Authentic Chicken Shawarma

I knew I could do hummus at home (see previous post), but what about my favorite Lebanese dish - chicken shawarma?  A little careful research lead me to www.dedemed.com a great collection of demonstration videos by Dede on cooking Mediterranean foods.  Her recipes are simple and very authentic.  The following recipe is her version of chicken shawarma.  My variation is to use boneless dark thigh meat instead of chicken breasts, marinating is longer (8+ hours) and grilling it until done.  Yummm!  The garlic sauce (homemade garlic mayo) is a MUST.

2 boneless (skinless) chicken breasts, cut into thins strips
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup Mediterranean (Greek) yogurt
1 tbs minced garlic
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground cardamom
1/4 tsp 7 spices (found in Arabic food stores or make it at home yourself)
1/4 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp dried parsley
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
1/8 tsp cinnamon
3 tbs olive oil
Pita, kabees(pink pickled turnips), pickles and garlic sauce for sandwich.

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl, cover and let marinate for 2 hours in the refrigerator. Preheat pan and add 3 tbs olive oil, add chicken and let cook for 10 minutes until chicken browns, cook for an additional 2 minutes if necessary to brown. To make sandwich, use pita bread, spread garlic sauce (use the link or buy some locally) on pita, add chicken, kabees and pickles (you can add tomatoes and lettuce if desired). Roll sandwich and press in the grill press to make sandwich crispy for 3 minutes. Enjoy with fries or salad.

Hummus

If there is such a thing as "Arab America", Dearborn, Michigan may be the closest thing it has to a capital. Twenty-two years ago, our first apartment was an extremely small upper flat located on it's eastside. Shawarma, kibbeh,  tabouli, and hummus was always nearby, fresh, and delicious.  Arabic food is still one of our favorite ethnic cuisines.  I experienced some sticker shock last week when I bought a "cheap" brand of garlic hummus (for close to $6.00/lb) at the grocery store. Wow! I used to be able to get superior stuff from any local Middle Eastern restaurant but now none are conveniently close enough.  I remember a recipe my brother Bob once made for us that was tons better than what came out of the plastic tub, so I called him to re-check the recipe.  He came through with this one ~ simple, inexpensive (about half the price) and very, very, good!  This recipe was given to him over twenty years ago from a friend who was born in Iraq. It is exactly the way his family made it in Bagdad. Garlic lovers (like my family) can step it up with an additional clove or two if they dare.  (And if you are anywhere near my old neighborhod in east Dearborn, the absolutely best pita in the world comes from the New Yasmeen Bakery on Warren Avenue.)

2 - 16 oz. cans chick (garbanzo) peas
3 tablespoons tahini (sesame seed paste)
¼ cups olive oil
⅓ cup (or less to taste) lemon juice
1 teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
1 clove garlic (or 2 if you like more)

Drain chickpeas but reserve some of the liquid. Blend ingredients in food processor or blender. Add enough reserved liquid to bring to desired consistency. More lemon juice may also be added to taste. Spread the hummus on a shallow platter, drizzle it with good extra virgin olive oil and serve it along with pita bread and thinly sliced onions

Pysanky Joe’s Pierogi

For many years, my wife has admired the beautifully decorated Easter eggs many Easter European cultures produce; so when our local adult education catalogue offered a class in decorating Pysanky Easter eggs she jumped at the chance.  The class was taught by Joe, a pastry chef in Detroit that learned the traditional craft from his grandmother.  Since he had no children of his own, he felt teaching others was his way of passing on his Polish heritage to future generations.  He also taught a Pierogi making class for the same reason and, of course, my wife signed me up for it immediately.  Joe said this recipe isn’t strictly “traditional” but they are  fairly easy to make and wonderfully delicious.  The potato-cheese filling is his recipe, the kapusta (sauerkraut) came from my sister-in-law, and the blueberry recipe is from my mom.
   
Joe’s Pierogi Dough
1 package (8 oz) cream cheese
1 stick butter
5 C flour
1 egg
Pinch of salt
½ C+ hot water

Cut-blend the cream cheese, butter, flour and salt in a bowl using two butter knives or a pastry blender. Add the egg then gradually add the hot water until the smooth ball is formed.  Cover and let it rest for 10 minutes.
Roll out thin and cut circles using a biscuit cutter or the top of a large drinking glass.  Fill each circle with your choice of fillings, wet the edge of the circle with water and bring the two edges together and pinch to make sealed pocket.
In a large pot bring salted water to a boil then slide 6-8 pierogi at a time, leaving them in until they float to the top (2 minutes).  Retrieve each from the water with a slotted spoon and place on a wire rack until cool enough to eat or fry in a pan with a little butter. They can also be completely cooled, sprayed with a non-stick spray and frozen for later use.  Makes up to 4 dozen (depending on size.)

Potato-Cheese Filling
3 large onions
2 (yes 2) sticks of butter
8 lbs of potatoes
½ brick Velveeta cheese
Salt and pepper
Boil potatoes until soft, chop onions and saute them in the butter until soft.  Cut up the cheese into cubes and melt them into the butter/onion mixture.  Blend this into the potatoes and mash/blend it all until smooth.  Salt and pepper to taste.  This will make a TON of filling.

Kapusta (Sauerkraut) Filling
1 stick butter
1 large onion, chopped
1 jar sauerkraut, rinsed and drained
8 oz of mushrooms roughly chopped into pieces
1 C sour cream
Salt and pepper
Fry the onions in the butter until soft. Add the mushrooms, then the kraut, sour cream, salt and pepper and simmer for a hour.  Eat it as a side disk with kielbasa or use it as perogi filling.

Blueberry Filling
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1 tbsp. all purpose flour
2 cups blueberries
Whisk together sugar and flour; set aside. Fill each round with about 1 tsp. flour/sugar mixture and 5-6 blueberries. Pull dough over filling; pinch edges together to seal.

Bruce Bogtrotter's Over-the-top Decedent Chocolate Cake

Bruce Bogtrotter was the little boy that stole a piece of chocolate cake from the Trunchbull in Roald Dahl’s book, Matilda. As punishment, he then had to consume an entire cake in front of the whole school! This is that delicious cake – a sinfully sweet, ‘flourless’ chocolate cake coated in a thick, rich, semisweet chocolate ganache icing that puts this dessert way-over-the-top as a decedent indulgence. From the cookbook - Roald Dahl's Revolting Recipes

- 8 ounces good–quality semisweet chocolate
- 1 ½ sticks (12 tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
- ¼ cup all–purpose flour
- 6 eggs, separated, yolks lightly beaten

Ganache icing:
- 8 ounces good–quality semisweet chocolate (I always use Ghirardelli)
- 8 ounces heavy cream

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
2. Line the cake pan with wax paper and butter the bottom and sides of the paper.
3. Melt the chocolate in the microwave on low heat. Mix in the butter and stir until melted.
4. Transfer to a large bowl and add the sugar, flour, and lightly beaten egg yolks.
5. Whisk the egg whites until stiff. Gently fold half of the whites into the chocolate mixture, blending thoroughly, then fold in the remaining whites.
6. Pour the batter into the cake pan and bake for about 35 minutes. There will be a thin crust on top of the cake, and if tested with a toothpick the inside will appear undercooked (don't worry, the cake will get firmer as it cools). Remove from the oven, and let cool in the pan on a wire rack.
7. While the cake is cooling, make the icing. Melt the chocolate with the cream in a heavy–bottomed saucepan over lowest heat, stirring occasionally until the chocolate is fully melted and blended with the cream. Remove from heat and let cool slightly.
8. When the cake is cool enough to handle, remove it from the pan and discard the wax paper. The cake is prone to sinking slightly in the middle, so flip it upside down before icing by placing a plate on top and carefully turning over the cake pan and plate together.
9. Carefully spread the chocolate icing all over the cake with a spatula.

Bubble and Squeak

I ordered this as a side dish at English pub in Toronto once just because of the name. It is a traditional English recipe named for the sound it makes when you prepare it - the potatoes bubble as you boil them and the cabbage squeaks as you fry it.) It’s a delicious easy-to-make Monday side dish that uses Sunday (or St. Patrick’s Day) dinner’s left-over veggies. Ireland’s Colcannon is similar as is Rumbledethumps from Scotland. 


- 4 strips of bacon fried and chopped
- ½ cup onion, finely chopped
- 2-3 cups of leftover mashed potatoes
- ½ cabbage head (chopped)
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Fry the bacon in a large pan and set aside. Add the chopped onion and cabbage into the left-over drippings and fry gently for 3 mins or until soft. Add the potatoes and crumbled bacon turning over, ensuring it is thoroughly mixed and reheated.
You can serve it at this point but some would let it cool, press the mixture into patties and re-fry them in butter until they have a crispy crust. (I didn't say it was low calorie.)

The Frugal Gourmet's New York Cheesecake

From Jeff Smith's cookbook On Our Immigrant Ancestors: Recipes You Should Have Gotten from Your Grandmother. It's made in a flash using just a food processor and a springform pan. It's not the faciest or prettiest cheesecake I make, but it is quick, easy, and the most authentic New York style cheesecake I have ever tasted - and absolutely delicious.

- 1 cup graham cracker crumbs
- 3/4 cup sugar (1/4 c for crust and 1/2 c for cheesecake)
- 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons of melted butter
- 1&1/2 cups of sour cream
- 2 eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 1 pound (2 packages) cream cheese (PHILADELPHIA® brand, of course )

Blend the cracker crumbs, 1/4 cup sugar and 1/4 cup melted butter, and line the bottom of an 8 or 9 inch ungreased spring form pan. Blend the sour cream, 1/2 cup sugar, eggs, and vanilla in a food blender for 1 minute. Add the cream cheese cut into smaller pieces. Blend until smooth. Pour 2 tablespoons melted butter through the top of the machine. Pour into the spring-form pan. Bake in the lower third of a 325 degree oven for 45 minutes.

When baking is finished, remove from oven, and turn oven on to broil. Broil the cheesecake just until the top begins to show attractive spots of brown. Watch it closely - it doesn't take long.  Refrigerate for at lease 4 hours (or better overnight) before cutting and serving.

Taco-Chili Mac and Cheese

This one came from my dad.  He loved cook books.  He had many in his kitchen and he read them all.  He read them, but never USED them.  And although Dad did a majority of the cooking at our house while Mom worked the day shift, he was not known for his epicurean flare. (Ask any of my brothers about his V-8 and honey flavored spaghetti sauce.)  This one, however, he got right.  It's a typical casserole (hot dish) that feeds a lot, fills you up, and tastes yummy.

- 1 lb. macaroni

- 1 lb. hamburger

- 1 packet taco seasoning

- 1 cup of water

- 1 can chili beans with sauce (large or small, mild or hot)

- 1 jar of Cheese Whiz

- 1 bag corn chips (I always use FRITOS® Original)

Cook the macaroni according to package directions in a large pot. Drain, then put the pasta back into the pot. Brown the hamburger in a separate pan, add the taco seasoning and water and stir until thickened.

Add the taco-hamburger to the macaroni. Add the can of chili beans and heat the entire mixture.
Just before serving add the jar of Cheese Whiz and mix in thoroughly. Serve in bowls with crunched Fritos chips on top. Makes 8-10 servings.

Nebraska Runzas

We have several on staff that hail from the Great Plains area of our country.  I learned about runzas from them.  I call them the Nebraska version of a Michigan pasty.  I happen to like runzas better. Their called bierochs if your from Kansas. They are a meaty filling wrapped in a sweet roll bread.  I add cheese too.  They can be frozen for later easy lunching.  The original recipe is from Leslie at Kitchen Gifts.com

Dough:
• 2 pkg. Active dry Yeast
• 2 cups warm milk
• 1/2-cup sugar
• 1/2 t. salt
• 2 eggs - beaten

• 1/2 cup shortening, margarine or unsalted BUTTER!

• 7 to 8 cups all-purpose flour

Put yeast and milk in a bowl. Let it sit for 5 minutes. Add sugar, salt, eggs and softened butter. Mix together.

Gradually add flour while mixing. Add flour until dough pulls together into a ball. Knead for 4 or 5 minutes or until dough is smooth. (I use a free-standing mixer with a dough hook)  Put in a greased bowl, cover with a towel and allow to rise until double. Punch down and let it rise again. Remove dough from bowl and divide into thirds. On a floured surface, roll one portion of the dough to 1/4” thickness. Cut into 5"or 6” squares.

(Reserve dough you cut off to re-roll.) Give each square an extra roll with the rolling pin before filling.

Filling:

• 2 lbs ground beef
• 1 head of cabbage – finely shredded
• 1 medium onion - chopped
• Lots of salt and pepper

• 1 brick of VELVEETA cheese (used during the assembly)

Brown ground beef. Add shredded cabbage and cook over medium heat until cabbage is softened. Add salt and pepper to taste. It takes a lot! Start this about halfway through the second rise of the dough. Set aside until the dough is ready.

Making the Runzas (Bierochs):

Place a ¼“ slice of Velveeta cheese in the center of each dough square then put a large mound of filling on top. Pull opposite corners of the dough together and pinch to hold. Pull the opposite two corners together pinch then use your fingers to pinch all edges together to seal in filling. Turn runzas (bierochs) over and put on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper (helps to keep any leakage from sticking to your cookie sheet)
Space the runzas (bierochs) about 1 inch apart. When cookie sheet is full put a towel over it and let it rise for about 15 minutes.
Bake runzas (bierochs) in a 350 degree oven for 20 to 25 minutes – until they are a deep brown.
Remove from oven and rub butter on the top of each. Cool on cooling rack or eat them now! Runzas (bierochs) can be cooled and then frozen. To reheat just put one in the microwave for one minute.

For a GREAT variation try this one from my teacher, my friend and my life-long mentor (who grew up in Nebraska), The Iron Duke:

Use the above recipe with the following changes:

Make a half batch to make 12 Runza and make the filling instead:

·   1 lb. Italian Pork Sausage.

·   One large onion (chopped)

·   A large can of sauerkraut-well washed, drained, and chopped.

·   ½ cup of Honey mustard

·   Use slices of sharp cheddar instead of Velveeta

Emeril's Mascarpone/Marmalade Stuffed French Toast - (Mostly)

I watched Emeril Lagasse cook this breakfast dish on Food Network's Essence of Emeril show over vacation.  I thought it sounded so good and figured out that if I substituted more common ingredients for some on the less common/more expensive ones, I could make it for my family that day.  Wow! It was wonderful - sweet, rich, and creamy. It didn't take much more work than making regular French toast AND the leftovers were frozen for future breakfasts.  (I've included Emeril's ingredients as well to make it really fancy-schmancy, but left out the ¼ teaspoon of nutmeg he puts in - cause I just don't like nutmeg)

6 eggs
½ cup half and half (or heavy cream)
1 ½ teaspoons orange zest
½ teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
3 tablespoons sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
8 slices (¾-inch) day-old white bread (brioche would be great)
½ cup of cream cheese (mascarpone is even better)
8 teaspoons orange marmalade
2 tablespoons butter
Maple syrup, for serving

In a mixing bowl whisk together the eggs, cream, zest, cinnamon, vanilla, sugar and salt. Lay the bread slices flat on a clean work surface. Spread one side of each slice with 2 teaspoons of the mascarpone. Spread 2 teaspoons of the marmalade over the mascarpone or cream cheese on half of the slices. Place the slices together to form 4 sandwiches. Working one at a time, dip the sandwich in the egg mixture, letting it sit about 1 ½ minutes per side. Transfer to a plate and repeat with the remaining sandwiches.
Preheat a large nonstick skillet over low heat. Add 1 tablespoon of the butter.
When the butter has melted, add 2 of the sandwiches and cook until golden brown on both sides, about 5 minutes per side. Repeat with the remaining butter and sandwiches.
Cut the French toast "sandwiches" in half and serve hot, dusted with powdered sugar and drizzled with maple syrup, as desired.