ZA'ATAR ROASTED CHICKEN THIGHS WITH GREEN TAHINI AND ISRAELI COUSCOUS

Za'atar Roasted Chicken Thighs

This is an adaptation from Chef Yotam Ottolenghi's recipe for Za'atar Roasted Chicken With Green Tahini that appeared in the August 2014 issue of Bon Appetit.  Since I had all of the ingredients on hand, this one certainly piqued my interest.  I made it with chicken thighs and served it over Israeli Couscous which absorbed all of the flavors from the chicken marinade. The Green Tahini was a perfect side condiment that added an exceptional flavor to the dish.

 

Za'atar is a Middle Eastern spice blend that is typically made with sumac, thyme, roasted sesame seeds, marjoram and oregano.  It is versatile and can be used on poultry, meats, vegetables, rice, and breads.

 

 

Tahini is a paste made from ground, hulled sesame seeds.  It is used in many Middle Eastern and Mediterranean cuisines.

 

Parsley, Garlic, Tahini, Lemons

Green Tahini:

4 garlic cloves, smashed

1 cup (lightly packed) flat-leaf parsley leaves

1/2 cup tahini

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

1/2 cup olive oil

 

Chicken:

3-4 Chicken Thighs

1 medium red onion, thinly sliced

2 garlic cloves, smashed

1/2 lemon, thinly sliced, seeds removed

1 tablespoon sumac

1 teaspoon ground allspice

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 cup water

1/4 cup olive oil, plus more for drizzling

Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper

2 tablespoons za'atar

For the Green Tahini:  Pulse garlic, parsley, tahini,  add lemon juice in a food processor. Add olive oil until a smooth paste is formed.

For the Chicken Thighs:  Preheat oven to 400°. Toss chicken, onions, garlic, lemon slices, sumac, allspice, cinnamon, water, and 1/4 cup oil in a large dish, cover with plastic film.  Chill in the fridge for at least 4hours.

 

Chicken in Marinade

Remove chicken from fridge and place the chicken, onions, garlic, and lemon slices in a baking pan.  Add the remaining marinade over and around chicken pieces. Sprinkle chicken with za'atar seasoning and drizzle with olive oil.  Roast until chicken is browned and cooked through, about 55 minutes.

Serve chicken over couscous with green tahini as a condiment.

SWEET CORN POLENTA WITH EGGPLANT AND TOMATOES

Eggplant Sauce on Sweet Corn Polenta

This is another great recipe adapted from Yotam Ottolenghi's cookbook, Plenty.  It's a polenta made with fresh sweet corn and topped with an Eggplant and Tomato Sauce.  Since the fresh corn season is coming to an end, I wanted to use some of the last few stalks of the season from my farmers' market so this was a simple and perfect dish to make.  

In lieu of cornmeal that is typically used for traditional polenta, fresh corn is cooked, then processed in the food processor where it breaks down into a sweet and pasty texture.  It is then added back to its original pan along with some butter and cheese.   I used freshly grated parmesan reggiano cheese, which is not as dense as feta cheese which was part of the original recipe.  As a result, the polenta had some excess liquid, but we strained it.

For the eggplant sauce, I had to add some garlic.  Also, I used olive oil and roasted the eggplant in the oven. 

Although we salvaged the runniness of the "polenta", the dish turned out to be very flavorful.   My meat-eating friend said that if vegetarian food tasted this good, he might give up meat. 

 

Eggpland and Tomato

Eggplant and Tomato Sauce

1/2 cup olive oil (part for eggplant; part for sautéing garlic)

1 medium eggplant cut into 3/4-inch dice
6 garlic cloves, chopped
2 teaspoons tomato paste
1/4 cup dry white winee
1 cup fresh tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped
2 oz water
1/8 teaspoo salt
1 tablespoon fresh oregano, chopped

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Toss olive oil and eggplant in a bowl and ensure eggplant is well covered with oil.  Place eggplant on a pan and roast in the oven for about 20-30 minutes, turning as necessary until eggplant is lightly browned and softened. 

Heat some olive oil in a large sauté pan.  Add garlic and cook until slightly aromatic and softened.  Stir in tomato paste, and then add roasted eggplant along with any residual juices from the roasting process.  Add the wine and cook for one minute.  Add the chopped tomatoes, water, salt and oregano and cook for a further 5 minutes to get a deep-flavored sauce. Set aside; warm sauce when needed.

 

Corn in Food Processor

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Sweet Corn Polenta

5 ears of corn

2 cups water, or enough to cover the corn kernels about 1/2 inch
3 tablespoons butter, dicedAsk a question about this ingredient
1 cup grated parmesan reggiano cheese
Salt
Pepper
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Shuck each ear of corn, then chop off the pointed top and stalk. Use a sharp knife to shave off the kernels. Stand each ear upright on its base and shave downward, or lay each ear on its side on a cutting board to slice off the kernels.

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Place the kernels in a medium saucepan and cover them with the water. Cook on a low simmer for about 10 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to lift the kernels from the water and place into a food processor; reserve the cooking liquid.

Process corn for a few minutes to break as much of the kernel case as possible. Add some of the cooking liquid if the mixture becomes dry.

Return the corn paste to the pan with the cooking liquid and cook, while stirring, on low heat until the mixture thickens to a mashed potato consistency.  If there is a lot of liquid left in the pan, drain polenta while reserving the draining liquid.  Fold in the butter, the cheese, salt and some pepper and cook for a further 2 minutes. Taste and add more salt if needed.  Drain again if there is too much liquid.

BLACK PEPPER TOFU

Black Pepper Tofu

This is another favorite dish of mine that I adapted from Yotam Ottolenghi's book, "Plenty". The dish is perfect for a Meatless Monday after a Seafood Sunday. 

Tofu dusted in Arrowroot

1 1/2 # firm tofu

1/4 cup grape seed or canola oil
1/4 cup of arrowroot to "dust" the tofu
1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup chopped shallots
2 Thai chilies, thinly sliced, seeds removed
1/4 cup minced garlic
1/3 cup minced ginger
3 Tablespoons kecap manis (sweet soy sauce)
3 Tablespoons light soy sauce
2 Tablespoons palm sugar
5 Tablespoons coarsely crushed black peppercorns
2 cups scallions cut into 1" pieces.

Heat oil in pan. Cut the tofu into large cubes, about 1 x 1 inch.   Toss them in arrowroot. 

Add to the heated oil.  "Fry" tofu until they have a thin crust.  After tofu cubes are cooked, remove them and transfer to paper towels to drain.

Remove the oil and any sediment from the pan.   Add butter and melt.  Add shallots, chilies, garlic and ginger.  Sauté on low heat for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until ingredients are soft.  Add kecap manis and soy sauce, palm sugar and stir.  Add crushed black pepper.   Then, add the tofu to warm it up.  Finally, add the chopped scallions.