Home Farm Herbery

Spatchcock Chicken with Za’atar

Here is another great recipe using Za’atar.  At Home Farm Herbery we just love this delicious seasoning and it is great on chicken.

Spatchcock basically means to butterfly the chicken so that it lays flat and cooks more evenly over indirect heat on the grill.

When we choose our chicken, we use either a roasting or frying chicken. They are both young chickens and can weigh anywhere from 2-5 pounds. If you get a larger or smaller bird, you may have to adjust the cooking time accordingly.

When using the grill, cooking times may vary depending on how hot your grill gets.  If we use the grill in the winter we get a different cooking temperature than in the summer. It's tempting to lift the lid often to check on the food, but try not to lift it too often, it reduces the temperature of the grill each time you do. Just make sure your bird is not over the flame or hottest part of the grill or you may end up with a burned bird. Always use a thermometer to check the internal temperature to determine doneness.

Ingredients:

1 medium sized roasting or frying chicken about 3Lbs

2 red onions, thinly sliced

2 teaspoons Garlic Powder

4 Tablespoons Olive Oil

1 1/2 teaspoon Ground Allspice 

1 teaspoon Ground Cinnamon

1 Tablespoon Sumac  

1 lemon, thinly sliced

1 cup chicken stock or water (We have no problem using canned or packaged chicken stock)

1 teaspoon Sea Salt  

1 teaspoon Fresh Ground Black Pepper

2 Tablespoons Za'atar 

Directions:

Prepare the chicken by removing the backbone and laying the whole chicken out flat.

Put the chicken in a large zip bag or container that will allow chicken to be completely covered with marinade.

In a large bowl, onions, Granulated Garlic, olive oil, Ground Allspice, Cinnamon, lemons, chicken stock or water, salt and pepper.

Pour the spice mixture into the bag or container and fully submerge the chicken in the marinade.

Place chicken in the refrigerator for a few hours or overnight.

When you are ready to prepare the chicken, preheat the grill. If it is a gas grill, turn off one side of the burner or if charcoal, move the hot coals to one side of the grill to create indirect heat cooking.

Remove the chicken from the marinade pat dry with a paper towel and sprinkle the chicken on both sides with the Za'atar. Discard the marinade.

Lightly oil the grill grate and place breast side up on the coolest part of the grill.

Close the grill lid and let chicken cook about 30-40 minutes before turning over and cooking until the internal temperature is at least 155-160 degrees. Remove from heat and let chicken rest about 10 minutes until the internal chicken temperature is 165 degrees.

Serves: 6

May the Creative Force be with you,

Arlene Wright-Correll

Home Farm Herbery

How to use Za’atar

Someone asked me the other day what was Za’atar and how to use it. 

First of let me say that Za'atar is a Middle Eastern spice blend commonly used with oil for dipping pita or flatbreads or as a main ingredient in hummus. 

At Home Farm Herbery we make this seasoning and we this delightful seasoning to flavor some of our own food fusion cuisine and I used it to enhance and spice up chicken, fish and vegetables.   We make this seasoning with several herbs and spices but we only use Sea Salt.

We love trying something new here at Home Farm Herbery and you should expand your own and your families horizons because like music food and recipes are universal.

One of my favorite recipes is Za'atar Spiced Meatballs.

Za'atar Spiced Meatballs

Ingredients:

1 lb. ground lamb or turkey (I used 99% ground turkey breast)

3 tablespoons bread crumbs

7 teaspoons Za'atar, divided 

1 tablespoon olive oil

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375º F

In a medium bowl thoroughly mix bread crumbs and 6 teaspoons Za'atar into ground meat. 

Cover a baking sheet or a cookie sheet with aluminum foil

Make 10 golf ball sized meatballs and place on a baking sheet

Heat olive oil in a heavy skillet over medium/high heat

Place meatballs in skillet and brown each side of the meatballs, 2 minutes per side

Place meatballs back on baking sheets and sprinkle with remaining Za'atar 

Bake 6 minutes

Serve with couscous (I used 4 cups cooked)  In the event you don’t like couscous you could exchange it for rice.

Serves: 4

May the Creative Force be with you,

Arlene Wright-Correll

Home Farm Herbery

Ground Beef with Tomatoes and Zucchini

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The gardens are being thought of and we are planting tomatoes and zucchini at Home Farm Herbery.  So we look forward to fixing this recipe.  So should you.  However, it is just as good without the beef if you are off beef, can’t get organic, free range beef or are a vegetarian.  If you do use beef buy some 96% fat free beef.  If you want you can substitute Venison.

We grow many herbs here and dry them and often blend them to make delicious other things.  This is one of our easiest recipes and you can get our own garlic flakes and driedbasil by just clicking on the words.

However, one does not need to wait until their garden produces to make this easy great recipe that you family will love.  You can make this anytime of the year.

This certainly is not a spicy beef dish but it is a super quick and easy dinner (as long as you prepare the rice a head of time). We loved this dish because it was filling, low in sodium, high in protein and stuffed with healthy nutrients (especially vitamins b6, b12 and c and also zinc, manganese, and selenium). This did have some Trans fat per serving.

Ingredients:

1 lb 96% lean ground beef

1 large zucchini, sliced

1 large tomato, chopped

1/2 medium yellow onion, chopped

2 teaspoons dried garlic flakes 

2 teaspoons dried basil

1 Tablespoon olive oil

Cracked pepper to taste

Directions:

Preheat a non stick pan over medium-high heat.

Brown ground meat for about 3 minutes until cooked through.

Add the zucchini, onions and stir fry 8-10 minutes until vegetables are browned.

Add tomato and cook 3-4 minutes

Stir in garlic flakes, basil, olive oil and pepper

Serve over 1/2 cup prepared rice

May the Creative Force be with you,

Arlene Wright-Correll

Home Farm Herbery