Couscous Salad with Preserved Lemon & Feta
Serves 4-6
Ingredients
- 2 Cups Israeli Pearl Couscous — Orzo or Fregola Sarda are good substitutes
- 1 ½ Cups Tomatoes, any variety, cut to bite sizes
- 1 ½ Cups Cucumber, medium or small diced. We prefer Persian cucumbers
- 1 Cup Red Onion, finely diced, as small as you can
- 1 1/4 Cups Olives, roughly chopped – this is optional and can be omitted
- 1 1/4 Cups Feta cheese, crumbled – this is optional and can be omitted
- 1 Cup Mixed fresh herbs, chopped (parsley, mint, cilantro)
- 1 Tbsp Nigella seed; can be found at most Middle Eastern markets
- 1/3 Cup Preserved lemon, finely chopped — substitute 1-2 fresh lemons, zested and juiced
- 1/3 Cup Extra virgin olive oil
- To Taste Salt and black pepper to taste
How to
- Cook the pearl couscous in salted water until tender. Drain and cool.
- Combine the couscous with tomatoes, cucumber, onion, olives, feta, herbs, and nigella seed.
- Fold in the preserved lemon and olive oil.
- Season with salt and pepper.
- Chill for at least 30 minutes before serving.
Cold Roasted Guajillo Salmon with Tzatziki & Summer Squash
Serves 4-6
Ingredients
- 2 lbs Salmon fillet
- ¼ cup Guajillo chile paste
– substitute Gochujango
– Or substitute by making a paprika paste with ¼ cup paprika, salt, and enough olive oil until paste-like
- Salt to taste
Tzatziki
- 1 cup Greek yogurt or labneh
- 1 cucumber, grated and squeezed dry
- 1 clove garlic, grated
- ¼ cup mint leaves, minced
- 1 lemon, juiced and zested
- Salt to taste
Summer Squash
- 2 medium zucchini or yellow squash, sliced. We prefer the baby Summer squash if it’s available
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- Salt and pepper
How to
- Rub salmon with guajillo paste, olive oil, and salt and let it marinade for at least 1 hour
- Roast at 325°F until medium about 130*f, about 15–20 minutes if a whole single piece
- Cool completely and refrigerate.
- Mix tzatziki ingredients together, taste for seasoning and chill.
- Roast or grill squash until tender.
- Serve chilled salmon with squash with tzatziki alongside.
Chicken Pilaf
Serves 4-6
Ingredients
- 2 Cups Basmati Rice, rinsed of excess starch and soaked 1 hour in water
- 1 Cup Yellow Onion, small-diced, about 1 medium sized yellow onion
- 1 Cup Red bell pepper, medium diced (about 1 medium sized bell pepper)
– Substitute 1 Tbsp ground cardamom, 1 tsp coriander seed, 1 tsp black pepper, 1 tsp cumin seed - 2 Tbsp Baharat seasoning – can be found at most Middle Eastern markets2 Tbsp Paprika; I like to do half smoked, half sweet
- 2 Tbsp Tomato paste
- 1 Cup Crushed tomatoes, fresh or caned is fine
- 3 Cups Chicken stock or water plus chicken bouillion
- 1 Whole chicken, broken down into bone breast, thighs, legs
- 1 Chicken hearts & gizzards – can be omitted; Soak in salty water for at least 1 hour
- As Needed Extra virgin olive oil
- As Needed Kosher salt
How to
- In a wide pot over medium heat, sauté onions in olive oil until translucent. Season with salt. Takes about 3 minutes
- Add rice and toast until lightly golden and aromatic. Make sure the rice is glistening in oil with noticeable extra oil in the pan, about 2-3 Minutes
- Stir in tomato paste, and saute for about 1 minute then add half the baharat, and both paprikas and stir thoroughly.
- Add crushed tomatoes and bell peppers and stir until well combined
- Add stock and bring to a simmer.
- Transfer to a baking dish and spread out evenly
- Season chicken generously with remaining baharat and salt. Place the chicken on top of the rice, pressing it gently into the mixture but not submerged.
- Cover and bake at 325°F for 40 minutes until rice is tender and chicken is cooked to about 145-150*f
- Uncover and drizzle olive oil over the chicken skins, then bump the temperature to 425*F and bake uncovered for an additional 10-15 minutes or until the chicken skin and the rice are crisped and browned to your liking.
- Serve with your favorite pickles.
