Najmieh Batmanglij (Washington D.C.) created a fabulous Persian meal at a special D.C. dinner that the LDEI board attended in February.   The delicious kebabs she served (Jujeh Kebab) are mentioned in the Spring issue of the Quarterly on page 9. Najmieh graciously agreed to share the recipe. For the best results, she suggests marinating the poultry for three days. The succulent chicken becomes meltingly tender and flavorful. The recipe comes from Najmieh’s cookbook, New Food of Life: Ancient Persian and Modern Iranian Cooking and Ceremonies.

 Susan Slack

 JUJEH KEBAB  

INGREDIENTS:

  Chicken:

      1/2 teaspoon ground saffron dissolved in 2 tablespoons hot water

      1/2 cup fresh lime juice

      4 tablespoons olive oil

      2 large onions, peeled and thinly sliced

      2 cloves garlic, peeled, and crushed

      2 tablespoons zest of LIME

      2 tablespoons yogurt

      2 teaspoons salt

      2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper

       4 Cornish hens, about 4 pounds, each cut into 10 pieces, or 4  

          pounds of chicken drumettes, or 3 pounds boneless SKINLESS

          chicken THIGH, cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces 

    5 SMALL tomatoes, halved

    6 flat, swordlike skewers

 Baste:

   Juice of 1 lime 

   1/4 cup butter, melted

   1/2 teaspoon salt

   1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

To serve:

   2 (12-ounce) packages of lavash bread

   2 limes, cut in half

  BASIL sprigs

INSTRUCTIONS:

Chicken:

In a NON REACTIVE  large bowl, combine half the saffron water and the lime juice, olive oil, onions, garlic, LIME zest, yogurt, salt, and pepper. Beat well with a fork. Add the pieces of Cornish hen or chicken and toss well with marinade. Cover and marinate for at least 24 hours and up to 3 days in the refrigerator. Turn the chicken twice during this period.  Start a bed of charcoal 30 minutes before you want to cook and let it burn until the coals glow evenly. (You can use a hair dryer to speed up the process.) Otherwise, preheat the oven broiler.  Skewer the tomatoes. Spear wings, breasts, and legs onto different skewers (they require different cooking times).

Baste:

Add the juice of 1 lime and the remaining saffron water to the melted butter. Add 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Mix well and set aside.  Grill the chicken and tomatoes 8 to 15 minutes, until done. Turn frequently. The chicken is done when the juice that runs out is yellow rather than pink.  BASTE THE GRILLED CHICKEN JUST BEFORE REMOVING FROM THE FIRE.

 To serve:

Place a whole lavash bread on a serving platter. Remove the grilled chicken from skewers and arrange the pieces on the bread. Garnish with lime juice and sprigs of parsley.  Cover the platter with more bread. Serve immediately with fresh herbs, torshi (Persian pickles), and french fries. 

Nush-e Jan!