Barbecue Prawn Kebabs

HELLO SUMMER, LET'S BBQ!

We are starting to feel the hot weather in Rome and when I say hot, I mean HOT!  Finally, it's time to enjoy eating on the patio, reading in the shade, napping on the hammoch, lying under the sun, picking fruits, making jams, and all those things that come with summer.  While I'm busy doing all of the above, the men at home do the cooking and when the sun is out and the sky is blue, it's time to barbecue! Barbecues are what men do best (that's what I make them believe).  You should hear my dad, husband and son while they discuss on how to place the meat on the grill, if they should use charcol, wood or gas, when to cook rare or well done, which equipment to use, if a man should wear an apron or not, why you need to drink beer to compensate the loss of sweat under the sun... they go on and on.  Their "serious" BBQ talks are as interesting as watching golf on tv...and while they talk, the food cooks by itself.  It's fun to leave them loose with the grill, you get to see how well they flip the meat!

Here's a recipe for BBQ boys and for girls that do-it-themselves not worrying to hurt any (boy) feelings :)   

RECIPE - BBQ Prawn Kebabs

for 4 people

8 wooden kebab skewers

16 prawns

1 lemon, juiced

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 cm ginger, peeled and grated

60 gr melted butter

1 tbsp olive oil

salt 

hot pepper

parsley

*Soak wooden skewers in water for about 30 minutes before use.

Whisk the lemon juice, garlic, ginger, hot pepper, salt, parsley, melted butter and olive oil. Pour sauce on prawns and leave to marinate for 1 hour.  Remove the prawns from the sauce and stick 4 prawns through each skewer. Place the prawn kebabs on a preheated BBQ until cooked through, about 3-5 minutes per side.  Brush the prawns with the marinade while they grill.

TIP:  Use 2 skewers for each kebab, this will keep the prawns steady, when flipping them over. 

Pistachio and Sesame Seed Cookies

DON'T JUDGE THIS COOKIE BY THE LOOKS

This cookie won't do anything to be noticed or to capture your attention.  The aspect is simple and discrete.  It will sit quietly to be left unobserved.  It timidly keeps its ingredients intimate. It won't talk, sing or dance.  It waits and waits and waits until you take the first bite and that's when it reveals music of flavor that you would have never thought as so sublime.  

Don't judge this cookie by its looks, it is deceptively delicious.

Photo tip:
Did you notice a difference in these pictures from my usual ones?  I've been using the "super-new-fantastic-I'm in love with it" VSCO cam app, which you can see more of in my instagram photos.  If you haven't discovered it yet, and you have an iphone, I truly suggest you give it a try, it's absolutely awesome.  I love the vintage feel of pictures, especially when I combine a picture to a subject like this cookie, that can bring back simple memories. This app allows you to  modify pictures in an easy, fast way with many beautiful effects.    

RECIPE - PISTACHIO AND SESAME SEED COOKIES

50 gr whole wheat flour
50 gr rice flour
50 gr white flour
90 gr pistachio roughly chopped 
15 gr sesame seeds

110 gr brown sugar
90 gr butter
1 pinch salt
1 tsp baking powder
1 egg

In a bowl, mix all dry ingredients: flour, brown sugar, salt, baking powder, sesame seeds and pistachios.  In a blender beat butter and sugar until soft and light, add egg.  Add the dry ingredients and mix to form a ball.  Make 15 small balls (you can use an ice cream scoop)  and place on a oven tray covered with parchment paper.  Bake in a preheated oven at 180°C for 15 minutes.  Let the cookies bake more if you like them crisp or less if you like them chewy.

Chicken Burger

FINGER LICKIN GOOD 

Ladies and gentlemen may I present to you my favorite burger.  The very uncomplicated burger. A chicken patty smashed on the griddle, a soft bun lightly toasted, a slice of emmenthal, fresh vegetables and a cucumber yogurt salsa to die for.  NO ketchup, NO relish, NO mayo, nothing caramelized, none of that stuff that hides the taste of what you are supposed to taste: the meat.  Let it be chicken or beef, you need to bite it and taste it, or you're not eating a burger.

It just happens to be that I made this particular burger with chicken, usually it's the beef that I use, the beef that I want and the beef that makes, what I believe,  a true hamburger.  This chicken burger can be seen as a healthier version, with no fat and unexpectedly juicy. 

  

...and what's a hamburger without its bun?  Nothing!  So here's a homemade recipe for you that's quicker to make than to go out and buy.  

Recipe - Chicken Burger

1 whole chicken breast 
2 small spring onions
1 tsp salt
1 tsp five-spice
rughetta or lettuce
tomato slices
emmenthal slices
yogurt sauce
old style mustard

Mince the chicken meat with the spring onions, five-spice and salt.  Mix and leave aside while you prepare the rest.  The chicken mixture is sticky, so oil your hands with some olive oil when you prepare the patties.  

Recipe - Yogurt Salsa

1 cucumber peeled and chopped in tiny cubes
300 gr plain white yogurt
lemon zest
pinch of salt
1 tsp of lemon juice
some fresh chopped herbs (chives and parsley)

Recipe - Hamburger Buns

20g fresh yeast
50g butter
500 ml milk
580 g flour (plus extra for kneading)
1 tsp salt
1 egg wash 
sesame seeds

Heat butter and milk to luke warm, pour in a big mixing bowl.  Add the yeast and let it dissolve.  Add flour and salt to the liquid.  Mix dough.  It needs to be sticky.  Cover with  plastic wrap and leave to rise for about 1 hour.  Roll dough onto a floured surface and divide into 16 equal pieces, use extra flour if necessary.  Brush each bun with the egg wash and sprinkle with some sesame seeds.  Let it rise for 1 hour.  Place in a preheated 200°C oven for 15-20 minutes.

Assemble the burgers with rughetta (or lettuce), a tomato slice, emmenthal, some yogurt salsa and old style mustard on lightly toasted buns.  

Labneh

MAKE YOU OWN CREAM CHEESE

Why would you want to buy cream cheese when you can make it yourself?  A pure, white, healthy, whole fat yogurt, strained and transformed in what turns out to be a delicious cheese spread. Effortless and absolutely sensational seasoned with za'atar and extra virgin olive oil.

Before I go any further on how good this cheese is, I need to make a special note on "za'atar".  Many of you probably already know this spice, I discovered it recently from Heidi Swanson's 101 Cookbooks. One of my favorite reads, the place I learn how to make good use of simple everyday food, where natural and healthy ingredients take a step forward on the scale of good habits.  

Za'atar is a Middle Eastern spice blend, a combination of several spices including sesame seeds. You'll find sumac, marjoram, oregano and thyme as the primary spices.  Many adjust the blend to ones preference but the basic blend is probably the most used.  In Italy, you can't find Za'atar easily, nor sumac (or maybe it's just me).  I mentioned my za'atar desire to a friend of mine BarbaraT, she's what I define the Sherlock Holmes of any kind of ingredient you can't find around the corner and will answer your question, even before you finish the sentence, with an "elementary Watson".  With me, she went beyond, not only did she find it, she brought me some to try.  How can I thank her more, I now have a new favorite spice on my kitchen shelf. I've tried za'atar on flat bread, pizza, vegetables, meat...it's that type of spice that  adds tang to just about everything seasonable. 

For me, the perfect combo is za'atar on labneh.  They were born to be together.  Labneh is a yogurt cheese and is made by straining a full fat yogurt in a cloth overnight. The whey is removed and the yogurt thickens perserving its sour taste. It takes this one step to make your own cream cheese.  Season it with za'atar, olive oil and salt.  Labneh is versatile and combines beautifully with olives or chopped vegetables, I'd rather not complicate it too much and leave it simple as simple it is to make.  Believe me, once you try this, you won't buy a store bought cream cheese anymore.

Recipe - Labneh

1 kg plain white full fat yogurt

1/4 tsp fine sea salt

1 tbsp za'atar

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

salt

Stir the salt into the yogurt and pour over a sieve lined with cheesecloth.  Place the sieve over a bowl that is slightly smaller, keeping the sieve suspended so it doesn't sit in the liquid.  Cover and place in the fridge for 24 hours,  the more it strains, the more it  thickens.  Follow your preference of thickness.  I kept mine overnight and the texture was perfect.  Remove from the cloth, sprinkle some za'atar, salt and extra virgin olive oil.