Chicken souvlaki with stuffed aubergines
This dish combines the best of Cyprus, with spicy chicken souvlaki served with a fresh herb salad and spicy stuffed aubergines.
Ingredients
For the chicken souvlaki
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- ½ tsp ground black pepper
- ½ tsp hot smoked paprika
- ¼ tsp dried mint
- ½ tsp ground coriander
- ¼ tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp dried oregano
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 4 chicken thighs, boneless
For the white sauce
- 40g/1½ oz unsalted butter
- 40g/1½ oz plain flour
- 500ml/18fl oz whole milk
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 2 medium free range egg yolks
For the stuffed aubergines
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 2 aubergines, cut in half vertically
- 1 onion, diced
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tbsp dried oregano
- 500g/1lb 2oz lamb mince
- 100²µ/3½´Ç³ú pine nuts
- 1 tbsp tamarind paste
- 1 lemon, juice only
- bunch fresh coriander, chopped
- 400ml/14fl oz chicken stock, homemade or shop bought
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the Cypriot salad
- 1 red onion, chopped
- 1 beef tomato, seeds removed and diced
- ¼ cucumber, seeds removed and diced
- ½ green pepper, chopped
- 1 carrot, peeled and chopped
- 150g/5½oz black olives
- 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 100²µ/3½´Ç³ú feta, crumbled
- salt
For the tzatziki
To serve
- 4 pitta bread
- mix of red and green pickled chillies
Method
To make the chicken souvlaki, pre-heat the grill to high. Mix all the ingredients together and marinade the chicken for 1 hour. Stick the thighs on two skewers and cook under a hot grill with a baking tray underneath to support the chicken. Grill for 6–8 minutes on all sides until cooked through. The chicken is cooked through when the juices run clear with no trace of pink when the thickest part of the thigh is pierced with a skewer.
To make the white sauce. Place the milk and the cinnamon stick into a pan and warm through. Melt and butter in a saucepan and add the flour, cook for a couple of minutes, and then add the milk gradually, whisking all the time. Remove the cinnamon stick. Finish with the egg yolks and whisk to combine.
To make the stuffed aubergines, preheat the oven to 200C/180C Fan/Gas 6. Slash the flesh of the aubergines, rub in the oil and season with salt and pepper. Place the aubergines in a roasting tin and roast for 40 minutes until softened. Remove from the oven and chop the flesh. Set aside the skins. Reduce the oven temperature to 170C/150C Fan/Gas 3.
Heat the oil in a frying pan and fry the onion and garlic until softened. Add the spices and lamb mince. Fry until browned and then stir in the remaining ingredients. Add the chopped aubergine flesh and remove from the heat. Season with the salt and pepper and then add the chopped coriander and pine nuts. Stuff the mixture into the aubergine skins and pour over the white sauce. Place under a hot grill for 2-3 minutes or until blistered
To make the Cypriot salad, combine all the ingredients together in a bowl. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
To make the tzatziki, combine all the ingredients together in a bowl. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Serve the chicken souvlaki with the warm pittas, pickled chillies and tzatziki. Along with the Cypriot salad and stuffed aubergine.
