Lebanese Lunch Today

Here in Las Palmas, we have this great little Lebanese restaurant, called "Monte Líbano" that Alvaro and I just love to go to...One of our favorite things to order is the shawarma, which I've tried to recreate here.....but I think it still needs some work.  The restaurant's version is sweeter...I don't know if it's the amount of onions, or if it's something else that is added, but consider this one a work in progress.  The pics turned out purty though, so I'll post anyway. lol  (update: Alvaro said it was great the way it was...I still say that it needs more onion and less lemon ;) ) The hummus and lebne are regular features at our house...any sort of Middle Eastern cuisine is generally welcome at our table.  So here you have it; Chicken Shawarma, Hummus and Mixed Lebne. (**warning: photo overload post***)

chicken shawarma2

Chicken Shawarma Recipe:

Ingredients:

1 pound chicken, sliced into very thin strips

4-5 cloves garlic, minced

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

juice of 1 small lemon (about1/4 cup)

1 tablespoon curry powder

3 tablespoons minced red onion

salt and pepper to taste

sumac to taste

Shredded lettuce, minced red onion and diced tomato (for salad bed for chicken)

flatbread of choice for wrapping (in this instance I just used flour tortillas, but naan or pitas work great too)

Preparation:

Whisk together garlic, olive oil, lemon juice, curry, onion, and seasonings in a bowl.

Add chicken and toss to coat with marinade.

Cover and refrigerate at least 4 hours, or even better, overnight.

Heat a nonstick skillet over medium high heat.

If you want, add some oil for sauteeing,  but it's not really necessary if your pan is nonstick.

Sautee quickly, tossing and stirring until nicely browned and cooked through.

Serve over a bed of shredded lettuce, red onion and diced tomato.

hummus

Hummus Recipe:

Ingredients:

1 jar garbanzo beans (16 oz), mostly drained

2-3 cloves garlic

2 tablespoons tahini

juice of 1 lemon

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

salt to taste

Preparation:

Using a food processor, mince garlic first, then add garbanzos and process until semi-smooth.

Add tahini, lemon juice, olive oil and salt and continue to process until creamy.

*If mixture still seems a bit thick, add a tablespoon or two of water to help it along.

lebne mixto

Mixed Lebne Recipe:

Ingredients:

10 oz plain yogurt (this time I used fat free, and it worked just fine), drained overnight, over a sieve lined with paper towels or a tea towl placed atop a bowl to collect the liquid.

1/3 cup finely chopped cucumber, also drained well

5-10 mint leaves, minced

garlic powder to taste

salt and cracked black pepper to taste

Preparation:

Mix all ingredients.

Cover and refrigerate for at least an hour.

chicken shawarma3

To make shawarma, spread hummus over a wrap (or naan, or pita), fill with chicken, and add salad ingredients and hummus. 

Roll up like you would a burrito.

Serve Lebne on the side.