Shish Tawook-Chicken Kebab Skewers and Yellow Rice with Nuts

Shish Tawook is traditionally served as a part of a Kebab trio of Lamb or Beef kebab and kafta kebab. Shish means skewer and Tawook is Turkish for chicken. This trio is usually served in a split pita to keep it warm and a spread of Mezza dishes that include Hummus, Baba Ghanouj, Tabouleh, and a variety of cold and warm dishes eaten with copious amounts of Pita Bread.


Ingredients:
4 chicken breasts, skinless                         4-6 peeled garlic cloves
and boneless                                             2 tbs. canola oil
Juice of 1 lemon                                        ½ tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. paprika                                        ½ tsp. Aleppo pepper*
1 tsp. black pepper                                   ¼ tsp cayenne pepper
* You can substitute with medium hot chili
Bamboo Skewers soaked in water for about half hour

Directions:

Trim chicken breasts removing any fat. Cut breasts into 1” cubes. Place in a bowl. Place oil, lemon juice, garlic and spices in a food processor and process until a paste is formed. Add garlic mixture to chicken and mix until chicken is covered. Marinate chicken for half hour. Start your grill or grill pan, temperature should be high at first so you can sear the chicken. Grill for about 3 minutes until you get grill marks, turning skewers then grilling for 3 more minutes, then moving skewers to a less hot area. If you are using a grill pan lower the heat to medium low. You can test the doneness of the chicken by piercing it with a fork; if the liquid comes out clear then the chicken is done.

Variations and Serving Suggestions:
You can keep breasts whole and grill that way.
For a round meal, serve with yellow rice sautéed mushrooms or any favorite vegetable and a romaine salad tossed in lemon juice vinaigrette.

Stuff  it in a pita sandwich with hummus, tomatoes, lettuce and pickles.
Latin Version:
Add to the marinade ½ tsp. of each, ground cumin, ground coriander and oregano. Serve in a taco with salsa and guacamole.
Italian Version:
Add ½ tsp. dry basil, cook the chicken in a skillet and serve it with pasta.
Asian Version:
Omit salt and add 1tbs.of grated ginger and 2tbs. of low sodium tamari or soy sauce and you will have an Asian version. Present it with a peanut sauce as an appetizer or with white rice and a vegetable stir fry.
Yellow Rice with Nuts

This is my version of spice rice that the Lebanese traditionally serve with poached chicken. Spice Rice or Roz Mofalfal is cooked with chicken broth cinnamon, all spice, black pepper, nutmeg and cloves; topped with fried in butter or ghee. Mine is simpler but as tasty.
Ingredients: Serves 4-6
2 cups Jasmine or Basmati rice         4 cups water or chicken stock
1/4 cup golden raisins                      2 tbs. butter                              
1 tsp. ground turmeric                     ½ tsp. cardamom powder
½ tsp. black pepper                         1tsp. salt
Garnish:
1/8 cup pine nuts or slivered almonds          2 tbs. butter or oil
Or a combination of both
Instructions:
Melt you butter in a wide bottomed pan on medium high heat. Sauté golden raisins until plump. Add washed rice and fry for a few minutes while stirring constantly. Add spices and salt and mix, add water and cover. When water starts boiling mix once, reduce heat to low and cook until water is completely and rice is fluffy. While the rice is cooking toast your nuts on medium low heat stirring constantly until golden brown, remove immediately off the stove and ladle it onto a bowl to stop cooking. Top the rice with the nuts and serve.

Thum- A Lebanese Equivalent to Garlic Aioli

This sauce/spread is very addictive if you love garlic. It is similar to Aioli except that it is made without an egg yolk. It gets milder after a day or two and it can keep for at least three weeks. Be patient while making it especially when you are adding the oil, the slower the stream the fluffier and lighter the sauce. The sauce may separate if you add the oil too fast.
Ingredients:
6 cloves of peeled garlic 3 tbs. water
1 ½ -2 cups canola oil 1 tsp. salt or to taste
1 tsp. citric acid or juice of 1 lemon or to taste
Instructions:
In a food processor chop garlic, while motor is running add water, salt, citric acid or lemon juice. Add oil in a slow stream and continue processing until sauce is fluffy and light resembling whipped cream .
Serving Suggestions:
We traditionally serve this sauce with roast chicken, grilled chicken or Shish Tawook. It can be used instead of mayo in sandwiches, with seafood or garlic bread.

Baked Ejjeh(Frittata Or Crust-less Quiche)

Ejjeh is a popular Lebanese dish that is similar to Latkes except that is usually made with squash and herbs or just herbs. It is fried in olive oil and serve in a pita with tomatoes or a salad. My Mom usually made them from the pulp leftover from another dish; stuffed courgettes/squash. We used to patiently wait around to steal them as they come out against Mom’s protest. In later days, to our disappointment, she started making a healthier baked version of the same dish. It comes out like a quish without the crust and the cheese or like a frittata. Mom’s recipe included fresh dill and parsley and that’s what I like to do. You can choose your own like tarragon, chives or whatever is on hand. This recipe is quick paired with a green salad dressed in a vinaigrette is perfect for lunch, packed for a picnic and even a light summer dinner. I like it in a pita with tomatoes and salt. Yummmmmy……
Ingredients: Serves 4-6
2 medium size zucchini, shredded
½ medium size yellow onion, finely diced
3 tbs. chives or scallions, freshly chopped
½ bunch Italian parsley, finely chopped
3 dill fronds, finely chopped
6 tbs. Rice flour or All Purpose flour
6 eggs , well beaten
1 tsp. salt
½ tsp. black pepper ¼ tsp. chili flakes (optional)
3 tbs. extra virgin olive oil for cooking
Instructions:

Heat your oven at 350 degrees. Prep all your ingredients. Beat the eggs with the salt, spices and herbs. Mix all the ingredients together. Brush a 12”x8” or equivalent roasting pan (I prefer Pyrex) with the oil making sure to paint the sides, place pan in oven until oil starts smoking. Pour mix in pan; spread evenly and bake for 30 minutes. Turn broiler on low and broil for 3 minutes until top is golden. Serve warm, at room temperature or cold.

Variations: You can add half a cup of crumbled feta cheese to the mix but make sure to decrease amount of salt. For an Italian taste sprinkle with parmesan cheese before you broil it. Asparagus, spinach, kale or chard; blanched an chopped would be a great substitute to zucchini.

What’s For Breakfast?

Don’t you get bored of having the same thing every day?? Most of the time when I am on the run; I am content with whole grain toast and some sort of cheese to down with my coffee…..But on days when the need slow down arises I love to have a healthier fuller meal that involves eggs. On other days I mix different grains like quinoa, rolled oats, rye and barley.
Our hens have been working hard on producing the most beautiful rich eggs you can find anywhere. We feed them organic food and whatever comes out of our kitchen (they love that the best) and whatever weeds come out from the garden.
So, the other day I wanted to try something new. I had two components, leftover grain mix from the day before and eggs. I thought a whole grain savory patty/pancake would be a good replacement to bread….
If you have all the ingredients you can omit rolled rye and barley but keep the quinoa and oat; quinoa adds texture and oat adds body and holds the pancakes.
And, here what came out………..
Multi Grain Pancake
Ingredients: Serves: 2
½ cup rolled grain mix         ½ cup uncooked quinoa
2 cups water                       3 tbs. garlic or onion chives, finely chopped
1 egg                                 ¼ tsp. salt, black pepper to taste
2 tbs. olive oil

Instructions:
Place quinoa in a pot with the water and cook on medium heat until half of the water is absorbed. Add grain mix, reduce heat and cook until water is absorbed and mix binds together. Cool down. In the meantime beat the egg with chives, salt and pepper, add to grains and incorporate together. Form into six patties. Heat your oil on medium high and fry pancake about 3 minutes on each side or until it’s crisp and is not sticking to the pan.
Serve with your favorite style off eggs. Mine is fried in olive oil.

Stannette’s Girl’s Night In

I met  a new friend last week through my husband Brian, her name is Stannette , she is a lovely cheerful redhead that radiates warmth and joy. Stannette was hosting a girls night in and since cooking is my thing; I offered to provide some of the fair. It was a nice evening, full of good conversation spent with new friends.
My contribution to the menu were:
Potato and Pea Samosas served with Coriander, Coconut Chutney
Ground Beef and pine nut Samosas serve with Cucumber, Mint Yoghurt Sauce
Smoked Salmon Crostini with Wasabi Cream cheese
Goat Cheese, Green tomato Chutney Crostini
Asparagus, Pea Sip soup with Mint and Basil
Grilled Garlic Shrimp with Romesco Sauce
Green Papaya, Mango and Avocado Lettuce wraps with Lemongrass. Ginger Dressing
Here are some of the recipes……

Asparagus, Pea Sip Soup with Mint and Basil

This soup is a very delicate elegant soup. I serve it  warm in small glasses garnished with blanched asparagus spears and a Crostini. If you want to serve it as a course soup the recipe will serve six people. You can omit cream for a lighter or vegan version.
Ingredients: Serves: 6-12
3 lb. Fresh asparagus                   5 cups shelled green peas
½ large yellow onion, diced          3 cloves garlic, chopped
2 tbs. butter                                Fresh mint and basil, 3 sprigs of each
1 cup heavy cream                      Salt and black pepper to taste
12 toasted baguette slices            Mint, basil oil (optional)
6 cups green vegetable stock (recipe follows), you may substitute with your favorite vegetable stock
Instructions:
Trim hard bottom part of asparagus spears and wash. Choose 12 tender slim spears and set aside. Chop rest of asparagus. Place a large pot on medium heat, add butter, onion and garlic and cook until translucent. Add asparagus, salt and pepper, sauté for about 7 minutes, add peas and cook for an additional five minutes. Add stock and cook until asparagus is tender set aside to cool down. Fill a medium size pot with water add two teaspoons of salt. Set aside a bowl with ice water. When water starts boiling, add reserved asparagus spears and blanch for two minutes. Strain asparagus and submerge in ice water. Remove spears from water, pat dry and set aside. Process the soup in a blender with mint and basil until creamy. Add cream and adjust seasoning. Serve soup in small glasses like a cocktail drizzled with mint, basil oil and garnished with blanched spears and toast .
Green Vegetable Stock
I call this stock green because I use mostly green vegetables and has a nice green color to it. It is fragrant and subtle which is very appropriate for our Asparagus, Pea Soup.
Ingredients:
1 of each; zucchini, yellow onion, parsnip, mint sprig and basil sprig
2 carrots                                      3 cloves of garlic
3 stalks of celery                          12 unshelled pea pods
Ends of asparagus spears             10 cups water
Instructions:
Fill a big soup pot with water place on high heat. Wash all ingredients, peel garlic and onion. Cut all vegetables to four pieces. Add to pot with herbs. When water starts boiling reduce heat and simmer for about an hour. Use broth when ready. You can freeze leftover and use in other applications.
Grilled Garlic Shrimp with Romesco sauce

If you don’t feel like firing up the grill; you can use a grill pan sprayed with a little bit of canola oil.
Ingredients: Serves 6-8 people
3 lb. shelled shrimp with tails on
Marinade:
1 head of garlic, peeled Juice of 1 lemon 3 tbs. canola oil 1 tsp. kosher salt 2 tsp. paprika 1 tsp. Aleppo pepper ½ tsp. black pepper Pinch of cayenne pepper
Process all ingredients in a food processor until smooth. Add to shrimp and marinate for ½ to 1 hour. Grill on medium heat for 2-3 minutes on each side and serve.
Serving Suggestions:
Serve over any type of salad like Caesar, Asian or Mexican. You can make them into tacos or serve on top of pasta or rice.
Romesco Sauce
Romesco is a sauce originating in Tarragona (Catalonia, Spain) that is typically made from almonds, pine nuts, and/or hazelnuts, roasted garlic, olive oil and Nyoras which a smaller, sweet, dried variety of red bell pepper. Other common ingredients include roasted tomatoes, red wine vinegar and onion. Leaves of fennel or mint may be added particularly if served with fish, seafood and escargot. It can also be served with a wide variety of other foods including fish and vegetables.My favorite way to serve it is with Paella for added richness and tang.
Ingredients: Makes about 3 cups
1 Red bell pepper 2 Roma tomatoes
5 garlic cloves 2 dried Ancho Chilies
1 dried chili Cascabel (optional) ½ cup blanched almonds
½ cup pumpkin seeds ¼ cup red wine vinegar
1 cup + 2 tbs. extra virgin olive oil 2 slices of white dense bread
½ tsp. kosher salt ½ tsp. black pepper
Instructions:
Roast red pepper, tomatoes, garlic and dried chilies on an open flame or in the oven until charred. Place peppers, tomatoes and garlic in a plastic bag; peel when cool. Set aside. Soak dried chilies in water until soft, strain. In the meantime toast almonds in 1 tablespoon of olive oil until golden brown, set aside. Toast pumpkin seeds in the same skillet until seeds start popping. Set aside. Place almonds, pumpkin seeds, bread and dried chilies in a food processor until it resembles coarse sand. Add tomatoes, red pepper, vinegar, salt and pepper. Process the mixture until well incorporated. Add olive oil in a stream while the motor is running until smooth. Adjust seasoning and serve.
Note: You can use almonds only or substitute pumpkin seeds with pine nuts or hazelnuts. I sometimes add a twist to it by incorporating three or four chipotle chilies preserved in adobo sauce.
Green Papaya, Mango and Avocado Salad Wraps with Lemongrass and Ginger

Ingredients: Serves 4-6 people
Salad:
1 small green papaya (about 3 pounds) * 1 ripe mango
1 ripe avocado Butter lettuce
2 tbs. black sesame seeds ¼ cup shelled, toasted pistachios
Dressing:
1 lemon grass 1” fresh ginger peeled
¼ cup low sodium soy sauce ¼ cup rice wine vinegar
1 tbs. honey Juice of 1 lime
½ cup canola oil 1 tsp. Asian chili garlic sauce
Instructions:
Peel green papaya and cut lengthwise then remove seeds. Shred in a food processor using the shredding blade or the coarse side of a cheese shredder. Separate lettuce leaf, wash and dry in a salad spinner or pat dry with a towel. Coarsely chop pistachios and set aside. Wash lemongrass stalk and trim both ends removing hardest part. Cut lengthwise, chop and place in a blender. Chop ginger and add the rest of ingredients except oil, blend until smooth. While motor is running add oil in a stream until well incorporated and creamy.
Assembly:
Toss salad with ½ the amount of dressing and 1 tbs. of sesame seeds, taste and add more if needed.
Set lettuce leaves on a platter; divide dressed papaya over lettuce leaves. Place mango on its edge and cut across the seeds from both sides. Peel and slice lengthwise. Slice avocado around, twist to separate both pieces, remove pit, peel and slice lengthwise. Place 1 slice of either fruit on top of papaya, sprinkle wraps with remainder of sesame seeds and pistachios. Serve rest of dressing on the side for added tang, if desire.
* You can find shredded green papaya in some Asian stores in the refrigerated produce section.

Gluten Free Orange, Coconut Bundt Cake

Gluten seems to be the most common ingredient that many people these days are allergic to. My husband being one of them , I have been experimenting with different flours and flour combinations mainly breads and pancake. Some recipes have worked and some have not. Recently when I am asked to prepare something for an event, I try to make sure that I include a gluten free dish; its a great way to get feed back and at the same time have something for everyone. This past Sunday being one of those days when I  had to provide a snack for our Satsang group. The recipe was inspired by an orange pound cake recipe I make and a cookie I had once that had a combination of orange, coconut and almonds. I have never made a cake using flour other than all-purpose flour. In the last year, trying to educate myself on how different flours and what makes them work in cake or bread; I had to take a leap of faith in creating the recipe. I used coconut flour, a recent discovery of mine, potato flour, tapioca starch and Xanthan gum for elasticity.I was lucky it worked the taste was amazing and it was very moist. What I found is that it takes longer to bake than a normal cake and it was higher than the edge of the mold but then depressed a bit after it cooled down a bit. I think I will bake it in a spring form cake pan or in two loaf pans which will bake for a lesser time. Make sure to test your cake in the last 15 minutes by inserting a tooth pick in the middle part of the cake it has to come out clean; if otherwise bake it a little longer. 

Recipe:

Ingredients:
Flour Mix:
¾ cups rice flour
¾ c. coconut flour
¾ c. tapioca flour/ starch
¾ c. potato flour/starch
Makes 3 cups add ¼ c. coconut flour add 1 ½ tsp. Xanthan gum
2 sticks butter, at room temperature
2 cups granulated sugar
4 extra large or regular 5 Eggs at room temperature
Zest of 3 oranges
1 tsp. almond extract or vanilla
½ tsp. Baking Powder
½ tsp. Baking soda
1 tsp. kosher salt
1 cup sour cream at room temperature
1 cup orange juice at room temperature
1 cup coconut milk at room temperature
1/4 cup unsweetened coconut flakes for decaoration
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour a Bundt cake mold. In an electric mixing bowl cream butter and sugar until well incorporated. Mix in eggs one at a time and orange zest until creamy and smooth. In another bowl mix orange juice, coconut milk and sour cream and almond extract. Sift flour, Baking Powder, Baking soda and Salt. Set aside. Add flour and sour cream mixture alternately to the batter, beginning and ending with the flour. Pour into pan and smooth top.
Bake for 45-60 min. or until a tooth pick inserted in the middle comes clean. Leave in pan for about 10 minutes then drizzle syrup on top and cool down for about 15 minutes or until syrup is fully absorbed. Turn upside down on a platter and cool down. Decorate with unsweetened coconut flakes.
Syrup:
½ cup orange juice
¼ cup sugar
While cake is baking prepare syrup by dissolving sugar in juice over low heat.

Lebanese Cuisine, an Introduction and Brief History

Through history ancient and recent, Lebanon has endured earthquakes, invasions, occupations, devastation and destruction and through history its peoples rebuilt it and went on with their lives. It was known as the Switzerland of the East and its capital as the Paris of the East. These days Lebanon enjoys a comeback that is attracting the tourists and the investments that abandoned it for more than three decades. Having grown up there I remember the dark days of the civil war and the Israeli invasion but still hold precious memories of a happy life surrounded by a large extended family that nowadays is scattered allover the globe.

 

 

Lebanon, the land of the biblical cedars of the Lord, looks down from the mountains to the Mediterranean below. Here the archaic fuses with the metropolitan to form a beautiful proud, diverse and interesting land. Situated on the Eastern side of the Mediterranean between East and West, it is a cultural, culinary and commerce crossroads. Lebanese cuisine is the epitome of the Mediterranean cuisine, a cuisine that belongs to an ancient land that has been in the making pre-biblical days. It’s a reflection of its warm, welcoming and hospitable culture. If you happen to visit the country you will be welcomed very easily into someone’s home and your experience will be a memorable one. Its peoples, even through a long history of wars and political strife are life loving who like to socialize and be surrounded with culture, good food and whatever is a reflection of a good life.

 

Lebanon’s history and cultural background lend a unique influence to what the cuisine is all about. Having been under Ottoman occupation for about four hundred years brought influences that are still visible nowadays. The Ottoman Empire at its height spread through three continents with Istanbul its capital; it included parts of Southeastern Europe, Western Asia to North Africa. Borders were erased and influences went in many directions, to be able to make a determination of what cuisine influence which, you may need a food anthropologist to trace back the roots of any dish from any of the various cuisines of the empire. In recent history and after the defeat of Turkey in the First World War, Lebanon was put under a French mandate until 1934 that’s when it became independent and at its current state. The influence of French cuisine is very easy to trace, whether it is in pastries or the use of sauces and the introduction of different kind of cheeses. Another big influence on Lebanese cuisine is the Lebanese people themselves who have been and still are travelers. The different occupations and the Lebanese people’s search of a better life took them to all corners of the world and when they would go back they would take with them certain ingredients that would be introduced to the Lebanese cuisine. With Lebanese’s people love of the new and the trendy and what they got accustomed to through their travels or migrations, you will find nowadays every single world cuisine represented in Lebanon from sushi to burgers and Mexican…

With Arabic being the common language of countries of the Middle East, the similarities between Middle Eastern cuisines are very obvious, especially in the Levant. Unfortunately the different cuisines of the different regions are grouped all together under Middle Eastern cuisine which shows an ignorance of the geographical and cultural differences between those regions. Some of the names of the dishes may be common but the difference is far from subtle whether in preparation, ingredients or seasoning. The closer those countries are to the Mediterranean the use of herbs and vegetables is more common and as you get further inland you will find the dishes that are heavier on spices.

Lebanese cuisine’s genius is the complex simplicity and freshness that rely on the product of the sun, the sea and the land. It has the sophistication and subtleties of the European cuisine with the exotic flare of Middle Eastern ingredients especially spices and herbs. If you travel north to south or east to west though the dishes remain the same, the variations in spices or in ingredients reflect the location. You will find an abundance of starches, grains, legumes, vegetables, fresh fish and seafood. Poultry is eaten more often than meat. When red meat is consumed it is in small quantities and appears mostly in the form of lamb. Just like Jews, pork is not eaten by Muslims so most of what you find will be imported generally processed into ham and bacon consumed by Christians and Muslims who do not adhere to the practice of the faith. Lebanese consume copious amounts of olives and olive oil often drizzled over any cold dish. Butter is used rarely in the form of Ghee and mostly in desserts. Yoghurt is consumed in big quantities plain of course and in the form of Labneh which is strained yoghurt .Yoghurt is used as well in sauces and salads. Cheeses are mostly fresh and white .Fresh goat cheese and goat yoghurt is commonly delivered to your door by the shepherd in mountain villages. Bread, the staff of life is consumed with every meal it is used as a substitute of a spoon to scoop off food. It is considered very sacred. If someone happens to see a piece of bread on the ground he or she will pick it up, kiss it and find a higher perch to put it.

 

When a table is set in Lebanon there are common elements that you will find on it like olives, green or black or both, fresh vegetables and herbs, yoghurt, pickles, an olive oil decanter, jam, probably apricot jam and of course plenty of bread . Lebanese people end their meals with fresh fruit or a bite size pita with jam and the end of all meals coffee; Turkish style with sugar or Arabic style with no sugar and flavored with cardamom.

 

Having meals at a restaurant is reserved for special occasions and can extend for hours. It starts with Mezza; which are small plates that include hot and cold dishes, savory pastries, olives, pickles and even nuts raw or soaked in water. The meal is consumed with the national drink Arak which is distilled high alcohol drink made from grapes and flavored with anise. Grilled kebabs will follow usually a trio of chicken, lamb and kafta which is ground lamb mixed with herbs and spices and formed around a skewer. Any meal will end with coffee, Arabic or Turkish style and fruit; if you have room for it…..

With the chatter about the health benefits of the Mediterranean diet; Lebanese cuisine can very easily take a prominent place as an example to follow.