Grill Interrupted

                                             

OK – So, if you’re new on the scene, you may not know what shawarma is. If that’s the case. Stop reading – get to your nearest middle eastern eatery and try one of these bad boys out. Pictured above served on a baguette, it is generally stuffed into pita bread.

Shawarma is one of the tastiest things this planet has to offer. And what makes it so darn tasty? Other than the mix of spices that the meat is flavoured with… other than the delicious salads and spreads you might add in… other than the warm out of the oven fresh pita bread… is the lamb fat that drips down from on high on the rotisserie.

It generally does not matter what type of shawarma you get – turkey, beef, or lamb – the lamb flavour bomb which slowly renders its way down onto the meat is where it’s at.

For years I toyed with the idea of getting one of these machines at home. But in addition to the cost of the hardware, the sheer volume of meat needed to use a shawarma rotisserie was not practical. Thus, I came up with the following recipe – much to the delight of most of my buddies.

Your butcher will be all to glad to hang onto some lamb fat for you, and the rest is as easy as falling off a log.

                                                

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Grilled Shawarma

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

1/4 cup olive oil
4 turkey thighs, boneless/skinless
4 tablespoons Pereg Shawarma Spice (you can find many online otherwise)
Lamb Fat
1 large yellow onion, quartered
Fresh Pita Bread
Some traditional toppings include: red cabbage salad, coleslaw, Israeli salad, tahina sauce, humus, babaga noush, roasted red peppers, pickles, hot peppers and French fries

Preparation:

1. Cube the turkey meat and marinate in a ziploc 4 hours or overnight with olive oil and shawarma spice.
2. Heat your grill over Medium-High heat. On the upper rack of your grill layer your onion and lamb fat. Close the grill until the lamb begins to render and slowly drip down, about 5 to 10 minutes.
3. At this point, add the turkey onto the lower rack of the grill, below the lamb and onion. Grill until fully cooked, about 15 minutes.
4. You’ll need to keep a fairly close eye on it as the lamb fat is quite prone to flare ups.
5. To prepare, slice the tops off the pita bread, fill with toppings of choice and fill with shawarma meat. Enjoy!

Filed under: Method, Recipe on April 24th, 2010 | Comments Off on Grilled Shawarma

                                                      

This recipe turned out so awesome, you have to give it a try. The smokiness of the roasted jalapenos makes the whole dish sing. The sauce is sweet and slightly spicy from the peppers, it helps bring the fish up but not so much that it overpowers it. Being a huge avocado fan, this was just the perfect topping to such a delicious dish.

I served it alongside basmati rice and broccoli slaw dressed with an Asian ginger dressing. 

                                                    

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Mahimahi with Roasted Jalapeno-Ponzu Sauce

Adapted from Isabel Cruz

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons olive oil
4 x 6-ounce skinless mahimahi fillets
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
Jalapeno-Ponzu Sauce (recipe below)
1 avocado, thinly sliced

Preparation:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. In a large oven proof saute pan, heat the olive oil over High heat.
3. Season the mahimahi with the salt and pepper. Place the fillets in the pan. Brown for about 2 minutes before flipping and browning the other side for 2 minutes.
4. Transfer the pan to the oven and bake until the fish is opaque throughout, about 6 to 8 minutes.
5. To serve, generously spoon the Jalapeno-Ponzu sauce over each piece of fish and top with the sliced avocado.

Jalapeno-Ponzu Sauce

Ingredients:

2 jalapenos, roasted and roughly chopped
1/2 cup sake
1/3 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons sugar

Preparation:

1. Combine the jalapenos, sake, lemon juice, soy sauce and olive oil in a food processor or blender and pulse until smooth.
2. Transfer to a small saucepan and simmer until the raw sake taste begins to mellow, about 3 minutes.

Filed under: Recipe on April 10th, 2010 | Comments Off on Mahimahi with Roasted Jalapeno-Ponzu Sauce

Once upon a time, you learned how to crack an egg before you learned how to make an omelette. Once in a while we have to lay the foundation before we can tackle a new recipe. Cooking is a learned skill, and as we all strive to make better, tastier dishes there inevitably has to be some education along the way.

This post is nothing too fancy – but a necessary step in this coming weekend’s post ‘Mahimahi with Roasted Jalapeno-Ponzu Sauce’. Stay tuned!

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How to Roast Peppers

Adapted from ehow.com

Any fresh pepper can be roasted, but those with thick flesh, such as bell peppers and jalapenos, work best. 

1. Select a heat source. Peppers are best roasted over a live fire, such as a stovetop gas burner or a grill. Lacking those, you can use a broiler.
2. To cook over a flame, turn the heat to High. Place the whole pepper directly over the flame.
3. If using a broiler, turn the broiler on with a rack on the top shelf of the oven. Place the pepper on a baking sheet. Coat the pepper lightly with oil and place in the oven.  
4. Rotate the pepper as the flesh closest to the heat blackens and blisters. Remove the pepper when it has blackened completely.
5. Place it in a bowl and cover to allow it to steam (or put the peppers in a paper bag and close it).
6. After 15 to 20 minutes, scrape off and discard the blackened skin. Remove and discard the seed pod, stem and inner ribs before using.

Filed under: Method on April 7th, 2010 | 1 Comment »