Taste Lebanon – Chicken Kebabs with Baba Ghanouj
ottobre 17, 2010
Such a busy and crazy week so far! First the release of G2Kitchen Autumn Issue, then the 5th World Bread Day, then, tomorrow, the Pink Post for the Italian Pink wave dedicated to the research against breast cancer. In between all those commitments, posts and news, I decided to take a little rest, to enjoy a morning in the kitchen and cook something delicious for my family. This was the chance to realize a Lebanese luch, fully dedicated to Beth from Dirty Kitchen Secrets, Meeta from What’s for Lunch, Honey? and their Monthly Mingle Taste Lebanon.
I firstly met Lebanese food during a dinner with my friend Ilaria and her husband. Matteo is from Lebanon, and they are both great connoisseurs of Lebanese food, great hosts and friends. It was a real feast, and I had the chance to taste some of the best, most delicious and flavorful food I had ever tasted. Completely immersed into meat, vegetables, dip and sauces, I almost finished the whole bowl of Baba Ghanouj, a delicate and smooth eggplant and tahini dip.
When I decided to take part to this Monthly Mingle, Ilaria was the first person I wrote, asking the recipe of that fantastic dip. I decided to serve this dip along with chicken kebabs, marinated into yoghurt, onion and zathar.
::::: CHICKEN KEBABS WITH BABA GHANOUJ :::::
Baba Ghanouj Ingredients:
- eggplant, 1 medium
- garlic, 1 clove
- tahine, 2 tablespoons
- juice of half lemon
- salt to taste
Chicken Kebabs Ingredients (serve 4):
Making Baba Ghanouj. Rinse eggplant under running water. Prik with a fork, wrap in aluminium foil and bake in preheated oven to 220°C for about 30 minutes. Remove from oven and let it cool down.
Peel garlic clove, add a pinch of salt and puree it with a fork until you have a smooth cream. Remove the dark outer part of the eggplant, chop it and puree with an immersion blender. Add garlic puree, tahine, lemon juice and extra salt to taste. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate fir 30 minutes.
Making Chicken Kebabs. Cut chicken legs into medium chunks, place them in a bowl, add roughly chopped onion, zahtar, Greek yoghurt, a glug of olive oil, a pinch of salt and mix. Let it marinade one hour. After one hour, make kebabs and grill them on a barbeque or a cast iron pan until golden brown and throughly cooked.
Serve chicken kebabs with Baba Ghanouj and enjoy it!
Tasting test. I think you can taste in this dish all the most important ingredients of a warm, hearty Mediterranean cusine, from olive oil to garlic and onion, from eggplant to tahine… I’m not sure the final result is completely Lebanese, but I admit I truly enjoyed it. Light and flavorful, it’s an interesting option to the Sunday roasted chicken!
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Posted in Main Course, Meat
Summer RoundUp #7: Norway, Meeta {What's for lunch, Honey?}
ottobre 17th, 2010 at 11:03
My favorite kind of food! A scrumptious meal.
Cheers,
Rosa
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ottobre 17th, 2010 at 11:36
OMG, I just flicked though your G2Kitchen and I’m just blown away. This is the most beautiful food magazine EVER! I am sooooooo impressed I can barely breathe! Is it a pure online mag or do you print some issues too? It’s just so amazing! If you need any help with future issues (or a sub journalist to proofread the English version), let me know, I’d be more than happy to be involved in some kind of way! Congratulations again, it’s just mindblowing!!!!
(PS: Please forward the compliments to all the other amazing girls involved with the issue! You all deserve a proper applause!)
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ottobre 17th, 2010 at 15:47
@ Rosa: hay you liked it, my favourite kind of food as well!
@ Anne: you, dear girls, are way too geneorous! don’t worry, if not in next issue, I’ll find a way to involve you! And I do appreciate you opinion, being you such a great foodblogger and a professional journalist as well! I will forward the compliments with great pleasure! Hugs! xx
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ottobre 17th, 2010 at 16:11
What a delicious and easy to make meal! And the G2Kitchen issue is amazing! Such beautiful pictures and great recipes. I really love how the picture of each recipe was given it’s own page. Congrats!
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ottobre 17th, 2010 at 16:28
@ Cecilia: Thank you much honey! I am happy you love recipes, pictures and the style as well!
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ottobre 17th, 2010 at 18:02
YUMM!! They do make a relaxing meal!! Lovely entry Juls
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ottobre 17th, 2010 at 19:04
delicious presentation
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ottobre 18th, 2010 at 08:17
This looks delectable Juls! One of my favorite types of meals to enjoy. Thanks so much for taking time from your busy schedule & join us at the Monthly Mingle!
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ottobre 19th, 2010 at 01:09
Love Lebanese food… I was influenced to eat baba ghanouj from a young age thanks to my Grandparents that have lived and carried on lot of the food from Lebanon. Thanks for your post.
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ottobre 20th, 2010 at 21:56
That is the most beautiful food magazine I have ever encountered!!!
For this recipe – our favorite thing to have. Mmmm…
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ottobre 24th, 2010 at 08:53
Juls this is absolutely wonderful! Thanks so much for joining us on the mingle. I love love chicken kebabs or shish tawouk and they are the best with garlic sauce- perhaps when I’m around I’ll make my lethal garlic sauce
Lookin fwd to seeing you real soon!
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luglio 5th, 2011 at 15:59
Beautiful chicken kebabs!
It is Kebab week at Get Grillin’ we would love if you submitted up to any 3 recipes (they don’t have to be grilled) to our link up. This one would be perfect! This week we have a Rosle Grill Utensils giveaway. http://su.pr/1BZGKK
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