Rosemary Lemon Scented Chicken Kebabs

When I think of summer, I think light, fresh, flavorful and easy. No one wants to spend too much time in a kitchen. The fresh and aromatic flavor of the rosemary mixed with a zesty lemony flavor just creates a wonderful explosion on my taste buds.

Photography by Robert Demetrius

These are the ingredients you will need for the kebabs:

4 chicken breasts, weighing about 2 pounds

16 cherry tomatoes

½ a red onion, cut in half then cut in quarters

1 green sweet pepper, cut into 16 pieces

8 12-inch bamboo skewers, which should be soaked for an hour before use

1 lemon cut in wedges

olive oil for drizzling

For the marinade:

1/3 cup of olive oil

3 tablespoons lemon juice

4 cloves garlic minced

1 teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon pepper

zest of 1 lemon

1 tablespoon chopped rosemary

Chicken Breast Cut in Pieces

Start by cutting the chicken breast in 1½-inch pieces. I made sure I got 24 pieces so that each skewer would have 4 pieces of juicy chicken. 

Olive Oil, Lemon Zest, Lemon Juice, Garlic, Rosemary, Salt and Pepper

Place the chicken pieces in a bowl and season with 1 teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon pepper, zest of 1 lemon, 4 cloves of garlic, minced, 1 tablespoon chopped rosemary, 1/3 cup of olive oil and 3 tablespoons lemon juice. Make sure that all pieces are well covered with the marinade.

Chicken Pieces Well Covered with Marinade

Marinate the chicken pieces for 3½ hours, so that the flavors of the rosemary, lemon and garlic are well infused into the meat. Toss the marinating chicken pieces again half way through.

An hour before assembling the kebabs, soak the bamboo skewers in water. This can be debated, whether to soak or not, but I tend to soak my bamboo skewers, I find the meat doesn’t take on the woody taste of the skewer.

About 15 minutes before use, take the marinating chicken out of the fridge just to take the chill off.

Cutting Red Onion in Quarters

Rinse the cherry tomatoes and pat them dry. Cut half of the onion, lengthwise in half again, then cut in quarters so you have 8 quarters.

Sweet Peppers

Cut the green sweet pepper in 1 inch pieces.

Assembly Line of Sweet Peppers and Tomatoes

Assemble your tomatoes, sweet peppers, onions and chicken in a line so that it’s easy to skew.

Preheat oven to 500°Fahrenheit.

Brushing Remaining Marinade on the Kebabs

Drizzle olive oil on an aluminum foil lined sheet. You can assemble the kebab they way you would like, I chose to start with the onions, then a piece of chicken, a piece of green sweet pepper, then another piece of chicken, a cherry tomato, then a piece of chicken, repeating the process, till each skewer is finished. Place the kebabs on the sheet and brush the remaining marinade on the entire skewer so that the vegetables get the entire juicy flavor as well.

Bake for 7 minutes on either side and then a final 1 minute on high broil so it gets a beautiful color.

Drizzling Kebabs with Olive Oil

Cut a lemon in quarter wedges. Plate 2 skewers on each plate with a wedge of lemon. Just before you dig in, squeeze some lemon juice on the kebabs and drizzle with olive oil and enjoy immediately. This serves for 4. Voilà. The chicken will be nice and juicy. If you have any leftovers, it can be served cold over a tossed salad.

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Stuffed Sweet Peppers

My Omi used to make the most delicious stuffed sweet peppers in a paprika sauce. I decided to take a try at it in my own way.

Photography by Robert Demetrius

For the stuffing:

1 pound ground pork

1 ¼ cup cooked long grain rice

1 medium onion, finely diced

2 cloves garlic, finely diced

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon black pepper

4 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1 teaspoon dried marjoram

pinch of red pepper flakes

1 egg, lightly beaten

For the sweet peppers:

6 medium sized sweet peppers

1 teaspoon salt

8 cups boiling water

For the sauce:

2 tablespoons oil

3 tablespoons tomato paste

¾ cup broth

1 teaspoons crème fraîche

1 tablespoons sour cream

Sweet Peppers

Start by bringing 8 cups of water to a boil. The boiling water will be used to parboil the sweet peppers before stuffing them. By doing so, it will reduce the cooking time when stuffed. This may take about 20 minutes so you have a bit of time to you the rest of your prep work.

Cleaned Sweet Peppers

While the water is heating, clean 6 medium sweet peppers, by cutting off the caps, removing the seeds and membranes and rinsing them out. Do not discard the caps, as we will be using then to cover the sweet peppers. Place the peppers in a deep baking dish that is not too large, making sure the peppers have enough room to stand up and not fall over on their sides. Place the caps in the baking dish but along the sides of the sweet peppers, so that they are also parboiled with the peppers.

Once that is done, we will start on the stuffing. I have used a heavy hand on the spices since the peppers will not be seasoned and I want the flavors of the stuffing to infuse into the peppers.

Onions, Garlic and Herbs

Pour 3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil into a heated pan, on medium low heat before tossing in 1 medium onion, finely diced along with 2 cloves garlic, finely diced, 1 teaspoon dried oregano, 1 teaspoon dried thyme, 1 teaspoon dried marjoram, two tablespoons of freshly chopped parsley with a pinch of red pepper flakes. Make sure the heat is at medium low because I made the herbs infuse in the oil for about 5 ½ minutes and you don’t want the herbs to burn. 

Ground Pork with Onions, Garlic and Herbs

Then add 1 pound of ground pork, seasoned with 1 teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon black pepper. Try to break up the ground pork as best as you can, as we don’t want clumps of meat once we blend the rice and meat mixture together. Sauté the meat for another 6 minutes so that it is well cooked through, then remove from the burner.

Sweet Peppers Filled with Boiling Water

The water should be boiling by now. Use a ladle to carefully pour the hot water into each sweet pepper cavity and pour the rest of the water into the baking dish. Leave the peppers in the hot water for about 10 minutes until they soften.

Pork Mixture and Rice

While the peppers are soaking in the hot water, mix the pork mixture with 1¼ cup cooked long grain rice and 2 more tablespoons freshly chopped parsley.

Pre-heat the oven to 450° Fahrenheit.

As soon as the 10 minutes have passed, take a pair of tongs and carefully pour out the water in the sweet peppers as well as discard the water in the baking dish, just make sure not to discard the caps. Place the peppers back into the baking dish, without the caps and sprinkle the peppers with 1 teaspoon salt. Just keep the caps on the side until we are ready to place the baking dish into the oven.

Stuffed Sweet Peppers Before Baking

Lightly beat an egg, adding it to the to the pork and rice mixture then fill the sweet peppers and cover then with their respective caps, placing them back into the baking dish.

Olive Oil and Tomato Paste

Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet and carefully add 3 tablespoons tomato paste, try to even the paste all over the pan until the olive oil starts turning red, then add ¾ cup of broth. 

Tomato Sauce

Let it simmer until it starts thickening for about 3 minutes then add 1 teaspoon crème fraîche and 1 tablespoon sour cream. Pour the sauce in the baking dish with the sweet peppers.

Cover the dish with aluminum foil and bake for 40 minutes in the oven.

Stuffed Sweet Pepper

Once the peppers are done, place the peppers in a plate and pour some of the sauce on the plate and drizzle a bit over the pepper. Serves 4.Voilà. Enjoy!

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Roasted Sweet Peppers

Sweet peppers or bell peppers have a pleasantly crisp, fresh, sweet taste. They are rich and vibrant in color and can give such flavor to your dish. By roasting them, the sweetness is enhanced as well as the flavor.

Photography by Robert Demetrius

You will need:

3 large sweet peppers (1 red, 1 orange, 1yellow)

Sweet Peppers cut in Half

Wash and pat dry the sweet peppers. Cut the sweet peppers in half, lengthwise and clean out the inner cavity. Remove the stem, the seeds and all the membranes, which is the white flesh on the cavity walls.

Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Turn the oven on to a high broil. Pre-heat the oven before placing the sweet peppers on the top rack. You want to make sure that the peppers are not lower than 5 to 6 inches from the top. Place the sweet peppers, cut side down on the aluminum lined baking sheet.

Roasted Sweet Peppers Just Out of The Oven

Broil for 7 - 10 minutes. Take out of the oven when you see black blisters on the peppers, then you know they are ready. Don’t let them burn. The skin will be a bit shriveled but that is normal. Cover the peppers with some more aluminum so that the steam can help loosen the skin from the peppers. 

Peeled, Roasted Sweet Peppers

Wait until the peppers have cooled and peel the skin off the peppers. It comes off pretty easily if using your fingers, but there may be a few spots that need some help, if so, take your knife using the tip to help you release the skin from the pepper. Leave the blackened spots on the peppers as they bring so much smoky flavor and intensity. Voilà! How easy is that!

I sliced the roasted sweet peppers and served as a side dish at room temperature. Just before serving, I drizzled the roasted sweet pepper slices with my balsamic vinaigrette. Serves 6 as a side dish. This goes well with my Herbed Lamb Chops or is a delightful accompaniment to the Oven Roasted Eggplant.

Sliced Roasted Sweet Peppers

Look out for three new recipes tomorrow and more to come on Wednesday! Just in time for Easter!

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