Chicken Kebabs

I had been looking for the perfect pita bread for a while. They all seemed hard and dry in most of the markets. So this morning I set out to find a better pita bread for this recipe. I sat in front of my computer and searched for a Middle Eastern market in this area but couldn’t find any near by…

And then suddenly, I remembered that a new market just opened a few miles south of here. I got in my car and in a few minutes there I was right in front of it. I went in and wandered around and then asked the men behind the counter if they had pita breads.

“No” he said, “but we make our own bread every day”. “This bread is Persian and it’s called Taftoon”… I bought a bag, came home and tried it. It turned out to be pretty tasty.

Why have I not had this bread before? Anyway… I guess it doesn’t matter what matters is that I now know about it and this is my favorite bread now.

Adapted from Sarah Dickerman recipe, Bon Appétit, January 2011

Special equipment: 4 10- to 12-inch-long metal skewers or bamboo skewers

Ingredients:

1/2 cup coarsely grated onion
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons Baharat Seasoning (recipe below)
4 skinless boneless chicken breast halves, each halved lengthwise, then cut crosswise into 3 pieces
Red onions (optional)

And warm pita bread or Taftoon bread

Whisk first 4 ingredients in large bowl. Add chicken. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Marinate at room temperature at least 1 hour and up to 2 hours.

Preheat broiler. Thread 6 chicken pieces onto each skewer. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place on small rimmed baking sheet. Broil chicken until cooked through, 5 to 6 minutes per side. Arrange kebabs on platter.

Baharat Seasoning

1 1/2 tablespoons dried mint
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoons ground coriander
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 1/2 teaspoons ground nutmeg

Using pestle or blunt end of wooden spoon, mash all ingredients and 1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper in mortar or small bowl 2 to 3 minutes. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 week ahead.

Rice Noodle Pilaf

Adapted from Saveur Magazine, Sept. 2005

Ingredients:

3 cups chicken stock
4 tbsp. olive oil
8 oz. fine egg noodles, broken into 1/2″ pieces
2 cups long grain rice

Put stock and 3 cups water into a medium pot and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Meanwhile, add 3 tablespoons olive oil in another medium pot over medium heat. Add noodles and cook, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until deep golden brown, about 5 to 10 minutes. Remove pot from heat, add rice, and stir until well combined.

Return pot with rice and noodles to medium heat, add boiling stock (do not stir), cover pot, and cook, undisturbed, until almost all the liquid is absorbed, 20–25 minutes.

Tuck the remaining 1 tbsp. olive oil into center of rice and noodles, about halfway down, using a fork to gently cover butter with some of the rice. Cover pot, reduce heat to low, and continue cooking until liquid is completely absorbed and rice and noodles are very tender, 10-15 minutes more. Remove pot from heat and set aside, undisturbed for 10 minutes. Using a large spoon, fluff rice and noodles well before serving.

The following recipe is an old salad recipe… I think I learned how to make it in New Jersey.

Arabic Salad

Ingredients:

1 1/2 tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large cucumber, peeled, halved lengthwise, seeded, and cut into 1/4-inch dice
3 diced medium tomatoes
1 cup finely chopped red onion
1 cup finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

In a medium bowl mix all the ingredients. Toss to coat. Refrigerate until ready to serve

Chicken Kebabs