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Printed at the current scale: 6 servings · US With Grams · A4 or Letter, one page where it fits

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Chicken Shawarma with Toum and Pickles

6 servings

Pink Turnip Pickles

  • 1 cupdistilled white vinegar
  • ½ cupcold water
  • 1 ½ tbspkosher salt
  • 1.25 lbwhite turnips, trimmed and peeled
  • 1small beet, trimmed and peeled
  • 3 clovesgarlic, peeled
  • 1jalapeño (or 1 tsp red chili flakes)
  • 1 tsppickling spice

Toum

  • 8 clovesgarlic, peeled, halved lengthwise, green sprouts removed
  • 1 tspkosher salt
  • 1 cupneutral oil, such as canola or safflower
  • 1 tbsplemon juice
  • 1 to 2 tbspice water

Tahini Sauce

  • ⅓ cuptahini
  • 1 clovegarlic, minced
  • ¼ tspkosher salt

Chicken Shawarma

  • 2 tspground turmeric
  • ½ tspground cumin
  • 1 tbspsumac
  • 1 tbspground coriander
  • 1 ½ tbspkosher salt
  • ¼ tspblack pepper
  • ½ tspground allspice
  • 2 tspgranulated garlic
  • 2 tsponion powder
  • 2 tspcrushed dried mint (or mint salt)
  • ⅛ tspcayenne pepper, or more, to taste
  • 2lemon juice, juice of 2 lemons
  • ⅓ cupextra virgin olive oil
  • 2.5 lbboneless, skinless chicken thighs
  • 1large red onion, cut into 8 wedges
  • ½ cupextra virgin olive oil, to oil the grill, baste and finish
  1. Pink Turnip Pickles Stir 1 cup distilled white vinegar, ½ cup cold water and 1 ½ tbsp kosher salt together and leave a few minutes, stirring now and then, until the salt dissolves.
  2. Halve 1.25 lb white turnips, trimmed and peeled and 1 small beet, trimmed and peeled from top to bottom and cut them into 1.2 cm (½ in) wedges. Pierce 1 jalapeño (or 1 tsp red chili flakes) with a knife for mild heat, or split it lengthwise for more.
  3. Pack the turnips and beet into a quart jar in layers with 3 cloves garlic, peeled, tucking the jalapeño against the glass. Top with 1 tsp pickling spice.
  4. Pour in the brine, leaving about 1.2 cm (½ in) of space at the top, close the lid and refrigerate. Shake the jar now and then for the first day or two to spread the beet colour. 3 days
  5. Toum Blitz 8 cloves garlic, peeled with 1 tsp kosher salt in a food processor until minced, scraping down the bowl. By hand, grate the garlic finely into a bowl set on a towel so it does not slide.
  6. With the processor running or while whisking constantly, add a single drop of 1 cup neutral oil, such as canola or safflower from a teaspoon. Stop, scrape down the bowl, and add another drop. Keep going like this even though nothing seems to happen at first. 5 min to 10 min
  7. Once the garlic looks creamy, add the oil two or three drops at a time, scraping the bowl often, until it turns thick and spreadable. 5 min to 10 min
  8. Now pour in the rest of the oil in a slow, thin, steady stream. Taste as you go and add more oil if it is too fierce. The whole process can take up to 20 min.
  9. Finish by processing or whisking in 1 tbsp lemon juice and 1 to 2 tbsp ice water.
  10. Tahini Sauce Whisk ⅓ cup tahini, 1 clove garlic and ¼ tsp kosher salt together. Set aside at room temperature until the chicken is grilled.
  11. Chicken Shawarma Whisk 2 tsp ground turmeric, ½ tsp ground cumin, 1 tbsp sumac, 1 tbsp ground coriander, 1 ½ tbsp kosher salt, ¼ tsp black pepper, ½ tsp ground allspice, 2 tsp granulated garlic, 2 tsp onion powder, 2 tsp crushed dried mint (or mint salt) and ⅛ tsp cayenne pepper in a small bowl, then whisk in 2 lemon juices and ⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil until fully combined.
  12. Put half of 2.5 lb boneless, skinless chicken thighs in a bowl with half the marinade and rub it well into every piece. Add the rest of the chicken and marinade and rub again. Cover and chill. 1 h to 24 h
  13. Heat the grill to medium-high. Thread the chicken and 1 large red onion onto skewers, keeping the chicken fairly loose so more of the edges char, and discard any leftover marinade.
  14. Oil the hot grates with a towel dipped in some of ½ cup extra virgin olive oil, to oil the grill, baste and finish, held in tongs. Grill the skewers with the lid down until charred at the edges and browned underneath. 0 °C · 8 min to 10 min
  15. Oil a fresh patch of grate, turn the skewers onto it, brush the tops with olive oil, close the lid and grill until charred and browned on the second side. 8 min to 10 min
  16. Push the chicken and onions off the skewers onto a board and slice the chicken about 1.2 cm (½ in) thick. Drizzle everything with more olive oil.
  17. Serve drizzled with the the tahini sauce, with more in a bowl, plus the the toum and the pink turnip pickles on the side.
  • Safety: garlic, peeled in oil can grow botulism at room temperature. Keep it in the fridge and use within 4 days. (USDA FSIS)
  • Safety: These pickles are refrigerator pickles, not shelf stable: keep the jar in the fridge. (The author)
  • Safety: Toum is raw garlic in oil: keep it refrigerated and use it within 3 weeks. (The author)
  • Safety: Grill the chicken until it reaches 74°C in the thickest part, and discard the used marinade. (The author)
  • Safety: Poultry should reach 74 °C (165 °F) at the centre. (USDA FSIS)