Greetings, FoodFirst Community!

Last week I celebrated my birthday. It was fun to get together with family and friends and have some good food and conversation! The occasion made me reflect on what I like cooking when I cook for myself. This is a question that I frequently get, and honestly, I don’t actually have a favorite dish (or even a favorite cuisine); food for me is as much about the mood as it is about the season and what I happen to have in the fridge.

Having said that, if in doubt, I tend to gravitate toward Mediterranean cuisines. They are amazingly versatile and tend to prioritize the flavor of ingredients over spices. I particularly love cooking Mediterranean dishes in the summer when vegetables are fresh and abundant and the grill is ready to go. For my birthday dinner I decided to make chicken kabobs with Ottolenghi’s baked rice and some veggies on the side. 

The kabobs were as delicious as they were simple to prepare, so I thought I’d share the recipe with you all! To feed 6 people with healthy appetite, you will want one family packet of chicken breasts (about 4 lb) cut into 1.5 to 2-inch cubes, and the following ingredients for the marinade: a can of coconut milk or a cup of plain yogurt, a large onion, ¼ cup olive oil, ½ cup lemon juice, 4-5 garlic cloves, ½ teaspoon saffron threads crushed with mortar and pestle and steeped in 2 tablespoons of hot water, 2 teaspoons of black pepper, some turmeric (optional, for color), and 3-4 teaspoons of salt. Combine all the marinade ingredients in a food processor and process until smooth. Pour into a large bowl and add cubed chicken. Marinate for a few hours or overnight. I like grilling kabobs on bamboo skewers but they need to be soaked for at least two hours; you can use metal skewers, as well. When ready to grill, skewer your kabobs and prepare the baste: combine ½ cup lemon juice with ½ melted butter. Grill on medium to high heat, turning and basting frequently, until the chicken is no longer pink in the center. Be careful not to overcook or the chicken will be dry. On the whole, excellent effort to result ratio!

Since the grill is hot, why not grill some dessert? Grilled peaches and nectarines are divine, particularly when paired with vanilla ice cream! This is my go-to dessert when I don’t have the time to make one from scratch: just grab a few peaches, cut them in half, oil the cut half with olive oil (you can also sprinkle a tiny bit of salt) and grill on high for about 2 minutes per side. Add some ice cream and a bit of Grand Marnier if you want to be decadent. So simple and so good!

I have received some requests to add the sourdough class back on the schedule. This is probably the most labor-intensive class for me to teach since I am compressing 24 hours of the process into a 2-hour class, which requires a lot of preparation. I would love to teach this class with at least 3 people.

If you are interested, please email me your availability or fill out this form. Each student receives a jar of mature starter to help you start baking!

Elena

PS: If you missed the previous newsletters, you can find them on the FoodFirst website under the What’s for Dinner? tab, or just click the link below.