middle eastern

Pistachio Dukkah makes everything better, seriously, I make a big batch and besides putting it on these awesome juicy chicken skewers, I put it on Avocado toast, Salads and any other kind of savory sandwich. It adds a nice spiced crunch with nuttiness that I just love. So make a double batch while you’re at it because it’s just great to have some on hand.
The other thing that makes these skewers so awesome is the Tahini marinade. Yes Tahini… so good.
Tahini, with garlic and lemon juice, oregano and yoghurt. So simple and yet so full of flavour. I think we’ll be eating this a lot.
Za’atar is a middle eastern spice mix of fresh thyme, sesame seeds, sumac and salt. It’s also delicious to dip bread in olive oil first and then Za’atar as a snack.

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Prep time : 20 minutes
Cooking time : 20 minutes
Serves : 4
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INGREDIENTS:

For the Chicken:
• 3 large skinless Chicken breasts or 4 small ones, cut into cubes
• 2 tbsp. Tahini paste
• 2 tbsp. lemon juice
• salt and pepper
• 1 tsp. oregano
• 1 clove of garlic, peeled and grated
• 2 tbsp. plain yoghurt

For the Pistachio Dukkah:

• 1/2 cup Pistachios, shelled
• 3 tbsp. Sesame Seed s
• 3 tbsp. Coriander seeds
• 3 tbsp. Cumin
• 1 tsp. Garlic Powder
• 2 tsp. Onion Powder
• 1/2 tsp. Salt
• 2 tsp. ground black pepper,
• olive oil for drizzling

For the Za’atar Yoghurt Dip:

• 1 cup plain Yoghurt
• 2 tsp. Za’atar
• a drizzle of olive oil

INSTRUCTIONS:

To marinated the chicken, place tahini paste, lemon juice, salt, pepper, oregano, garlic and yoghurt in a bowl. Mix with a spoon and add the chicken cubes. Cover with foil and place in the refrigerator to marinate for at least a few hours an preferably over night.
Pre-soak wooden skewers in warm water for 20 minutes.
Pre heat the oven to 200 C / 400 F
To make the Pistachio Dukkah, get out a frying pan and place over medium heat. Toast the sesame seeds, coriander seeds and cumin for a minute or two stirring constantly and until fragrant. Remove to a plate and let cool.
Meanwhile, tip the pistachios into a small food processor and blitz until finely chopped, but still with some texture, add the toasted seeds and spices into the processor and blitz again until finely chopped. Set aside until ready to use.
Make the Yoghurt dip by simply mixing the ingredients, place in a bowl until ready to serve. Sprinkle with some pomegranate seeds if you like.
Thread the chicken pieces onto the skewers and sprinkle generously with the Pistachio Dukkah, pressing it in with your fingers.
Meanwhile, heat a griddle pan over a medium-high heat. Spry with some oil. Cook the chicken skewers , turning regularly to prevent burning. When nicely charred, but not cooked through, transfer to a lined baking tray. When all the chicken skewers are browned, drizzle them with some more olive oil. Pop the chicken into the oven for about 5-10 minutes, or until they are cooked through. Serve the skewers with the Za’atar yoghurt dip and some more Dukkah.

Enjoy!

Myra XO

Serves 4

We went to Marrakech once , and the food, the market, the people, the smell…….was so enchanting like nothing else I had ever seen before. I fell in love instantly with the sweet and savoury cuisine.

I have been making these meatballs ever since. I make a lot of other Moroccan dishes too but this one is by far the quickest and easiest.

Ingredients;

1 lb. lean ground lamb or beef
1 onion peeled and chopped fine
2 tbsp. olive oil
1 garlic clove, peeled and grated
1 tsp. himalayan salt or regular
ground black pepper
1 egg yolk
1/4 C. (home made ) dried breadcrumbs
1/2 tsp. Ras el Hanout , see Ras el Hanout. for spice mix recipe
1/4 tsp. ground coriander
1/4 tsp. ground dried ginger
1/4 tsp. ground cardamom
1/4 tsp. ground cumin
2 tbsp. fresh chopped coriander plus 1 tbsp. for serving
3 tbsp. chopped pistachios (dry toasted briefly in a pan). Reserve one tablespoon to sprinkle over before serving.
4 dried apricots chopped

For the sauce;

1 tbsp. tomato puree
1 14 oz. can chopped tomatoes, or 5 to 6 fresh ones chopped
1 tsp. beef stock powder
1 tbsp. honey
3 tbsp. orange juice plus 5 tbsp water to make 1/2 cup in total

Method;

In a large frying pan add 1 tbsp. of the oil and cook the onion and garlic gently for about 5 minutes on medium low heat until slightly beginning to turn golden. Add all the spices and remove from the heat to cool.

In a large mixing bowl, add the minced meat the onion and spice mix, the breadcrumbs, egg yolk, salt, pepper, 2 tbsp. pistachios, chopped coriander and apricots. Mix with your hands and form into golf ball sized meatballs.

Wipe your frying pan and add the remaining oil. Set heat on medium high. Fry all the meatballs until nicely browned all over and remove to a plate. Work in batches if necessary.

Once you have cooked all the meatballs. Start making the sauce in the same frying pan with the remaining oil in it and add the tomato paste and fry for 30 seconds then add the remaining ingredients. Bring to a simmer, add the meatball back to the pan and simmer with the lid half on the pan, for about twenty minutes.

Meanwhile make the Quinoa.

For the Quinoa;

1 cup (dry) quinoa
2 c. chicken or beef stock
2 tbsp. chopped pistachios (dry toasted briefly in a pan)
1 c. chickpeas drained
6 dates, stone removed and chopped
1 medium carrot, peeled and coarsely grated
1 tsp. garlic powder
ground pepper
2 tbsp. chopped coriander

Place quinoa in a fine-mesh strainer and rinse thoroughly under running water. This is to remove the saponins that taste very bitter.

Did you know that saponins are for protection against insects?

Put quinoa to a medium saucepan. Add the stock, and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover and simmer for about 15 minutes or until liquid is absorbed. Remove from heat and add the dates, carrot, garlic powder, chickpeas and pepper. Just before serving add the coriander and the pistachios.

Note: some quinoa only takes ten minutes to cook, so check the package instructions!!!

To serve place the quinoa on one side of a large platter, the meatballs and sauce on the other side. Sprinkle with more pistachios and chopped coriander.