If you missed the Lebanese pop up dinner thrown at Persephone Bakery‘s cafe or you are simply craving a taste of Nona Yehia’s Meditteranean cuisine, then we have a treat for you.
Yehia, the creative force behind the Lemons and Parsley pop up concept and a local architect, has shared a recipe for one of the dishes she cooked for the dinner. And I must say, it’s some of the best chicken I have tasted.
Yehia, who is also the architect behind the Persephone’s stylish interior, threw the two-night-only dinner for a sold out crowd in late July. She and Persephone’s owners had talked for a while about giving Yehia the space to cook her Lebanaese cuisine, some of which were family recipes.
The luminous space was the perfect backdrop for the numerous dishes she served up family style: a variety of mezze, shish tawook (recipe follows), red snapper, spiced grilled lamb and more.
While there is no set date for the next pop up dinner, Yehia will be doing another, said Ali Cohane, Persephone’s owner. Anyone interested in attending should watch Facebook for announcements, she said. Until then, take a little bit of Beiruit home with this recipe.
Ingredients
- For the chicken:
- 2 pounds organic chicken breast cut into 1 inch chunks
- 10 cloves garlic, mashed
- 1/2 cup lemon juice
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- 4 tablespoons yogurt
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne
- 1 teaspoon white pepper
- 2 teaspoon cardamom
- 2 teaspoon allspice
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- Garlic paste (see recipe)
- For the garlic paste
- 20 cloves garlic
- 4 tablespoons labne or greek yogurt
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 3 tablespoon lemon juice (add more to taste)
Instructions
- For the chicken
- Combine garlic, lemon juice, olive oil, yogurt, spices, salt and pepper in a shallow glass or ceramic container.
- Add chicken breast pieces to coat.
- Refrigerate chicken at least 4 hours, preferable overnight.
- Skewer chicken pieces (shis tawook is traditionally skewered without vegetables, but add green bell peppers or onions if you like.)
- Grill until cooked through (about 6 minutes). Just before taking off the grill, brush with garlic paste.
- For the garlic paste
- Combine garlic and salt in a mini food processor.
- Add lane or greek yogurt and pulse.
- With the processor running, add olive oil in a steady stream until it makes a paste.
- Add lemon juice. Taste and add more lemon juice if desired
- If too garlicky, add more labne, and never be frugle about the lemon juice.