Middle East Feast!

Guess who just got back from Beirut? This moi!

Lebanon is gorgeous, and I literally didn't have a bad meal there. This is a feast I made a few months back, before I'd gone. So because all I want to eat now is Lebanese food, I thought I'd post this while I'm whipping up some slightly more authentic recipes of deliciousness for you all.

Sometimes I just get in the mood to adapt/bastardise some cuisines into a feast of a dinner. This dinner requires a little preparation but is actually quite quick and easy to put together. We have an amazing Lebanese restaurant nearby and every time we go, I have a crisis about what to order. Because I want it all. So, when I fancied that kind of dinner, I MADE IT ALL.

I don’t think any of this is particularly authentic, because I’ve tweaked it to my tastes, adding sesame to the falafel, and turmeric to the tahini sauce etc, but it's really quite delicious. 

Sauce!

You could add in some more chicken, slice up extra pita bread, throw in some hummus and make this a finger food buffet feast for a party! But it makes a really delicious indulgent feasting dinner for two as well.

Serves 2 for a feast, add another chicken breast to serve 4

Ingredients for the Shawarma

• 1 tbsp paprika
• 1 tbsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 1 tsp turmeric
• ½ tsp cinnamon
• ½ tsp nutmeg
• Pinch of salt
• 1 tbsp garlic cloves, ground
• 75ml olive oil
• Juice of half a lemon
• 3 chicken breasts

Ingredients for the Falafel (makes a dozen, enough for 4 people)

• A can of chickpeas, drained
• Half a red onion, chopped
• ¼ yellow pepper, chopped small
• A handful of coriander leaves
• 1 tsp garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tsp cumin
• ½ tsp paprika
• ¼ tsp cinnamon
• Pinch dried chillies
• 1 tbsp tahini paste
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• Salt and pepper
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 4 tbsp flour
• A few handfuls of sesame seeds
• Vegetable oil for frying

Ingredients for the Tahini Sauce

• 4 tbsp tahini paste
• 3 tbsp water
• 1 tsp garlic cloves, minced
• ½ tsp paprila
• ½ tsp turmeric
• Salt and pepper

Method

Begin with the shawarma. Mix together the spices, garlic, oil and lemon juice to a thick paste. 

I like a good spice photo

Rub this over the chicken and let marinate for at least one hour.

While the chicken is getting chock full of flavour, prep the falafel.

Add the chickpeas to a food processor with some salt and blitz briefly.

Add the onion and pulse again.

Add the pepper, coriander, garlic, spices, tahini paste, lemon juice, seasoning and blitz until all incorporated (but not a paste).

Stir through the flour and baking powder.

Chill in the fridge for an hour.

Once you’re all ready, preheat the oven to 200 degrees and line a baking tray with foil. Drizzle over a little olive oil and add the chicken.

Bake in the oven for 35 minutes. I added some sliced pepper and onion about 15 minutes into the cooking time.

Form the falafel into balls, and flatten slightly, then roll gently in the sesame seeds.

Heat the oil in a deep pan, and fry 4-5 falafels at a time for a few minutes until golden brown.

Place on a plate with some kitchen roll to remove some of the surface oil.

Finally whip up the tahini sauce. Add all the ingredients to a food processor and blitz. Start with 2 tbsp water and add more to get the desired consistency. Surprisingly, the tahini gets really thick when you blitz it!

Remove the chicken from the oven, and slice.

Plate up the feast – chicken, roasted veg, falafel , and drizzle over the sauce. I also added some pita bread and salad.