Its a Wrap

Right.  This is going to be the last "wrap" post for sometime.  There are only so many wraps one can make and it is is time to move on, but before I do, I have to share with you the ultimate kebab - the Chicken Shawarma. 

Now, I know that a Shawarma should really be cooked by alternately stacking strips of fat and pieces of seasoned meat (beef, lamb or marinated chicken) on a stick and roasting it slowly on all sides in front of a flame for several hours.  And I know that that is not entirely practical for the average kitchen but what I am really trying to recreate here is the wrap, stuffed full of aromatically spiced roast meat, lashings of Tahini or Hummus, a juicy tomato, onion and cucumber salad, shredded lettuce and heaps of chilli sauce.  Rightly or wrongly, that's what I want, when I think - Shawarma.  

The first thing you must do is track down some really good Arabic flat bread which is called Khobez.  Do not settle for pitta. I know you can make your own but what I love about knocking up a kebab for dinner is that it is so damn quick and easy.  If you add, making flat bread to the equation, suddenly its not so damn quick and easy, plus a good pitta is easy to make but a really good flatbread is something else.
 

Anyway, find your nearest Arabic shop, be it Lebanese or Turkish, or maybe you have a good Greek or Cypriot shop near by. (Check out my directory). They are all sure to sell good flatbreads or wraps for Kebabs.  Once you have found them, stock up, because they freeze really well and whilst you are there, pick up some Hummus, unless you want to make your own, and some long green pickled chillis, unless you pickle your own, and if you are really lucky or lazy, depending on how you look at it, some Shawarma Total Seasoning, or you can make your own.  There are a billion different recipes for the spice mix but it usually contains a selection of Nutmeg, Cinnamon, Paprika, Sumac, Cardamom, Clove, Cumin and Cayenne Pepper.  It is this unusual, perfumed blend of spices that makes this dish so delicious. Marinate your chicken, leave it overnight and the next day, you can assemble a fantastic meal in a matter of minutes.  A kebab is even great for entertaining.  Everyone just helps themselves. Because everyone likes their kebabs to be just the way they like them. 


I have entered this recipe for Sweet Heat # 5 over at Vanilla Clouds and Lemon Drops because it is such an effortless recipe to rustle up for friends and goes down great with a couple of beers.



Cheats Chicken Shawarma
The spice mix is not exact.  Experiment and find what you like best. You could use a Baharat blend.

Serves 4
4 Chicken breasts (free-range or organic)
1 tsp. Nutmeg
1 tsp. Cinnamon
1 tsp.  Paprika
1 tsp. Sumac
1 tsp. Cardamom
1 tsp. Clove
2 tsp. Cumin
1 tsp. Cayenne Pepper
2 tsp. salt
Olive oil

Trim the chicken breasts and cut in half lenghtways. Coat each piece in spices.  Leave overnight, marinating in the fridge.  Next day, drizzle lightly with olive oil and either barbecue or grill over a high heat.  You can also try roasting the chicken in a very hot oven.  It should only take ten minutes or so to cook as the pieces are quite thin.  Remove from the heat and allow to rest for a few minutes.  Cut into strips on a wooden chopping board.  Serve with plenty of chilli sauce, shredded lettuce, hummus and salad.

A Loaf or Three

I have been constantly feeling bad, ever since “Lamenting Lost Lebanese” that I did not include a Pitta Recipe.  What good are all those delicious dips without a warm piece of fresh pitta bread to dunk into them.  So here it is, and if you have never made pitta before you will be amazed how it actually works.  It puffs up, just as it should, and sinks again, to leave a perfect pocket, to be stuffed full of kebab or falafel, dollops of hummus, heaps of salad and lashings of chilli sauce. 

About 20 years ago I was lucky enough to be sent by The River Café, for a stage at Chez Panisse in Berkley, San Francisco, so I came very familiar with the sourdough concept.  And I can still remember the joy of sitting in Fisherman’s Wharf, looking out over the boats and digging into a hollowed-out sourdough loaf, filled to the brim with hot, creamy, smoky clam chowder.  In fact I can feel another post coming on! 

Then, many years later, I had the pleasure of working at Gail Stephens, Baker and Spice (sadly no more) and got used to eating fantastic Potato and Rosemary Bread or Pain au Lavain daily.  Thankfully The Bread Factory, originally Gail Force, lives on.  I own a well thumbed copy of Baker and Spice “Baking with Passion”, by Dan Lepard but I am ashamed to say that my life now allows little time for Biga acida and wild yeasts. 

So, when looking for a suitable rye bread recipe for my Ultimate Salt-beef sandwich,  I was thrilled to find a fantastic “Cucumber Pickle Juice Rye Loaf” by the very same, fabulous (as Gail would say) Dan Lepard in his book “The Handmade Loaf”.  The genius of using the juice out of the pickle cucumber jar, utilizing something which used to go down the drain, as I finish yet another jar of dill pickles, is brilliant.  But even more so, is that the juice acts as the souring and therefore replaces the need of a “sourdough” starter.  I have to admit that on recommendation I added a little more yeast and I still only got one decent sized loaf but it had great texture and tasted delicious.  My brisket in still in the brine but it is ready on Saturday and I hope to share the results with you very soon.

Finally, my own tried and trusted “Challah” recipe, which I have made time and time again.  I am not a great baker but I love going to the Village Bakery, still hanging on in there, sandwiched between “Paul” and “Le Pain de Quotidien”, and buying my fresh yeast. I love the fact that it costs 30p an ounce, in an age where nothing seems to cost any less than a fiver.  I love the smell of freshly baked bread filling the house on a Friday night and there is no better way to unite the whole family, and start the weekend than the taste of that slightly sweet, deliciously soft bread, and the obligatory  glass or two of wine.  Good Shobbas!

Cucumber Pickle Juice Rye loaf

by Dan Lepard

200g toasted rye flour [40%] (see below)

300g strong white flour [60%]

3/4 tsp fine sea salt

350g cucumber pickle juice at 20ºC (70%)

1 1/4 tsp fresh yeast, crumbled (1%) (I added a little extra)

10g [2 good sprigs) fresh dill, chopped (2%)

To toast the rye flour, preheat the oven to 200'C. Spread the

rye flour in a thin layer over a baking sheet, and bake for 15 minutes, or until the

flour has turned a light tannish brown. Remove from the oven and allow to cool.

Combine the flours, and mix with the salt. In another bowl whisk the pickle juice

with the yeast and dill. Mix this liquid and the flour together with your hands,

squeezing it through your fingertips. When roughly combined, cover the bowl and

leave it for 10 minutes. Tip the dough out on to a lightly oiled (with corn or olive

oil) work-surface and knead gently for 10-15 seconds. Return the dough to the

bowl, leave for a further 10 minutes, then knead once more for 10-15 seconds.

Return the dough to the bowl, leave for 10 minutes again, then knead one final

time for 10-15 seconds.

Give the dough a turn and repeat after 30 minutes and 1 hour.

Original recipe says “Divide the dough into two equal pieces, and shape each into a round” (but I didn’t, I just made one).  Place both (one) on a flour-dusted baking sheet, leaving a space between for the loaves to grow.  Cover and leave for 1 hour, or until doubled in size.

Preheat the oven to 210"C/'110'F/gas mark 6%.Cut a slash across the centre of

each loaf. Bake in the centre of the oven for 55 minutes, until the loaves are a

good rich brown colour and, when tapped on the bottom, sound hollow. Leave to

cool on a wire rack.

Pitta Bread

Makes 12 soft, yeasty little flat breads. Serve with a Greek salad or dips

375g white plain flour

1 ½ tsp fine-ground sea salt

1 ½ tsp white sugar

1 ½ tsp fast-action dry yeast

250 ml tepid water

1 tbsp olive oil

Mix the flour, salt, sugar and yeast together in a bowl. Stir in the warm water and olive oil and mix until it comes together as a dough.  Add extra flour if sticky, extra water if dry. Knead on a lightly floured surface for 10 min until smooth. Place in a large, clean bowl, cover with plastic wrap and leave to rise for 2 hours in a warm place. Punch the dough down, and knead for 1 minute. Cut the dough into 12 pieces, shape into balls, and set aside for 10 min. Heat the oven to 200C/Gas 6. Roll each ball into a fine, flat oval. Bake on a lightly floured tray for 6 to 7 min, until puffy, soft and pale. Wrap in a slightly damp tea towel until cool. To serve, place in a hot, dry pan for a minute or two until warm.

Challah

This is a big batch of bread. You don’t have to make all of it.  It is about 6 loaves but  I like to freeze the ones I don’t need, once they are proved.  This way, I can remove one from the freezer, defrost, plait and bake at a later date, for perfect instant, fresh warm bread.

2oz Fresh Yeast

3 ½  cups warm water

¾ cup sugar

1 cup oil

6 eggs beaten

1 ½ tablespoons salt

13-14 cups flour

1 egg, beaten to glaze

Poppy seeds or sesame seeds to garnish

In a large mixing bowl combine yeast and 1 tablespoon sugar in the warm water.  Set aside for 5 to 10 minutes.  Once the yeast starts to bubble add the remaining sugar and half of the flour.  Mix well.  Add the beaten eggs and oil and mix well.  Knead in the remaining flour and salt, slowly until the dough is light and easy to knead.  Knead well for a further 10 minutes.  Place dough in an oiled bowl.  Cover with oiled clingfilm.  Leave to rise in a warm spot for 1 ½ hours.  Punch down and separate Challah (with a blessing).

Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface and divide into 6 sections.  Divide each section into three.  Roll each into a long sausage shape about as long as your fingertips to your elbow.  Join at one end and plait until you reach the other end. Tuck under and place on a greased baking tray.  Allow to rise for 45 minutes.  Preheat oven to 170º-180 ºC.  Brush loaves with beaten egg and sprinkle with seeds.  Bake until golden brown, about 30 to 45 minutes. The loaf is cooked when taped on the base, it sounds hollow. Remove from tray and cool on a cooling tray.

It also makes the best toast.

Lamenting Lost Lebanese

What I miss most about living in Shepherds Bush, where I was for so many years, is the fantastic North African Shops and Restaurants in the Uxbridge Road.  I used to spend so much time lurking around in Damas Gate and then the even bigger and grander Al-Abbas, which opened a few years ago.  There was a fantastic Halal Butcher just round the corner called Naama, which sold beautiful little lamb chops at a fraction of the price of the supermarkets.  He also had stunning kebabs and little spicy sausages with pinenuts, all made fresh everyday.  We had a lovely little shop called Nut Case, which as the name implies, just specialised in a fantastic array of nuts, and coffee as well. There were countless shops selling beautiful Baklava (Lebanese sweets) - lovely light layers of pastry, bursting with nuts and dripping with honey. I have to say that I actually find them a bit too sweet for my taste, so I have given you a fantastic recipe by Nigel Slater, from his wonderful book "The Kitchen Diaries", for Lemon and Rosewater-frosted Pistachio and Orange cake instead.  Just as delicious but much less teeth-meltingly sweet.  

I loved picking up hot freshly made Falafel at Mr Falafel in Shepherds Bush Market and eating them as a hot snack with the kids.  My favourite Syrian restaurant was there, Abu-Zaad, where we often ate, but more often, I would just pop in and pick up some delicious Demascan starters for a picnic in the park.  Then the kids and I would head off to Ravenscourt Park for the day, armed with tubs of Hummus, Moutabal, Tabbouleh, Fattoush Salad, some Labneh and lots of freshly baked pitta bread.  Also fantastic freshly made juices.  Melon was always our favourite on a hot summer’s day! 

So when I was up visiting my brother and his family at the week-end, who lives in Marylebone, I made sure that I had time to nip down to the Edgware Road, affectionately known as "Little Beirut".  Most of the road now seems to be owned by Maroush restaurants.  I think they had eight outlets alone, in various different formats, at last count.  They are all well worth a visit but it was Green Valley I was heading for.  This is a remarkable shop, stuffed full of wonderful produce, from their fruit and vegetables to their fantastic deli counter selling a beautiful variety of kebabs and really delicious looking rice and vegetable dishes.  Then there are the sweets.  What a display!  And aisles after aisle of pulses and spices, pickles and olives.  I stocked up on Spices - Cumin, Ras-el Hanout and Sumac and then chickpeas, Tahini, Pistachios and Rosewater, huge bunches of parsley and coriander at half the price and twice the size of the supermarket, aubergines, cucumbers, lemons and tomatoes, all of which you will need for the following recipes.  They are all quite classical recipes but they are all favourites and sometimes that is just what you need. 

Falafal

2 cups dried chick peas

1 tsp bicarbonate of soda

4 cloves of garlic crushed

1 tsp ground coriander

2 tsp ground cumin

1 small onion chopped

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp chilli powder (optional)

1/2 cup fresh coriander chopped

Soak the chick peas in water and bicarbonate of soda overnight or for 24 hours. Rinse and drain.  Put all the ingredients in a food processor, and blend till you get a thick paste.  Remove and keep in the fridge for 1 hour before use.  If the mixture is too dry it will not stick together but on the other hand if it is too wet it will break up when frying.  If too dry add a little water.  If too wet, squeeze some out. Divide and shape the mixture into small balls, the size of a walnut. Flatten with your hand, then deep fry in medium, hot oil until golden brown.  Serve warm  in pitta bread, with lots of  salad and Tarator, (Tahini let down with lemon Juice and water).   I like a dollop of hummus and a little chilli sauce with mine as well.

Hummus

2 cups of cooked, drained chickpeas

½ cup liquid from cooking or water

 Juice of one lemon (or more depending on taste)

2 tsp cumin

½ tsp chilli powder (optional)

½ cup Tahini

3 cloves garlic, crushed

1-2 teaspoons salt

1/3 cup olive oil

Combine all ingredients in blender or food processor. Blend for 3-5 minutes on low until thoroughly mixed and smooth. Place in serving bowl, and create a shallow well in the centre of the hummus. Add a small amount (1-2 tablespoons) of olive oil in the well. Garnish with Sumac and whole cooked chick peas (optional).  Serve immediately with fresh, warm pita bread, or cover and refrigerate.

                           

Moutabal

2 large aubergines

1 small clove of garlic

1-2 tablespoons Tahini

Lemon

Sea salt

Cook the Aubergines either  in a hot oven or directly over the flame of a gas hob or on a barbecue.  It  is very important that the aubergines are thoroughly blackened all over as this is where the imperative, fantastic smoky taste of this dish comes from.  They must also be soft to the touch all over but do not overcook to the extent that all there is left is skin and no flesh. When it is well cooked through and the skin is blackened, leave to cool until you are able to handle them.  If using a gas barbecue, turn it off and leave the aubergines to cool with the lid closed, in the smoke. Remove the stalk and peal of the skin.  If they are perfectly cooked this is very easy. leave to drain in a colander.  Add to a food processor with the Tahini and garlic, and blend to a smooth and light puree. Add salt and lemon juice to taste. Serve in a bowl with little olive oil on top and a sprinkle of sumac or smoked paprika.

Fattoush Salad

A great way of using up old pitta bread, this is a delicious salad.  The pitta must be golden brown and very crunchy and the salad should be juicy.  Do not mix too far in advance as the pitta will go soggy.  Mint is a lovely thing, very fresh and aromatic but too much is not nice, like a mouthful of toothpaste.  Again, a little raw garlic or onion is tasty but remember, they are raw!  Do not use too much or you will end up with something un-palatable.

2 pieces of pitta bread, torn into 1 inch pieces plus a little olive oil

2 tomatoes, diced

1 cucumber, halved lengthways, seeds removed with a spoon, quartered lengthways and chopped

Handful of parsley, roughly chopped

Small handful of Mint, chopped

1/2 red onion, very finely sliced

1 half head of romaine lettuce or 1 whole Baby Gem lettuce, chopped

2 cloves garlic, crushed

1 lemon juiced

3/4 cup good olive oil

salt and pepper to taste
1 tsp Sumac

Toss the pitta bread with some extra virgin olive oil, spread out on a baking sheet  and toast in a medium oven until golden and crisp.  Be careful not to burn.  Allow to cool. In a large bowl, make a dressing by combining the garlic, Sumac, olive oil, lemon juice and salt and pepper.  Mix well.  Add your onion and allow to marinate for a few minutes until the onion softens. Next add your lettuce, bread, cucumber, tomatoes, mint and parsley and mix well. 

                            

Tabbouleh

This is a version from Mr Ottolenghi. I  strongly endorse this recipe in that he states that the salad should be 80% herbs with only a little Bulgar and that the herbs must be chopped by hand with a sharp knife.  I do however, question his choice of not cooking the Bulgar.  Although it is important that it should still have a chewy consistency, personally I boil mine in salted water for 5 minutes before refreshing and draining well.

“There's a right way and a wrong way to make this brilliant Middle Eastern salad, says Yotam Ottolenghi.     Here's the right way…  "

Serves four, generously.

90g fine Bulgar wheat

4 medium tomatoes, ripe but still firm (600g)

2 medium shallots (60g)

4 large bunches fresh Flat-leaf parsley (160g)

2 bunches Fresh mint (30g)

1 tsp ground allspice

3-4 tbsp lemon juice

120ml top-quality olive oil

Salt and black pepper

Put the Bulgar in a fine sieve and put under the cold tap until the water runs clear and most of the starch has been removed. Transfer to a bowl.  Cut the tomatoes into 0.5cm dice (a small serrated knife is the best tool for this job) and add to the bowl, along with any juices. Chop the shallots as fine as you can and add to the bowl.  Take a few stalks of parsley and pack them together tightly. Use a large, very sharp knife to trim off the end of the stalks, then chop the remaining stems and leaves as finely as possible and no wider than 1mm. (If you can't achieve that first go, go over the chopped parsley again, this time with the heel of the blade.)  Add the parsley to the bowl. Pick the mint leaves, pack a few together tightly, chop as finely as the parsley and add to the bowl. Finally stir in the allspice, lemon juice to taste, olive oil, salt and pepper. Taste, adjust the seasoning and serve at room temperature.

Labneh  (Strained Yogurt)

3 cups plain yogurt (Organic if possible)

1 teaspoon salt

In a medium bowl, combine yogurt and salt. Place mixture in the middle of a large cheesecloth, muslin or J-cloth.   Bring the sides  together, making a pouch. Tie the "pouch" with string or twist tie. Hang in a cool place or the refrigerator for 12-24 hours with a bowl underneath to catch the whey.

Lemon and Rosewater-Frosted Pistachio and Orange cake

250g butter at room temperature

250g golden caster sugar

3 eggs

100g shelled pistachio nuts, finely ground

100g ground almonds

zest and juice of a large orange

seeds from 6 cardamom pods, ground to a powder

1 tablespoon rosewater

60g plain flour

for the icing:

juice of a lemon

1 teaspoon rosewater

100g icing sugar

Preheat the oven to 160c and line the bottom of a non-stick 22cm tin with greaseproof paper, having lightly greased the tin (if you use a loose-bottom tin place a tray on the bottom of the oven in case the mixture leaks, as happened to a friend of mine).

Cream the butter and caster sugar together until the mixture is pale and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating the mixture well between each addition. Place the mixture in a large bowl and fold in the ground pistachios, ground almonds, orange zest and cardamom. Mix in the orange juice and rosewater then fold in the flour.

Put the mixture into your cake tin and bake for 50-60 minutes, covering the top lightly with foil after 40 minutes. When the cake is ready a skewer, stuck into the centre, will come out clean without any wet cake mixture on it. Leave the cake in its tin to cool.

When the cake is cool, mix the lemon juice and rosewater together. Sieve the icing sugar into the bowl and mix together, adding more lemon juice/ icing sugar as necessary – you want quite a thick texture. Cover the cake with icing and decorate – crystallised rose petals, coloured sugar or chopped pistachios would all look lovely. If eating as a pudding, serve with Greek yoghurt or Mascarpone.