Deconstructed Turkey Shwarma by Chef Avi of Avi's Kosher Kitchen

If there was ever an iconic dish of the Middle East, it is arguably the Shawarma. Shwarma can be made from lamb, turkey or chicken. If you’ve ever been to a typical Israeli shwarma stand, you know that it can be like walking into a shark tank . . . IF you don’t know what you’re doing or how to order.

So, with a little help from my friend Yosef Silver (This American Bite), who gave me the original spice profile, I’ve deconstructed the shwarma and made a version that you can eat with one hand. It’s perfect for a tapas, dinner party or just because it tastes so great.

What You Need:

• 6 pastured, organic-fed KOL Foods Turkey Breast Fillet or Schnitzel Cutlets
• 1 Tbs Cumin
• 1 Tbs Paprika
• 1 Tbs Coriander
• 1 Tbs Turmeric
• 1 tsp. White Pepper
• 1 tsp. Salt
• ¼ - ½ tsp. Cardamom
• Touch of Olive Oil
• Touch of Lemon Juice
• Rendered Lamb Fat from KOL Foods' 100% grass-fed lamb

Flat Bread:

• 5 cups of four
• 1 cup of water
• 1 cup of oil
• 1 tsp. Salt
• I onion diced
• (Optional fresh herbs)

What You Do:

This recipe is so easy. First combine all of the dry spices, the lemon and a touch of olive oil. Mix them together well. I like to use a fork to mix. Then apply the spice rub to the turkey fillets. Make sure to completely cover all of the fillets. Reserve some of the spice mixture for later. Now just put the fillets in a container and cover. Place in the refrigerator for at least two hours. You want the spice rub to have time to marry itself to the turkey.

Once the turkey has had time to become friendly with the spices, it’s time to get the shwarma going. Heat up the lamb fat in a large pan. (If you don’t have or can’t get lamb fat you can use some cooking oil.) Add your onions and the remaining spice mixture. Then add the turkey fillets making sure that you don’t overcrowd the pan. It’s better to make this in two batches then to make it poorly.

Once the turkey is cooked, cut it into pieces and put it back in the pan. You want the turkey to develop texture with the outside a bit crusty and the inside soft. I then take one of my pan grilled flat breads and layer. I put some of my lemon garlic hummus on it. Pile some of the shwarma meat on top of that, then some Israeli salad, then some lemon cilantro tehini and a little pickled mango.

For the flat breads:

Combine the water, oil and salt in a pot and heat until tepid and the ingredients have mixed well. Then simply add to the four in a stand mixer and let the mixer do the work until dough is formed. The dough can be wrapped in plastic wrap and frozen or refrigerated. (This dough also works great for lachmagine and for Turkish burekas)

When you’re ready to make the flat breads, take a golf ball size piece of dough, flatten it out into a circle. Then put a little olive oil on a hot flat pan. Lay the dough on. It will smoke and sizzle. After a minute or so, flip the bread and add some olive oil to the top along with some zhatar. If you don’t like zhatar, don’t use it. Do this to both sides of the flat bread.

Enjoy:

Serve with some hand cut French fries or a nice salad and your favorite glass of wine. It’s like having a taste of Israel, right in the palm of your hand.

L’Chaim . . . Avi