Baba Ganoush

Baba Ganoush:                                               

The Story:

I can't say that there is much of a background for this dish. My wife and I just love it and its not so easy to find around us. Back in our earlier days we would get falafel out once a week or so (pita inn for those interested in cheap delicious food in the NW Chicago suburbs) and if we were feeling like splurging we'd get the baba ganoush too. Some times one must recapture one's youth, or some such nonsense. Honestly its just delicious stuff, especially on freshly made pita. This is a pretty simple recipe, though roasting the eggplant can take a while.

Ingredients:
1 large eggplant (roasted)
2-3 cloves of fresh garlic
1/3 large onion diced
1 lemon or juice equivalent
4-5 TBS of tahini
3 TBS of olive oil
1-2 tsp of za'ahtar
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1/4 cup of feta cheese (optional)
1/4 tsp cane sugar (optional)

This dish is incredibly simple to make. First take a fork and poke a great many holes in the eggplant. Then take the eggplant, skin and all, and put it in the oven for 40-50 minutes at 400 degrees. After the eggplant is done, it will be extremely soft and noticeably smaller. Cut the stem area off of the eggplant. Place all the ingredients in a food processor. Blend all the ingredients until it has a uniform texture. If you didn't let the eggplant cool, it would best to let it come down to room temp or a little cooler prior to serving. You can garnish the baba ganoush with some more feta and za'ahtar.

Za'ahtar Chicken

The story: So Kourtney and I were having a few of our Israeli friends over for dinner and we were debating what to make. A heavily vegetarian menu was constructed with all kinds of neat things. This is one of them. This was actually the first time I've ever had to cook meat before. I became a vegetarian at the ripe old age of seven, so my meat experience is meager to say the least. Normally Kourtney would be the one to take care of it, but she was at work so it fell on my very capable shoulders. The basic concept behind this dish is one of simplicity, taking a few ingredients and creating a moist chicken dish with a simple and clean flavor. I must say that it was extremely well received by everybody. I must say I'm very proud of that, especially because I could not taste things along the way to make sure they tasted right. Over all this dish have a very Mediterranean flavor to it, with the olives really making the flavor of the olive oil pop. The flavor of the chicken was further accented by some of the other dishes I made, which I will probably write up at another time.

Sadly as it was rather late at night that we sat down to dinner, I didn't get a chance to properly photograph the dish, so this stock photo will have to do.

The dish: Za'ahtar Chicken with olives

2 packages of skinless boneless chicken breast. (a total of six pieces)
2-3 cups of Japaneses panko bread crumbs (important to use these, instead of normal breadcrumbs)
1/4 cup of za'ahtar (approximately)
2-3 tsp of garlic powder
1/2 cup of green olives
1/4 -1/3 cup of olive oil

First preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Take two large bowl, and place the olive oil in one and the bread crumb and spice mixture in the other. Thoroughly blend the spice and breadcrumb mixture until you have a uniform light green appearance. Before dealing with the chicken, take a pan and line it with foil, and then spray it with oil. Now for the chicken. As I dislike meat, I chose to wear gloves when handling the chicken, though in general its smart to do so anyway due to the possibility of bacteria. Take each chicken breast and thoroughly coat it with the olive oil. Next place in the breadcrumb mixture bowl, and coat the chicken. Don't be afraid to press the mixture onto the meat. You may have to refill the mixture bowl a bit during the process. When coated, place the chicken in the pan, and give them a very light spray of oil. Next chop up the green olives and gently place them on top of the chicken. If you just toss them on, you might knock off some of the breadcrumbs, leading to an uneven coat. Put in the oven, let bake for 35-45 minutes, depending on how done you like your chicken. I had it in for around 45 minutes and I was told that it was very tender and juicy. Let cool for 5 minutes before serving.

Eat and Enjoy!!