Middle Eastern Chicken Kebabs

Summertime is for grilling.

I was surfing the net one day (Do they even still use that term? "Surf the net?") and an article came up with this recipe from Once Upon a Chef. I'm always up for trying a great new recipe and I love, love, love kebabs. So I decided to dust off the cobwebs off my grill and give this recipe a try. And boy were these kebabs delicious. It tastes exactly like the kebabs I buy at many of the local Mediterranean/Armenian restaurants in our area. I normally eat kebabs with my homemade Tzatziki sauce, but these kebabs do not need any accompaniment because they are so good and so flavorful all by themselves. I did, however, serve it with my new found favorite Basmati Rice Pilaf and my Mediterranean meal was complete.

1 cup plain Greek yogurt
2 Tbsp. olive oil
2 tsp. paprika
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1/8 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. red pepper flakes (less if you don't like it spicy)
zest of 1 lemon
2 Tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 3/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
5 garlic cloves, minced
2 1/2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken thighs (trimmed of any fat and cut into large pieces)
1 large red onion, cut into wedges
oil for greasing the grill
bamboo skewers, soaked in water for about an hour

1) In a medium bowl, combine yogurt, olive oil, paprika, cumin, cinnamon, red pepper flakes, zest and juice of lemon, salt black pepper and garlic. Stir until thoroughly combined.

2) Thread chicken pieces onto the skewers, alternating occasionally with the red onion pieces. Be sure not to cram the skewers. Place the kebabs on a tray lined with aluminum foil. Brush or spoon the marinade all over the meat and onions coating well. Cover and refrigerate for 8 hours or overnight.

3) Preheat grill to medium-high heat. Grease the grill by dipping some paper towel in oil and wiping down the grill with it. Grill chicken until golden brown and cooked through, about 8-10 minutes on each side. Transfer to a serving platter and serve with rice and/or tzatziki sauce.

Slow Cooker Moroccan Beef Stew

I've never had Moroccan food other than when I attempted to make it a few years ago when I made Crockpot Moroccan Chicken, which turned out pretty well. I came across this recipe from Spark Recipes. And since my Moroccan Chicken turned out so well, I figured this would turn out just as well. This was a super easy dish to make and came out so delicious and full of flavor from the curry and garam masala. I'm glad I was able to find another use for garam masala other than an Indian dish. And I love how this dish was a mixture of sweet and savory. I think I like this dish is better than its chicken counterpart. Serve this on top of couscous to complete your exotic meal.

2 lbs. beef, cubed
4 carrots, chopped
2 medium onions, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. yellow curry powder
1 tsp. garam masala
1/4 cup tomato sauce
3 cups broth (vegetable, chicken or beef)
1 (14.5 oz) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed (optional)
1/2 cup raisins (optional)
1/2 cup chopped dried apricots
2 Tbsp. chopped cilantro for garnish
1/4 cup toasted almond slivers for garnish (optional)

1) Pat the meat dry with a paper towel. Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add meat and sear on all sides. Remove meat and set aside.

2) In the same pan, add carrots, onions, and garlic. Saute for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add curry, garam masala, and tomato sauce. Stir to combine.

3) Add beef and vegetable mix in the crock pot. Cook on low for 6 hours. Add chickpeas and raisin (if using) and dried apricots. Cook for another 30 minutes to an hour. Serve on top of couscous.

Lula Kebab

Hubby and I decided to have a get together with his side of the family for Father's day this Saturday, instead of the Father's day Sunday. And I've been racking my brain trying to figure out what to make. I finally decided on grilling up some kabobs. I've been asked to feature lula kebabs on this blog a while ago, but never got around to it. I normally just buy the seasoned ground meat at a local Armenian store and grill them at home whenever I had a craving for kebabs. But I have always wondered how to make them. So I searched online for a good recipe. There wasn't many recipes for lula kebabs, but I managed to find this recipe from myrecipes.com. I wanted to do a trial run before I serve it on Saturday, so I gave it a try for dinner tonight.

You can use any type of ground meat for this recipe: beef, chicken, turkey or lamb. I happened to use turkey tonight. But a word of caution if you do decide to use turkey - because turkey is so lean, the final product will be dry. I didn't mind it this time, because this was a trial run. But I'll probably be using ground beef for the get-together. The flavors came out really well on this recipe. Maybe I won't have to go to the Armenian market for my kebab fix.

3 lbs. ground meat

1 large onion, finely chopped (about 2 cups)

1/4 cup finely chopped flat-leaf parsley

1 Tbsp. finely chopped fresh mint leaves

1 large egg

2 tsp. ground cumin

1 Tbsp. paprika

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. black pepper

2 Tbsp. tomato paste

juice of half a lemon

1) Line a baking sheet with wax/parchment paper. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. Using your hands, mix just until combined. Over mixing may cause the meat to be tough.

2) Gently form meat into 8-inch logs around skewers (Note: if using bamboo skewers, be sure to soak skewers in water for an hour before using to prevent burning. Another tip is to use 2 skewers for better stability for the kebabs). Place kebabs on the baking sheet. Cover with plastic wrap and chill for at least 30 minutes before grilling.

3) Grill kebabs on a hot grill for about 8 minutes, turning twice, until grill marks appear and meat is firm to the touch.