mediterranean fusion: grilled chicken, tzatziki and roasted pepper salad

After enduring a long winter, as soon as the weather warms up in Montréal, layers of clothing come off and all attention turns to the outdoors. Terasses open up, bicycles and convertibles hit the streets, parks become bursting with laughter, and no one wants to be stuck indoors toiling away in a hot kitchen. Every Montréaler has his or her favourite grill recipe. Here are a few of my family’s favourite.

I love the simplicity and flavors of this meal. It brings together Greek and Moroccan cuisines and best of all, everything except the rice can be prepared outdoors using a grill.

The tzatziki and marinade recipes come from Recipe Tin Eats. For years, I was trying to perfect my own tzatziki recipe to little avail. Then I came across this one and gone are the days of tasting and adjust each time I make tzatziki. The chicken marinade recipe is an added bonus that goes so well with the tzatziki. (I am new at food blogging and just starting to learn about photography as I go along. If you really want to see with your eyes how yummy these recipes are, you must check out the original post at Recipe Tin Eats. The photography is excellent!)

The roasted pepper salad recipe was given to me years ago in approximations by a Moroccan friend. Over the years, I’ve got it down to somewhat precise measurements, but really, for this recipe, anything goes. You could easily adjust the garlic and lemon to your liking, use more or less olives and replace the coriander with parsley if you so desire. It will still be just as good. I love recipes like that!

Happy grilling!

Tzatziki (adapted from Recipe Tin Eats )

• 1 whole English cucumber (about 280 g which will give 3/4 cups of grated cucumber once the juice is removed)
• 450 g (or 2 cups) plain Greek yogurt (replace some of the yogurt with labneh for a thicker result)
• 2 tsp white wine vinegar
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil (I use about 3 tbsp)
• 1 tsp salt + 1 additional tsp salt (to help remove the juices from the cucumber)
  pepper to taste

1. Cut the cucumber in half lengthwise. Use a teaspoon to scrape seeds out. Coarsely grate the cucumber using a box grater and stir in 1 tsp of salt. Place in colander and let it drain for a few hours or overnight in the refrigerator.
2. When ready to use, place on a cheese cloth (or paper towel) and squeeze to remove all excess liquid. (A 280 g cucumber gave me 3/4 cup of grated cucumber once all the juice was removed).
3. Add the remaining ingredients to the grated cucumber and mix to combine.
4. Set aside for at least 20 minutes for the flavours to blend.

Greek Yogurt Marinade for Chicken (adapted from Recipe Tin Eats)

• 12 g garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tbsp white wine vinegar
• 3 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 3 tbsp Greek yogurt
• 1½ tbsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

1. Combine all ingredients of the marinade and use it to marinate 1 kg of boneless, skinless chicken pieces.
2. Marinate in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours, but not longer than 24 hours.
3. Grill until golden brown and cooked through.

Moroccan Roasted  Pepper Salad

• 2 red bell peppers
• 2 yellow bell peppers
• 2 orange bell peppers
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• about 1/2 cup good quality black and green olives
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• juice of 1 lemon
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2-3 tbsp chopped fresh coriander for garnishing

1. Place uncut peppers (keep stems on) on a grill until their skin is blistered and completely charred, turning occasionally for even charring. Once charred, remove from grill and place in a covered bowl and let cool (about 45 minutes). Working under a thin stream of cold running water, peel the skin off and remove the stems and the seeds from the inside. Cut the peppers into bite size pieces.
2. Add the remaining ingredients and mix gently.
3. Let the flavors blend for at least a few hours, 24 hours is ideal. (The longer you allow it to marinate, the less of a bite the garlic will have). Serve at room temperature.