That's the Rub

I'm always on the prowl for ways to use the ground sumac spice I wrote about not long ago. It's not a staple in most American kitchens; it's used rampantly in Middle Eastern cooking and so it wasn't surprising that when I discovered a recipe for lamb kebobs, ground sumac was a key ingredient.

This is a very versatile rub and works nicely on beef or chicken kebobs, although there's nothing better than ground lamb balls and vegetables on a skewer grilled on the barbecue.

1/4 Cup chopped fresh thyme leaves
2 Tablespoons fresh oregano leaves
1 Tablespoon sesame seeds
1 Tablespoon ground sumac
1/2 Teaspoon kosher salt or fleur de sel

1/2-3/4 pounds ground lamb
1/2 pound baby zucchini, patty pan, or yellow squash
1 Red pepper
Extra virgin olive oil

Make the rub by combining all the dry ingredients and mix together. Blend half of the rub with the ground lamb and shape into 9-10 balls. Cut vegetables roughly the same size as the meatballs, brush with olive oil, and sprinkle remaining rub on the vegetables. Thread the meatballs and the vegetables onto skewers. Grill over medium heat about 8 minutes, turning carefully to brown all sides. Serve with rice or triangles of pita bread that have been warmed on the grill.

Patio Dining: Grilled Chicken and Spinach Salad

My friend Judy talked me into it. She had been planning an excursion to Costco to load up on victuals for the holidays. We both live alone, so bulk buying really doesn’t make sense for either of us, but we each had our families coming for an extended visit and the larders were bare. I don’t have a Costco membership and it had been easily 15 years since I’d set foot into a big box with food, so I went as her “guest.” After carefully strategizing the exact day and hour that seemed the optimal time for tackling the crowds, off we went on the 20-mile trek to Consumer Mecca to discover what we couldn’t live without.

I was fascinated with how the products were displayed, the variety of goods and the surprising high-end selection of many of the items. There were a number of organic and healthy choices. I examined lots of ethnic foods, prepared platters that only need to have the wrapping removed before serving, and tons of fresh fruits and vegetables. No doubt about it, times had changed from the Costco I knew years ago.

One of the items I picked up was a jar of smoked paprika. But like so many of Costco’s products, it was an outrageously large quantity. At 8½ ounces, it was easily three times as large as any container of spice I usually buy. I looked at that jar and figured I would never live long enough to use it up before its natural shelf life expired. So we agreed to split it after we got it home.

That buying spree took place six months ago, and I am still in possession of way too much smoked paprika.  I’ve sprinkled it on grilled chicken and substituted it for plain paprika in several recipes, but I don’t think I’ve made a dent in the quantity that’s still left. So I was delighted to find a recipe in the new issue of Sunset magazine that called for more than a dusting of the stuff.

I wanted to share the recipe with Judy, my co-conspirator on the Costco excursion, but she was out of town, so I asked my neighbor Jo Ann to join me for a grilled salad on the patio. Because so much of the preparation can be done ahead of time, and assuming you can grill and chat at the same time, this recipe gives the cook plenty of time to visit with guests. That was important to me because I don’t see Jo Ann often enough and she’s great company.

 Grilled Chicken and Spinach Salad with Smoked Paprika Dressing

½ Cup extra-virgin olive oil

¼ Cup sherry vinegar

1 Shallot, minced

4 Teaspoons smoked paprika

1 Teaspoon kosher salt

1 Teaspoon dried oregano leaves

½ Teaspoon fresh pepper

2 Chicken breast halves, boneless and skinless

1 Ear of corn, husks and silks removed and left on the cob

2 Portabella mushrooms, stems removed

5 Ounces of lightly packed baby spinach (or a generous handful of spinach leaves per person)

2 Scallions cut into 2-inch slivers

Whisk the oil, vinegar, shallot, paprika, oregano, and salt and pepper in a medium bowl. Set aside ½ cup of the dressing and put in the refrigerator to chill. Add chicken to the remaining dressing, turn to coat and chill, covered, for at least 1½ hours or overnight. Let chicken and reserved dressing come to room temperature before serving, about 30 minutes.

Heat the grill to medium-high. Remove the chicken from the marinade and transfer to a plate. Add corn and mushrooms to the marinade and brush to coat. Grill the corn, mushrooms and chicken until the vegetables are just browned and the chicken is no longer pink in the center (about 12-18 minutes for the chicken, 3-4 minutes longer for the corn.) Transfer to a cutting board as they are done.

Cut the warm corn kernels off the cobs into a large bowl. Cut the chicken and mushrooms into strips, and then add to the bowl along with the spinach, scallions and reserved dressing. Toss to coat. Adjust seasoning if necessary.