Extra Ingredients: Zaytinya's Shish Taouk

MIAMI BEACH — Spanish-born chef Jose Andres is a James Beard Award winner. He's also co-chair of the President's Council of Sports, Fitness and Nutrition, and the founder of World Central Kitchen (WCK), a non-profit devoted to providing meals in the wake of disasters. 

Recently, Andres came home to Miami Beach with a new Mediterranean-inspired eatery called Zaytinya. 

Here's the recipe for Zaytinya's classic Lebanese-style dish called Shish Taouk:

Zaytinya's Shish Taouk 

Yields 4 servings 

For the Marinade: 

Ingredients: 

• ½  tsp cumin seeds 
• ½  tsp caraway seeds 
• ½  tsp kosher salt 
• 2 tbsp. Greek yogurt 
• 1 tsp garlic, minced 
• 1 tbsp Greek olive oil 
• 1 tsp harissa paste (available on Amazon) 
• 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice 
• 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken thighs 

Method: 

1. Grind the caraway and cumin seeds coarsely. 
2. In a medium bowl mix spices together with remaining marinade ingredients. 
3. Clean and cut the chicken thighs into ½ oz pieces. 
4. Place chicken in a container and mix well with the marinade. 
5. For best results allow chicken to marinate overnight in the refrigerator. 
6. Skewer the chicken onto 9" metal skewers, distributing as evenly as possible among 4 skewers. 

For the Sumac Onions: 

Ingredients: 

• ½ cup sweet onion, thinly sliced 
• ½  tsp kosher salt 
• ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper 
• ¼ tsp allspice, ground 
• 1 tbsp sumac 
• 2 Tbl Greek olive oil 
• 1 Tbl red wine vinegar 
• 2 tsp parsley, minced 

Method: 

1. Soak sliced onions in ice water for one hour to mellow out the intensity of their flavor. 
2. Remove the onions and wring them out in a clean dish towel to remove all excess water. 
3. Mix onions with remaining ingredients and store at room temperature until ready to use. 

For the Garlic Toum: 

Ingredients: 

• 1 tsp kosher salt 
• ¼ cup fresh garlic, sliced 
• 2 tbsp lemon juice, freshly squeezed 
• 1 cup canola oil 

1. Chill oil, garlic, and lemon juice in the freezer for at least 1 hour before starting.  The colder they are the better the result will be. 
2. In a 2 qt measuring cup, combine 1 tbsp. lemon juice, salt and garlic. 
3. Blend until smooth with an immersion blender. 
4. With the immersion blender running, slowly add ¾ cup of the canola oil in a thin stream. 
5. With the immersion blender still running add remaining lemon juice. 
6. Finally, slowly add the remaining oil. 
7. Check consistency throughout to ensure the emulsion holds, final product should be white, light and fluffy. 
8. Store in the refrigerator until use 

For the Cherry Tomatoes: 

Ingredients: 

• 12 ea cherry tomatoes 
• 1 tsp. canola Oil 

Method: 

1. Wash the tomatoes in cold water and blot dry with paper towels. 
2. Toss the tomatoes with canola oil and skewer 3 tomatoes each onto 4 bamboo skewers (soaked in water to prevent burning). 

To Execute the Finished Dish: 

• To Taste: coarse salt like Maldon 
• To Taste: extra virgin olive oil 

1. Prepare a very hot grill, preferably open style like a traditional kebab or yakitori grill. 
2. Season the chicken skewers with salt and grill for 5 minutes on each side or until nicely cooked through but not dried out. 
3. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with coarse salt. 
4. While the chicken rests, grill the cherry tomato skewers until the skin starts to peel and the tomatoes are soft, then season them with coarse salt and olive oil. 

Serve chicken and grilled tomatoes with sumac onions and garlic toum on the side.

In:
• Food & Drink
• Miami Beach

Lisa Petrillo

Lisa Petrillo is the entertainment and lifestyle reporter for CBS4 News. Lisa also hosts the CBS4 "Taste of the Town" series, which celebrates South Florida's growing culinary scene and reports on fashion, travel and other lifestyle trends.

Twitter Instagram