2 to 3 minutes or until onion is tender.
• Add the shrimp; continue cooking 3 minutes.
• Add rice, tomato, thyme, salt, and basil. Heat thoroughly.