Chicken Shawarma

There is a great Middle Eastern restaurant in Ann Arbor that I love. But what I love even more is enjoying dinner at my own house. And now, if you're lucky, I might invite you over for some delicious Chicken Shawarma.

Ingredients
2lb  chicken thigh fillets , skinless and boneless

Marinade
1 large garlic clove , minced
1 tbsp ground coriander
1 tbsp ground cumin
1 tbsp ground cardamon
1 tsp ground cayenne pepper (reduce to 1/2 tsp to make it not spicy)
2 tsp smoked paprika
2 tsp salt
Black pepper
2 tbsp lemon juice
3 tbsp olive oil

Yogurt Sauce
1 cup Greek yoghurt
1 clove garlic , crushed
1 tsp cumin

Squeeze of lemon juice
Salt and pepper
 

Serve with flatbreads, sliced lettuce, tomato slices, hummus or tzatziki sauce, or yogurt sauce, recipe below.

Instructions

Combine the marinade ingredients in a large ziplock bag (or bowl). Add the chicken and use your hands to make sure each piece is coated. If using a ziplock bag, I find it convenient to close the bag then massage the bag to disperse the rub all over each chicken piece.
Marinate overnight or up to 24 hours.
Combine the Yoghurt Sauce ingredients in a bowl and mix. Cover and put in the fridge until required (it will last for 3 days in the fridge).
Heat grill/BBQ (or large heavy based pan on stove) on medium high. You should not need to oil it because the marinade has oil in it and also thigh fillets have fat. But if you are worried then oil your hotplate/grill. (See notes for baking)
Place chicken on the grill and cook the first side for 4 to 5 minutes until nicely charred, then turn and cook the other side for 3 to 4 minutes (the 2nd side takes less time).
Remove chicken from the grill and cover loosely with foil. Set aside to rest for 5 minutes.

From recipetineats.com

Lemon Rice

This rice is good enough to eat right out of the refrigerator the next day. The lemon makes it so special. It's worth the effort to get a real lemon, but I have cheated and used bottled lemon juice when I didn't have a lemon. I never have parsley because it just goes bad. But I will put in some dried herbs into the lemon juice while I wait to add it at the end.

Ingredients

1 1/2 tbsp extra virgin oil (or butter)
1 garlic clove , minced
1/2 onion , finely chopped (white, brown, yellow)
1 1/2 cups white rice , long grain (uncooked) (Note 1)
1 1/4 cups chicken broth
1 cup water
1 large lemon (1 tsp zest + 3 - 4 tbsp lemon juice)
3 tbsp finely chopped parsley
3 tbsp finely chopped dill (or sub with parsley, oregano, basil chives, mint)
Salt and pepper

Instructions

• Heat oil over medium heat in large saucepan or small pot.
• Add garlic and onion. Cook for 5 minutes or until translucent and sweet.
• Add rice and stir until rice turns mostly translucent.
• Add broth and water. Place lid on, bring to simmer then turn heat down to low.
• Cook for 12 minutes or until water is evaporated.
• Remove from from stove and rest for 10 minutes (keep the lid on).
• Remove lid. stir through lemon zest, lemon juice, herbs and salt and pepper to taste.
• Lovely served warm or at room temperature.
   
  From recipetineats.com

Spicy Shrimp

This recipe from confessionsofacleanfoodie.com places this shrimp in a broccoli slaw salad. And it's very good. And I might bother to post that on a separate post. But this shrimp is so delicious that this is the way I prefer to cook shrimp, if I have it. I serve it with lemon rice and a green vegetable.

Ingredients

• 1 lb. wild-caught shrimp (peeled and deveined)
• 1 tsp. old bay seasoning
• 1/2 tsp. ground turmeric
• 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
• 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
• 1 tbsp. grass-fed ghee

Pat dry the shrimp. Combine the spices and toss with the shrimp. Cook the shrimp over the melted butter, 3 minutes per side. Done.

Sweet Potato and Lentil Shepherd's Pie

I first had this dish when I met Jill Gardner for lunch in Edinburgh. I loved it so much that I knew I wanted to find a way to make this for myself again and again.

Ingredients

• 3 sweet potatoes roasted and slightly cooled
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 small onion diced
• 2 carrots diced
• 1 clove garlic minced
• 1 cup green or brown lentils
•  3/4 cup vegetable broth
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce or soy sauce for vegetarian/vegan option
• 1 1/2 cups spinach
• 2 teaspoons fresh thyme chopped, plus more for garnish
• 1 bay leaf
• Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Separate flesh of sweet potatoes from skins and place in a medium-sized bowl. Discard skins. Mash together sweet potato with butter, milk and salt (I used an immersion blender to ensure smoothness). Set aside. In the meantime cook the lentils in plenty of water. Bring water and lentils to a boil, then simmer until tender, 30-40 minutes.
   
2. Heat olive oil in a pot over medium heat. Add diced onions and carrots and cook until onions are translucent about 5-7 minutes. Add minced garlic and cook for another minute.
3. Add cooked lentils, broth and Worcester sauce to the pot and bring to a simmer. Add spinach, thyme, bay leaf, salt and pepper and simmer until broth is absorbed. Discard bay leaf.
4. Transfer lentil mixture to 4 individual ramekins or a baking dish and spread an even layer of sweet potato mixture on top. Bake for 20-25 minutes. Garnish with fresh thyme leaves if desired.

Mac & Cheese Like None Other

Okay. There is a tiny bit of extra effort called for in this recipe. People don't usually have a pound of Gruyere sitting in their refrigerator. And maybe people don't usually keep Half N Half as a staple, either. But I am telling you, every bit of effort is paid back in spades when you eat this. OMG!

Ingredients

• 1lbs elbow macaroni
• 1lbs gruyere cheese, grated
• 1lbs white cheddar, grated
• 1/3 cup seasoned breadcrumbs (or panko breadcrumbs)
• 1/2 stick of unsalted butter
• 1/4 cup flour
• 3 cups milk
• 1 cup half and half
• pinch of nutmeg
• Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
• Parmigiano Reggiano to taste
• Olive oil

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Separate 1/2 cup of Gruyere and 1/2 white cheddar. Reserve.

In a large pot, boil the water over high heat, add salt, drizzle some olive oil and cook the macaroni according to package instructions.

Drain and transfer to a large oven proof dish.

Bring that same pot back to the stove and, over medium high heat, melt the butter. Once the butter is melted, add the flour and whisk until well incorporated, making a roux. Add the milk, slowly, whisking constantly. Keep whisking for about 5 minutes until the sauce boils and thickens. Once it’s thick, add the half and half and cook for a little while longer to almost get thick again. Remove from the heat and add the salt, the pepper, the pinch of nutmeg and the majority of the white cheddar and Gruyere. Mix everything together until well incorporated.

Pour the sauce into the macaroni and stir. Top with the 1/2 cup of Gruyere and the 1/2 white cheddar. Grate some Parmigiano Reggiano on top, to taste. Sprinkle the breadcrumbs and bring it to the oven.

Bake for about 20 minutes or until the top is golden brown and the sauce is bubbly.

Indian Black-Eyed Peas

If you want your kitchen to smell delicious, just start cooking up this recipe. Mmm-mmm.

Ingredients:

One (28-ounce) can no-salt-added whole tomatoes

1 tablespoon sunflower or other neutral vegetable oil

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

2 teaspoons finely chopped garlic

1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh ginger

1 teaspoon chili powder

1 teaspoon ground turmeric

1 teaspoon garam masala

2 tablespoons cold water

 One (14-ounce) can no-salt-added black-eyed peas, drained and rinsed

12 ounces button or cremini mushrooms, washed, patted dry and thickly sliced

1 teaspoon kosher salt, or more as needed

Using a slotted spoon, transfer the whole tomatoes to a medium bowl, leaving the extra juices and liquid behind (reserve it for another use). Snip the tomatoes into bite-size pieces with kitchen scissors or crush them with your hands.

In a large skillet over medium-high heat, heat the oil until shimmering. Add the cumin seeds and cook, stirring, until they start to darken, about 30 seconds. Stir in the garlic and ginger and cook until fragrant, another 30 seconds. Stir in the chili powder, turmeric and garam masala, cook for a few seconds, then pour in the water and cook until it evaporates and the oil separates, 2 to 3 minutes.

Stir in the tomatoes, black-eyed peas, mushrooms and salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low, cover and simmer until the flavors have melded and the mixture has thickened, 4 to 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and, if you’d like, use a wooden spoon to mash some of the peas to thicken the sauce. Serve hot. You can top with hummus or sour cream or plain yogurt.

Brined Pork Chops

This is just the directions on how to brine pork chops. No fancy dish at the end. But I rely on the Nanners for most of the recipes I consult so I wanted it here for my convenience. Oh, and by the way, these chops are so stinking delicious, I wouldn't bother cooking them any other way. Caveat, they must be thick sliced.

Put pork chops in a shallow, flat dish.

Boil one cup of water and dissolve 2 1/2 Tbsp of salt and perhaps some other, optional spices, i.e., two smashed cloves of garlic, a bay leaf, peppercorns. I used thyme that I had in the fridge.

Add two cups of cold water to bring down the temperature and then pour the brining over the pork chops. Let sit for 30 minutes to four hours.

Heat the oven and skillet. Arrange a rack in the middle of the oven and heat to 400°F. Place a large ovensafe skillet in the oven to heat as well. While the oven heats, prepare the pork chops.
 Season the pork chops. Remove the chops from the brine. Pat dry with paper towels. Rub both sides with olive oil, then season with salt and pepper. Set the chops aside while the oven finishes heating.
 Remove the skillet from the oven. Using oven mitts, carefully remove the hot skillet from the oven and set it over medium-high heat on the stovetop. Turn on a vent fan or open a window.
Sear the pork chops. Place the pork chops in the hot skillet. You should hear them immediately begin to sizzle. Sear until the bottom of the chops are golden-brown, about 3 minutes. The chops may start to smoke a little — that's ok. Turn down the heat if it becomes excessive. 
Flip the chops and transfer to the oven. Use tongs to flip the pork chops. Using oven mitts, immediately place the skillet in the oven. 
Roast the chops until cooked through. Roast until the pork chops are cooked through and register 140°F to 145°F in the thickest part of the meat with an instant-read thermometer. Cooking time will be 6 to 10 minutes depending on the thickness of the chops, how cool they were at the start of cooking, and whether they were brined. Start checking the chops at 6 minutes and continue checking every minute or two until the chops are ready.
Rest the chops. Transfer the pork chops to a plate and pour any pan juices over the top (or reserve for making a pan sauce or gravy). Tent loosely with foil and let the chops rest for at least 5 minutes before serving.

Hummus

It seems that at all of our family gatherings hummus is a staple. It's so easy to make and so expensive to buy. This is hands down my favorite recipe for hummus for its ease and flavor.

3/4 cup tahini (Trader Joe's was recommended in one recipe as being a very good one.)
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup lemon
1 Tbsp. garlic (or 3 cloves, or more, if you like garlic.) I use squeezy garlic.
1/2 tsp. cumin
1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed

 Put everything in the food processor except for the chickpeas.

Puree for about 1 minute, until the mixture becomes light-textured and smooth. It should be pourable, not pasty. You may want to add up to another 1/4 cup of water while you're processing these ingredients, if it seems too thick.

Add chickpeas puree for about 3 minutes, until very smooth.

Tip: Tahini can be messy to measure. Let it come to room temperature first, and pre-coat the inside of your measuring cup with a drop of oil or a little cooking oil spray.

The hummus can be refrigerated for up to 1 week. It is best served at room temperature; if you’re in a hurry, microwave chilled hummus in 10-second intervals, stirring each time.