More Memorial Day cooking - Jerusalem Mixed Grill

Here is another great meal we had this weekend. I wanted to keep it pretty simple. We had done tons of work around the house and garden and we were more than a little sore. So, we went thumbing through Saveur to see what we could make. I love middle eastern food more than anything so we went with this recipe. We loved it. You could make it just with the chicken and not the liver and hearts. We did the whole deal.



To go along with it of course we needed Hummus. We made our own and I have to say that what they call Hummus in the grocery store isn't even close to homemade.



So, it was a great long weekend and we are back to fish and chicken. Boring fish and chicken.

Jerusalem Mixed Grill
Saveur

2 tsp. turmeric
1 tsp. black peppercorns
1 tsp. allspice berries
1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 lb. chicken breasts, cut into 1" cubes
1/2 lb. chicken hearts, halved and rinsed
1/2 lb. chicken livers, rinsed and
roughly chopped
2 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
2 large yellow onions, roughly chopped
Kosher salt, to taste
Fresh pitas, for serving
Amba and pickled peppers for serving

1. Combine turmeric, peppercorns, allspice, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a spice grinder and grind to a fine powder; set aside. Heat a dry 12" cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat until nearly smoking. Add chicken breasts and cook, flipping once, until browned but not cooked through, 2–3 minutes. Transfer chicken to a bowl; set aside. Return skillet to medium-high heat and add chicken hearts and cook, flipping occasionally, until browned but not cooked through, 2–3 minutes. Transfer hearts to the bowl with the chicken breast. Repeat with chicken livers.

2. Return skillet to medium-high heat and add the oil; add onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are soft and slightly charred, about 4 minutes. Add the reserved spices and chicken and season with salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until chicken is cooked through, about 3 minutes. To serve, cut slits in the tops of the pitas. Fill pitas with chicken mixture; top each sandwich with some of the amba and pickled peppers.

Hummus with Tahini
Saveur

5 oz. dried chickpeas
1 tsp. baking soda
6 cloves garlic, crushed
1 1/4 cups plus 3 1/2 tbsp. tahini,
preferably Achva brand
1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
Kosher salt, to taste
2 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil,
plus more for garnish
1/8 tsp. sumac or paprika, for garnish
1 tsp. finely chopped flat-leaf parsley,
for garnish
Sliced pickles, for garnish
Pita, for serving

1. In a medium bowl, combine chickpeas with 6 cups cold water and stir in baking soda; cover and let soak overnight. Drain chickpeas, transfer to a 2-qt. saucepan, and cover with 6 cups fresh water. Cover and bring to a boil over medium-high heat and cook until very tender, 40–50 minutes. Remove pan from heat and let cool slightly.

2. Drain chickpeas, reserving cooking liquid. To the bowl of a food processor, add chickpeas and 5 cloves garlic and process for 2 minutes. Add 3/4 cup of the cooking liquid, along with 1 1/4 cups tahini, 1/2 cup lemon juice, and 2 tbsp. olive oil; season with salt. Process, stopping occasionally to scrape down the sides of the bowl, until the mixture is very smooth, about 8 minutes. Cover with plastic wrap; refrigerate until flavors have melded, about 4 hours.

3 Bring hummus to room temperature. Finely chop the remaining clove of garlic and sprinkle with salt. Using the side of a knife, scrape the garlic against the work surface while chopping occasionally to make a paste; set aside. In a small bowl whisk together the remaining tahini, lemon juice, 3 1/2 tbsp. ice water, and the garlic paste until the mixture is creamy; season with salt and set aside.

4. To serve, place hummus in a bowl and make a small indentation in the middle using the back of a spoon. Pour the reserved tahini mixture into the indentation and garnish hummus with olive oil, sumac or paprika, parsley, and pickles. Serve with pita.

So, what is for dinner tonight? Hmmmm. Dr Food won't be home so I am thinking of something that probably has an egg on top of it.