Oven-Roasted Chicken Shawarma

OVEN-ROASTED CHICKEN SHAWARMA

adapted from https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1017161-oven-roasted-chicken-shawarma

6 servings

There were many good suggestions in readers' comments to this recipe as published in the NYTimes; I have adapted it incorporating several of them. The original recipe called for just 2 lbs. of chicken thighs. I had a package of 2-1/2 lbs and used it all, without changing the measurements for the marinade, which worked out fine—and this way the recipe comfortably makes six servings. Most of the preparation of this dish (both the chicken and the yogurt sauce) needs to be done well in advance, which I like as it leaves nothing to do when the guests arrive except to put it in the oven.

Marinade, chicken, onions

2-1/2 lemons, juiced (with the other half-lemon juiced for the yogurt sauce)

3 T. olive oil

7 cloves garlic, peeled, smashed, and minced

1/2 t. kosher salt

2 t. freshly ground black pepper (I use a small coffee mill to grind this much pepper)

2 t. ground cumin

2 t. paprika

1/2 t. turmeric

a pinch of ground cinnamon

red pepper flakes, to taste (I used a rounded 1/4 t.)

2-1/2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken thighs

2 large red onions, peeled and cut into 8-12 slices

Yogurt sauce

3-4 cups non-fat plain yogurt (or use yogurt with some fat, if you prefer)

a dollop of mayonnaise

1 large clove of garlic, minced

assorted herbs, chopped (I had fresh basil, mint, and parsley in my garden so used all three. Za'atar was also recommended)

Side dishes

cherry tomatoes or diced garden tomatoes

1 English (or other) cucumber, 1/2" dice

pitted kalamata olives

pita bread or rice (brown or white)

PREPARE THE CHICKEN 4-12 HOURS IN ADVANCE

For the marinade for the chicken, combine in a large bowl the lemon juice, 3 T. olive oil, garlic, salt, pepper, cumin, paprika, turmeric, cinnamon and red pepper flakes; whisk to combine. Add the chicken and toss well to coat. Cover and store in the refrigerator for 4-12 hours.

PREPARE THE YOGURT SAUCE

Whisk together the yogurt and mayonnaise, and then add in the garlic and herbs. Cover and refrigerate for 4-5 hours. (If pressed, and you did this at the last minute, it would also be fine.)

ROAST THE CHICKEN

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Grease a rimmed sheet pan with 1 T. olive oil. Add the sliced onion to the chicken and marinade and toss to combine. Remove the chicken and onion from the marinade, and place on the pan, spreading out evenly across the pan. (You can add in a little of the marinade also, but just to wet the chicken a little, not so it is sitting in liquid.)

Put the pan in the oven and roast until the chicken is cooked through, about 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and slice the chicken into small pieces. Serve with the onions, side dishes, and yogurt sauce.

 

Peach Upside-Down Cake

PEACH UPSIDE-DOWN CORNMEAL CAKE

adapted from Cory Schrieber and Julie Richardson, Rustic Fruit Desserts, a cookbook that I highly recommend

serves 8

The original recipe calls for baking in a 10" cast-iron skillet or in eight 5-oz ramekins. I use instead an  8" square Pyrex baking dish, and that works well.  I have always made this with peaches, but the recipe also suggests other stone fruit: apricots, nectarines, plums or cherries. The last time I made this, I forgot to put buttermilk on the shopping list, so I used some dried buttermilk powder that I keep on hand, and the cake was still lovely. Leftover cake is delicious for breakfast! 

FRUIT TOPPING

Enough stone fruit to fill the bottom of an 8" square baking dish (e.g., about 4-5 peaches, sliced)

1/4 cup (2 oz) unsalted butter, melted

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Melt the butter in a medium saucepan. Add the brown sugar and stir until the sugar dissolves and blends with the butter to form a kind of caramel. Spread the butter/sugar mix on the bottom of the baking pan and arrange the fruit on top of it, arranged in rows or circles or however you like.

CAKE

1-1/4 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup fine cornmeal

1-1/2 t. baking powder

1/4 t. baking soda

1/2 t. fine sea salt

1/2 cup (4 oz) unsalted butter, at room temperature

2/3 cup granulated sugar

2 eggs

1 t. pure vanilla extract

1/4 cup buttermilk

Put in a medium-size bowl the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; whisk them together and set aside.

In a larger bowl, use an electric mixer to cream together the butter and sugar, beating for 3-5 minutes, until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, then the vanilla. Stir in the flour mixture alternately with the buttermilk.

Spoon the batter on top of the fruit and gently spread it over the fruit layer.

Bake for about 40-45 minutes, or until the center of the cake springs back lightly when touched. Allow to cool for at least 20 minutes before flipping over. It's nice to do the flip at the table, so guests can see the transformation.

Delicious served as is, but also nice with some low-fat vanilla cream as an option for a topping.

Sheet-Pan Roasted Mushrooms and Spinach

This sheet-pan recipe is for vegetables only, but it makes a full meal with an addition of a simply cooked protein. I served this with a fried egg on top one night, and the next night served the leftovers with some pan-fried Aidell's chicken sausage. Both ways were very good, but I think I liked the egg best. Other suggestions were to serve it with salmon, chicken, steak, or wrapped in an omelet, and it would also work over rice or noodles.

The original recipe did not include red pepper, but I had one on hand, so I added it, and liked the addition. Another time I added a zucchini. Amounts are flexible. Simple recipe, delicious results, and great as leftovers, too! For example, I've used the leftovers inside an omelet, also delicious.

SHEET-PAN ROASTED MUSHROOMS AND SPINACH
https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1021960-sheet-pan-roasted-mushrooms-and-spinach
4 servings

• 1 pound mushrooms (either regular or baby portabellas), trimmed and sliced about 1/4" thick
• 3 small shallots, peeled and sliced vertically
• 1 red pepper, sliced in strips, and then halved (optional)
• 4 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
• 2 T. olive oil, plus more as needed
• freshly ground pepper
• 8-10 oz. baby spinach (you can substitute kale, but add it after cooking other vegetables for about 10 minutes, and then continue to cook for another 8 minutes)

Heat oven to 425 degrees.

Toss together in a large bowl: the mushrooms, shallots, garlic, and 2 T. olive oil. Season with some freshly ground pepper. Put the mixture into a rimmed sheet pan, and spread out evenly.  Roast for about 15-20 minutes.

Take the sheet-pan out of the oven, and add in the spinach, drizzle with a little olive oil (maybe a tablespoon), and toss with the mushrooms. Roast until the spinach is wilted, about 5 minutes, turning once about half-way through. 

Sheet-pan Roasted Chicken with Cauliflower and Yogurt Sauce

This dish is simple enough to make for a week-day supper, but it would also make an elegant dish for guests. And how lovely that before long, we'll be able to have (vaccinated) guests to dinner! 

The original recipe did not call for any marinating time, but several commenters on the NYTimes site suggested it, and I think it makes a big difference. I removed the skin, which I think also helped the flavor penetrate the meat.  About the herbs--I think using both mint and coriander would be great, but I can't bring myself to buy a little packet of mint in the store, because in a couple of months I'll have bushels of it growing in my herb garden. The sauce was delicious with coriander only; I upped the amount a little because of omitting the mint.  

SHEET-PAN ROASTED CHICKEN WITH CAULIFLOWER AND YOGURT SAUCE
adapted from https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1021945-roasted-chicken-thighs-with-cauliflower-and-herby-yogurt
serves 4

1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon Aleppo pepper flakes (or 1/2 teaspoon red-pepper flakes)
4 tablespoons olive oil (divided 2 and 2)
salt and black pepper
chicken bone-in thighs and/or drumsticks, enough for 4 people, skin removed
1 large cauliflower (about 2 pounds), cut into 2-inch florets)
3 shallots, quartered lengthwise (about 1 heaping cup)
1-¼ cups plain non-fat yogurt (Greek yogurt also fine)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint (also delicious with cilantro only)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
2 tablespoons lemon juice, plus more for serving
1 garlic clove, finely chopped or grated

In a large bowl, whisk together the coriander, paprika and Aleppo pepper with 2 tablespoons oil and a big pinch of salt and pepper. Add the chicken to the bowl and toss to coat in the oil and spices. Let marinate in the refrigerator for several hours or overnight. 

When getting close to cooking time, preheat the oven to 425 degrees; cover a large sheet pan with aluminum foil for easier clean-up.

Put the cauliflower, shallots, remaining 2 tablespoons oil, and a sprinkle of salt and pepper in a bowl. Toss to coat. 

Arrange the chicken in the middle of the sheet pan. Then arrange the vegetables in a single layer surrounding the chicken.

Bake until the chicken is cooked through and the cauliflower is browned, about 40 minutes. 

While the chicken bakes, prepare the yogurt sauce: Whisk the yogurt, mint, cilantro, lemon juice and grated garlic with a pinch of salt and a few grinds of pepper. Cover and refrigerate until serving.

Transfer the chicken and vegetables to a platter and top with any juices left on the sheet pan and a squeeze of lemon juice. Serve with the yogurt sauce.

Update of recipe for Red Curry Lentils with Sweet Potatoes and Spinach

I made this recipe again tonight, and found myself thinking, "I wish I could have people over for dinner so I could serve this to them!" If you haven't tried this yet, I do encourage you, especially now that I've simplified the recipe a little bit, combining some steps together. The original recipe called for browning the sweet potato first, and then taking it out of the pot to cook the onion. But I forgot to remove the sweet potatoes, and the few extra minutes of cooking did no harm. So I've changed the directions to cook them together. And since I like to chop garlic, ginger, and onions in sequence in my food processor, I've changed the directions so these ingredients are all added in together. Finally, I took out the original recipe's suggestion that cilantro and toasted coconut be used as final add-ons at the table. I used neither tonight, and think they're entirely unnecessary. The flavors of this stew are already complex and delicious, so why bother with more ingredients?

So, here's a link to the revised recipe. Enjoy! 

https://penny-inthekitchen.blogspot.com/2020/01/red-curry-lentils-with-sweet-potatoes.html

Cooking for lunch: Tomato and White Bean Soup with Lots of Garlic

It's rare for me do any real cooking for lunch. Standards are things like pouring boiling water into a container of dry soup, maybe a peanut butter sandwich or tuna fish, or if I'm feeling ambitious, matzah fry (scrambled eggs with a piece of matzah crumbled in). But when I saw this recipe in the NY Times, it sounded really good to me, and so simple and quick to make that I decided to try it for lunch. I highly recommend it!  This is basically tomato soup, but with much more substance/depth than opening a can of Campbell's. I had the soup with an apple and some nuts, and found that to be a very satisfying meal.

(Sorry for the extra spaces between the lines before the instructions--something odd going on, making it impossible for me to make them single spaces.)

TOMATO AND WHITE BEAN SOUP WITH LOTS OF GARLIC

https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1020733-tomato-and-white-bean-soup-with-lots-of-garlic

4-5 servings

10 garlic cloves

¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil

2 (14-ounce) cans white beans, such as cannellini or great Northern, including their liquid. Drain one can but use both beans and liquid from the other can.*

1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes

1 cup stock or water, plus more as needed

 Kosher salt and black pepper

 Heavy cream, for serving (optional)

 

Peel the garlic, then smash the cloves using the flat side of a chef's knife or the bottom of a heavy skillet until wispy and flat.

In a medium saucepan over medium-low heat, heat the olive oil, then add the crushed garlic, and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden brown, 3 to 5 minutes.

Add the white beans and the liquid from one can, crushed tomatoes, stock or water, and season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, then partly cover, reduce heat, and let simmer until thickened and fragrant, 15 to 20 minutes.

Using an immersion or regular blender, purée the soup until smooth. Add stock or water to thin as desired. (I did not thin.) Season to taste with salt and pepper. (I did not use any salt.) Option: Drizzle with heavy cream before serving. (I happened to have cream on hand, so drizzled some on the first time I served the soup. I forgot about it the next day when I had the soup for a second lunch, and didn't notice any difference. So, no need to add cream!)

*This is what I did, following advice from one commenter. The original instructions were to not drain either can, and use the liquid from both cans. I might try that the next time, as it makes it that much easier to leave out a step and not have a colander to wash.