Shish Tawook

If I were to choose a food I'd love to eat daily, I think Lebanese would be high on the list. I love its Mediterranean flavors, that pack a punch without being overbearing like some other Middle Eastern cuisines. With its focus on olive oil and garlic, I think this is food that is heart-healthy, light and delicious.

Here is a one of my favorite recipes for Shish Tawook, a Middle Eastern marinated chicken. Included is a recipe for an insanely good (but spicy) garlic sauce that emulates that of Zankou Chicken, an LA institution.

Shish Tawook

Ingredients

3 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons plain yogurt

1 tablespoon ketchup (weird, but it works)

1 tablespoon dijon mustard

2 tablespoons garlic powder

2 tablespoons paprika

2 tablespoons ground allspice

2 tablespoons ground cinnamon

1 tablespoon curry powder

Salt, pepper

4-6 chicken breasts cut into bite size pieces

Steps

1) Mix everything except the chicken in a non-reactive bowl. Once well mixed, smother chicken pieces with marinade. Cover and refrigerate for at least a day. This keeps a while, so you can cook chicken in small batches.

2) Heat up grill and grill chicken.

3) Warm up pitas and prepare condiments. I like to eat mine wrapped in a pita with arugula, a smear of hummus, a dollop of garlic sauce (recipe below), and chopped onions.

Garlic Sauce a la Zankou

Ingredients

1 head garlic

0.5 lemon

pinch of salt

0.5 cup olive oil

Thickener (mashed potatoes best, but mayo or yogurt work)

Steps

1) Crush and peel the entire head of garlic. Throw all of the cloves in a food processor with the juice of half a lemon, olive oil and salt. Process till smooth.

2) In small batches, add thickener. The thickener serves two purposes. One, it thickens the sauce (duh) to hopefully a yogurt like consistency. Two, it mellows out the very strong garlic flavor of the sauce.

3) Cover and refrigerate overnight.

Note: If you love garlic, I actually love eating the sauce without any thickener. It's healthier and packs a punch. But be careful to use only a little bit, which can go a long way.

Enjoy!

-JK