Middle Eastern Mixed Grill Platter with Chicken Tawook and Lamb Kafta

By Sprig Originals ✓ · cooked up in Sprig

A restaurant-style mixed grill feast built for one grill and one cook: yogurt-and-garlic chicken tawook, hand-mixed lamb-and-beef kafta, blistered tomatoes and onions, whipped toum, silky hummus and warm pita. Both marinades go together the day before, so grill day is just sequencing — kafta first, chicken second, vegetables in the gaps — and everything lands on one big platter at the same time.

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 lb boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
• 1 cup whole-milk plain yogurt
• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 6 cloves garlic, grated
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 tbsp seven-spice (baharat)
• 2 tsp sweet paprika
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 2 1/4 tsp kosher salt
• 3/4 tsp black pepper

• 1 lb ground lamb
• 1 lb ground beef (80/20)
• 1 small yellow onion, grated and squeezed dry
• 1 cup flat-leaf parsley leaves, finely chopped
• 2 tsp seven-spice (baharat)
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 1/2 tsp ground allspice
• 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
• 2 tsp kosher salt
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 2 tbsp ice water

• 8 cloves garlic, peeled and any green germ removed
• 1 large egg white
• 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1 cup neutral oil (canola or grapeseed)

• 2 cans (15 oz each) chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 cup tahini, well stirred
• 3 tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 1 clove garlic
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1/3 cup ice water, plus more as needed
• 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, for serving

• 6 Roma tomatoes, halved lengthwise
• 2 large red onions, cut into 1-inch wedges
• 6 long green Anaheim or banana peppers
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1 small red onion, thinly sliced
• 1 tbsp sumac
• 8 pita breads
• 2 lemons, cut into wedges
• 1 cup pickled turnips or cucumber pickles
• 1 handful fresh mint and parsley sprigs

Instructions

1. DAY BEFORE — Chicken: In a large bowl, whisk the yogurt, lemon juice, olive oil, grated garlic, tomato paste, seven-spice, paprika, cinnamon, 2 1/4 tsp salt and 3/4 tsp pepper until smooth. Add the chicken pieces and turn to coat every surface. Cover and refrigerate 12 to 24 hours (no longer, or the lemon will make the meat mealy).
2. DAY BEFORE — Kafta: Grate the onion on a box grater, then squeeze it hard in a clean towel until it is nearly dry — wet onion is the main reason kafta falls off skewers. In a bowl, combine the lamb, beef, squeezed onion, parsley, seven-spice, coriander, allspice, cinnamon, 2 tsp salt and 1 tsp pepper. Knead with your hands for a full 3 minutes, adding the ice water partway through, until the mixture turns sticky and slightly paste-like. Cover tightly and refrigerate overnight.
3. DAY BEFORE (optional) — Toum: Put the garlic, egg white, lemon juice and 1/2 tsp salt in a tall jar just wider than an immersion blender head. Blend 15 seconds to a slurry. With the blender running at the bottom of the jar, add the oil in a very slow stream, lifting the blender up through the mixture only after it thickens. You should have a thick, fluffy white sauce. Refrigerate up to 5 days; the raw garlic bite mellows overnight.
4. DAY BEFORE OR MORNING OF — Hummus: Put the chickpeas in a saucepan with the baking soda and water to cover by 2 inches. Simmer 20 minutes, until the skins slip off and the chickpeas mash easily against the pan. Drain, rinse under cold water, and rub off as many skins as float free.
5. In a food processor, blend the warm chickpeas with the tahini, lemon juice, garlic, cumin and 1 tsp salt for 1 minute. With the motor running, drizzle in the ice water until the hummus is pale and completely smooth, 2 to 3 minutes more. Refrigerate; bring to room temperature before serving and thin with a splash of water if needed.
6. GRILL DAY, 1 hour ahead: Pull the chicken and kafta from the fridge. Divide the kafta into 12 portions (about 2 1/2 oz each). Wet your hands and press each portion around a flat metal skewer into a 6-inch log about 1 inch thick, pinching the ends to seal. Set the finished skewers on a parchment-lined sheet pan and refrigerate 30 minutes to firm up.
7. Thread the chicken onto 6 skewers, leaving a hair of space between pieces so they cook through, and wipe off any thick clumps of marinade (they burn). Toss the tomatoes, onion wedges and long peppers with 2 tbsp olive oil and 1 tsp salt on a second sheet pan. Soak the sliced red onion in cold water 10 minutes, drain, pat dry and toss with the sumac; set aside for the platter.
8. Build a two-zone fire: for charcoal, bank a full chimney of lit coals over half the grate; for gas, set half the burners to high and the rest to low. Scrape the grate clean and oil it well. You want the hot side around 500 to 550°F. Set your oven to 200°F with a large platter inside to keep cooked meat warm.
9. Grill the vegetables first, since they hold well: lay the onion wedges, tomatoes (cut side down first) and peppers over the hot side. Cook 8 to 12 minutes total, turning, until deeply charred in spots and just tender. Move them to the warm platter in the oven.
10. Grill the kafta second, while the fire is at its hottest: lay the skewers over the hot zone and do not touch them for 3 minutes — they need to set a crust before they will release. Turn once and grill 3 to 4 minutes more, until well browned and 160°F at the center. Move to the warm platter.
11. Grill the chicken last: start the skewers over the hot zone for 3 minutes per side to char the yogurt marinade, then slide to the cooler zone and cook 4 to 6 minutes more, turning once, until the thickest pieces read 175°F. Thigh meat is forgiving — let it get properly browned. Rest 5 minutes.
12. Warm the pita for 30 to 45 seconds per side over the cooling grate, stacking them in a clean towel as they come off so they steam and stay soft.
13. Assemble the platter: spread the hummus on one large plate, swirl the top and pour over the olive oil. On a second big platter, lay down the grilled vegetables, then arrange the kafta and chicken skewers over them. Scatter the sumac onions, mint and parsley sprigs across the meat and tuck lemon wedges and pickles around the edges.
14. Serve immediately, family style, with the toum, hummus and warm pita alongside. Let everyone slide skewers off with a piece of pita, which is the whole point of a mixed grill.

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Nutrition (per serving, estimated)

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