Joss Whedon didn't just bring dynamic characters, dazzling action, and rapid-fire quips to the MCU - he brought one character's singular hunger, a hunger that grew like a virus within the Avengers themselves. A hunger...for shawarma. Solemnly munch along in silence this week as we marvel at a carnivorous carousel and puff up some pita.

 

Ingredients

Palestinian Chicken

  • 2 cups yogurt
  • ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 8 cloves of garlic
  • 1 tsp ground sumac
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • 1 tsp coriander
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 tsp allspice
  • 1 small onion, grated
  • Fresh ground pepper
  • Kosher salt
  • Chicken thighs (as many as you’d like to make/marinate)
     

Tzatziki Sauce

  • 1 cup of greek yogurt
  • 1 cucumber, seeded
  • 2 cloves of garlic
  • Juice of one lemon
  • ¼ cup finely minced dill
  • Salt
  • Pepper

 

Tahini

  • Sesame seeds
  • Grapeseed or sesame oil

 

Tabouleh Salad

  • ¾ lb cherry tomatoes (save tomato juice)
  • 1 cup of parsley
  • 1 cucumber
  • 2 green onions
  • Olive oil
  • Fresh ground pepper
  • Salt
  • A dash of ground coriander seed
  • A dash of allspice
  • A dash of cinnamon
  • A dash of cumin
  • ¼ cup bulgur wheat
  • ¼ cup reserved tomato juice
  • Mint
  • Juice of one lemon (to taste)

Pita Bread

  • 1 package active dry yeast
  • 1 cup warm water
  • 1 cup all purpose flour plus 1¾ cup flour (divided)
  • 1 ½ Tbsp olive oil
  • 1 ¾ tsp salt

Method

  Palestinian Chicken

  1. In a bowl, combine 2 cups of yogurt, ½ cup of extra virgin olive oil, 8 cloves of minced garlic, 1 tsp each of ground sumac, cumin, coriander, cinnamon, and allspice, 1 small onion grated, fresh ground pepper and kosher salt.
  2. Whisk to combine. Add chicken thighs and mix thoroughly with your hands. Cover and place in the fridge to marinate for at least 2 hours.

 

Tahini

  1. Heat a clean, dry cast iron or heavy duty skillet over medium high heat and add the sesame seeds. Stir frequently until they begin to turn golden brown and then stir constantly. Be careful, sesame seeds burn very easily.
  2. Once they're toasted, let them cool a few minutes then add them to a food processor.
  3. Start by adding 3 tablespoons of grapeseed or sesame oil. Process the mixture into a paste, scraping down the sides. Add more grapeseed oil until you reach desired consistency.

 

Pita Bread

  1. Place yeast into the work bowl of a stand mixer and add 1 cup warm water and 1 cup flour. Whisk together and let stand 15 to 20 minutes for mixture to rise and make a loose sponge. Mixture will bubble and foam.
  2. Pour 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil and salt into sponge then add 1 3/4 cup flour. Mix at low speed, using a dough hook attachment, until dough is soft, supple, and slightly sticky. If dough sticks to the sides of the bowl, add up to 1/4 cup more flour, a little at a time.
  3. Knead dough with machine on low speed until slightly springy and still soft, 5 to 6 minutes. Turn dough out onto a floured work surface and form into a ball.
  4. Wipe inside of bowl with 1/4 teaspoon olive oil. Turn dough around in bowl to cover with a thin film of oil; cover bowl with foil and let sit until dough has doubled in size, about 2 hours.
  5. Remove dough from bowl and place onto a floured work surface. Lightly pat into a flat shape about 1 inch thick. Use a knife to cut dough into 8 pieces.
  6. Form each piece into a small round ball with a smooth top, pulling dough from the sides and tucking the ends underneath the bottom.
  7. Cover dough balls with lightly oiled plastic wrap and let rest for 30 minutes.
  8. Sprinkle a small amount of flour on a work surface and top of a dough ball; gently pat dough ball flat with your fingers, forming a flat, round bread about 1/4 inch thick. Let dough round rest for 5 minutes. Repeat with remaining dough balls.
  9. Brush a cast-iron skillet with remaining 3/4 teaspoon olive oil and place over medium-high heat. Lay pita bread into hot skillet and cook until bread begins to puff up and bottom has brown spots and blisters, about 3 minutes. Flip, cook 2 more minutes, and flip back onto original side to cook for about 30 more seconds. Pita bread will begin to puff up and fill with hot air. Stack cooked breads on a plate when cool enough to handle.

 

Tabouleh Salad

  1. Start by finely chopping ¾ of a pound of cherry tomatoes. Add a teaspoon of salt to the tomatoes and place in a fine mesh sieve over a measuring cup. You’re going to want to keep the juice from the tomatoes.
  2. Next finely chop 1 cup of parsley. Add one teaspoon of salt, and place in a paper towel lined bowl to help take out moisture, and let sit for 20 minutes.
  3. Finely chop one seeded English cucumber, 2 green onions, and some mint.
  4. Add everything to a bowl and mix to combine.

  5. Combine ¼ cup bulgur wheat with ¼ cup of tomato juice that has been boiled, and let sit for 1 hour.

  6. Once bulgur wheat is cooked, add it to mixture along with olive oil, salt, pepper, and a sprinkle with coriander seed, allspice, cinnamon, and cumin. Stir to combine.

 

Taziki Sauce

  1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the yogurt, chopped cucumber, minced garlic, juice of one lemon, and dill. Season with salt and pepper. Chill.

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  1. You can bake or grill your chicken, but if you’re looking for the real thing you can buy a shawarma machine off of Amazon, load your chicken on the spit, and cook for a solid hour and a half until the outer layer of chicken is cooked.
  2. Use a knife to cut chicken into chunks.
  3. Serve on a pita with the other accoutrements, and enjoy!