Good morning folks!

It’s that time again.

Hope everyone is experiencing a lightening of stress, maybe finding an extra bounce in your step and holy fucking shit, this spring feels a little different than last years.

The local health experts are saying LA County can reach herd immunity this summer. 

I know last year I spent every waking moment while I was at home in my safe space – the kitchen. I also baked a shitload of bread and constructed meals based on what I had on hand and what I could scavenge from the grocery store.

Which… isn’t really all that far from what I’m doing this year.

With less stress though!

This has been said forever and by many folks with a louder voice than mine but if you give yourself an extra 10-15 minutes to get to work? I’ll be goddamned does it ever lower your stress level. It’s great. I can take the scenic route and listen to some tunes and don’t have to worry about watching the time and why the fuck didn’t I do this years ago?

It’s a very different vibe in the air right now and I’m digging it.

 

Got some incredible stuff for you today and a meal that not only blew me away but it showcased some of my technical abilities and favorite flavor profiles and was also 100% ad lib, off the cuff, making shit up as I went along.

It was magnificent.

This menu today? There was no other way to describe it other than being in the “zone.”

All original ideas, this one crosses cultures and cuisines and I don’t give a fuck.

Think of it as Indian/Middle Eastern fusion cuisine.

I wanted to use the leftover garam masala that we still had on hand from our chana masala recipe (recipe is right there in that link.) In addition I wanted to experiment with the frozen naan dough from last week and find out if freezing it would work and finally? I wanted to get back in the kitchen after last week’s less than stellar results and just blow some fucking shit up proper.

Basic concept was pairing our leftover items with some yogurt marinated grilled meats and a side or two.

Usually at the end of a season of Sunday Gravy I’ll have a reflection and give out what I thought were some of the best meals of the year.

This will be in that discussion. 

Since there are a lot of moving parts here I started the prep the day before. 

Let’s knock out some “garlic dipping sauce” first.

Yes, you’ve definitely seen something very much like this before. It’s a condiment that I use whenever I’m tinkering around with a Middle Eastern or Mediterranean style. It goes particularly well with grilled meats

It’s base is just what you see: plain Greek yogurt, garlic and a seasoning of your choosing. I used Aleppo pepper today since it’s a straightforward spice with a subtle heat and allows any additional spices in the meal to stand out.

See? Nice and easy. Just throw them in a bowl.

And mix that shit together! One container of the yogurt, 5-6 cloves of minced garlic and maybe a teaspoon or so of the Aleppo pepper.

Cover with some plastic and refrigerate overnight.

Next: we’ve got the leftover chickpeas from last week and we can try something with those. How about…

Hummus!

Of course we’ve done this many times in the past.

Here’s the recipe from that link.

“Hummus!

Garbanzo beans, also called chickpeas – reserve the bean juice.

Juice from 1 large lemon

1/4 cup of tahini 

1-2 cloves of garlic minced

2 tablespoons of olive oil and some more for garnish

1/2 teaspoon of cumin

Salt to taste

Seasoning of choice for garnishing

The reserved bean juice, it’s probably a little less than a quarter of a cup.”

Yes indeed that’s some of our leftover chickpeas from our chana masala misadventure.

In the past you may recall I always used canned garbanzo beans when making hummus. Not this time. Homemade chickpeas for this hummus. It was about a cup and a half of the cooked chickpeas

Into the food processor!

Remember this is built in stages. It’s important if you want the proper texture. Tahini and lemon juice go in first and are pulsed for a minute. Then the olive oil, salt and cumin are added and another 1 minute grind. Next half of the beans (pictured) then pulse for a minute and finally the remaining beans and another 60 second grind.

Did we attain that proper texture?

Well.

We did. 

That’s a sprinkle more of Aleppo pepper over the top for cohesion between the ingredients. I can also state that using home cooked garbanzo beans instead of the canned type made this incredible.

Spoiler alert! I won’t be using canned garbanzo beans in my hummus ever again. This was not just MY best hummus ever it may have been the best I’ve ever eaten. No bullshit.

This can be made a day in advance and refrigerated overnight.

Next let’s get to work on the marinade. Also done a day ahead.

First, let’s say hello to our proteins!

Protein number 1 is some lovely boneless lamb sirloin chops! Look at those beauties!

Protein number two will be all natural, organic and “no antibiotics added ever” boneless, skinless, chicken breast!

Give them a warm welcome!

We’re going to get started on the marinade. Very similar in many ways to our yogurt garlic dipping sauce.

But we will be using 2 containers of yogurt along with one lemon cut into thin slices, and of course…

Aren’t you forgetting something?

That’s more like it. In addition we will also be using some…

That’s our leftover homemade garam masala too. Notice that this is NOT a sealed airtight container and yes I did in fact smell garam masala everyday for the past week while it was in my cupboard.

Mix the marinade up well.

Please note: I am fresh out of gallon ziptop freezer bags – they’re on next week’s grocery list – so this bowl will have to do for a marinating vessel.

Add in the proteins.

Combine!

What? Oh don’t get weird on me now! They’ll be fine marinating together. They won’t give each other “cooties” for Christ sake. That marinade will keep that from happening.

I placed a sheet of plastic wrap directly on top of the marinating bits then placed another sheet over the top of the bowl.

Into the fridge for an overnight nap.

The next day we’ve got something like this.

We don’t have the same balcony space at the new place like we did at our old dojo so we had to locate a new grilling spot.

I ended up parking on the street and we set up the grill area in our driveway.

It’s down there!

TAJ manned the grill for this effort and I stayed in the kitchen to work on our bread and our side dish. Remember those doughballs of naan we froze previously?

I took these out of the freezer the day before. Today is experimentation day! Will we be able to cook lovely homemade naan from dough that has been previously frozen?

Imma find out right now dammit.

Remember to roll these out on a floured surface, OK?

Next we’re gonna grab Ol’ Bessy and give her a proper lubing up.

When the skillet’s hot in goes the naan.

Couple of minutes then flip.

Repeat until all of the naan is cooked.

For a side today we’ve got my favorite garlic, rosemary, potato wedges. Toss with a little salt and olive oil, then into a 350 oven for right about an hour.

Now we just need to grill some flesh.

There’s the chicken, we’ve also got…

What does a properly grilled lamb chop look like?

Like that! Exactly like that!

What? Don’t give me that undercooked shit, man! Look at it!

The very definition of “food porn.”

How about we cut some up and serve with some of that naan?

I will bear no detractors nor accept any incorrect opinions other than this is a fabulous – dare I say “perfect” – piece of grilled meat.

It haunted me. It still does.

One more look at the entire shindig.

Just spit-balling here but I’m pretty sure that is a perfect representation of meal cohesion. Not only is everything insanely delicious, every single item compliments every other item. It is truly the sum of its parts. Any single piece would be delicious in it’s own right but when presented together?

Fuck right off.

The charcoal does incredible things to the yogurt-marinated meats. It is a low smoky undertone that actually accentuates the proteins rather than overwhelming them. I’ve done yogurt marinating many times in the past and every time I do it turns out some of the best grilled meats I’ve ever had. The yogurt acts in the same way that buttermilk does and it works some alchemy on the protein structure. 

How about that garam masala? Seems pretty aggressive of a spice blend for this no?

Nope. It’s there but it doesn’t overpower in any way. It’s an enhancement and what it did to that lamb could be declared illegal in many southern states. It was delectable. Sultry. Sexy. Sensual. Best fucking lamb I’ve ever had.

Since we’re talking about lamb I don’t want any of you red meat eaters out there tell me that it’s too “gamey.” Incorrect answer. The gaminess has been basically bioengineered out of the lamb in a way similar to what was done with pork when they made it “The other white meat.”

If you like a good steak, particularly a dry-aged steak you are going to fucking love the shit out of this.

I actually said out loud “This is what steak used to taste like.”

You could probably best say that all of these foods “play together well.”

Hell, take a piece of naan then put in one of those potato wedges. Top that with a slice or 3 of the grilled meat, then add some hummus and top with the garlic sauce.

Separate each is fantastic.

Together? They are transcendent.

Oh yeah?! You can freeze naan dough and it cooks goddamn perfectly!

How fucking cool is that?

That makes me happier than a pig in shit!

It worked!

I’m gonna have naan dough in my freezer ALL THE TIME, BABY!

I’m so very, very happy with these results.

Please folks, make any of these, make all of these and serve together. Use yogurt marinating more often for grilled meats. You can even choose your favorite spices, it doesn’t have to be a homemade garam masala but you will be goddamn glad if you do use it.

THAT’S how you rebound!

Sunday Gravy is back in business.

Much love everyone!

Get vaccinated if you haven’t already.

Be Safe!

Be Well!

PEACE!