I was in Turkey a few weeks ago and my boyfriend's friends wanted to take us out to dinner. They took me to a place where we were served lamb over pilaf...nothing fancy, just lamb which they broke up into pieces and removed the bone before serving. I have to say, I've never eaten lamb in my life, but I didn't want to hurt their feelings, so I begged my boyfriend not to tell them I was a vegetarian.

Oh my gosh....have I ever been missing out! It was quite possibly the most delicious thing I've ever tasted! I miss it so much! I even had my boyfriend take me back twice before I left! Does anyone have any idea how to prepare this? I'm sorry to say I don't even know what it was called. I just know it was a type of lamb pilav. I have lots of turkish cookbooks but none of them have this in it.

Thanks so much!

Ingredients...
3 tbsps vegetable oil
1 lb minced lamb
a small cinnamon stick
¼ tsp ground allspice
1 tbsp grated orange zest
2 oz pine kernels, toasted
2 oz walnuts, chopped roughly
salt & black pepper
Pilav...
1 pint chicken stock
a pinch saffron soaked in hot water for 5 minutes
8 oz long grain rice
salt

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Instructions...

Heat the vegetable oil and saute the meat and spices, breaking up any lumps in the process, until the meat starts to stick.

Add the water and seasoning then cover and cook for 20 minutes.

Add the orange zest, pine kernels and walnuts, plus a little water if needed. Mix and cook for 5 more minutes. Remove the cinnamon stick before serving,

In the meantime bring the stock to the boil and add the saffron water, rice and salt. Stir, cover tightly and cook as gently as possible until all the liquid has been absorbed and the rice is cooked- about 15 minutes.

Serve the meat piled on top of the rice.

i hope thats right

haha..yes, now that i'm back home i've been meat free, but it never hurts to have the recipe! ...

Thank you sam1 for your quick reply! The one I had was cooked in one big large piece and then broken down, but I don't think it would make any difference! I really look forward to trying yours....one day when i don't have the willpower to be meat free! haha

Okay guys, now the original lamb pilav!! I would like to hear someone,domestic, turkish, with the original recipee for this, but NOT minced meat, but the whole-piece-of-lamb-meat version!! Ill wait, yes I will, good recipee is worth waiting for!! So, turkish cooks, have your say!!!