Afghan Mustard Chicken

2 lbs.  skinless, boneless, chicken breast

14 oz. yellow mustard

½ tbsp. ground coriander

1 tsp. cumin

½ tsp. black pepper

1 tsp. Kosher salt

2 tbsp. olive oil

1 medium yellow onion, peeled and sliced thin

1 medium green bell pepper, seeded and sliced thin

1 medium red bell pepper, seeded and sliced thin

After washing and drying, cut chicken in thin long strips, similar to fajita meat.  Combine the chicken, mustard, coriander, cumin, pepper and salt in a bowl.  Mix well, until all pieces of chicken are coated with mustard.  Cover with plastic wrap and marinate for 1 hour.  This dish can be marinated for many hours or overnight if you like.

Heat the olive oil in a large sauté pan over high heat.  Add the chicken, stir well so it doesn’t stick and drop the temperature to medium high.  Cooking, stirring regularly, until just cooked through, around 10 minutes.  A thick sauce will form.  Add the onions and peppers to the pan and stir fry in the sauce for 5 minutes or until they are slightly tender.   If you like your veggies softer,  you can cook  for another 5 minutes.

2 1/2 lb Lamb stew meat
– preferably leg
1/3 c Olive oil
3/4 lb Onions; diced large
4 ts Chopped garlic
2 ts Turmeric
1/4 ts Nutmeg
1/4 ts Ground cardamom
1 ts Crushed red pepper
– or to taste
1/2 ts Cinnamon
32 oz Can tomatoes; drain & chop
1 c Rich brown veal stock or
1 c Rich beef stock
1/3 lb Fresh spinach; wash & drain
1/2 c Yogurt
1 tb Grated lemon peel
Salt; to taste
1/4 c Pine nuts*

*Roasted at 350 F. for about 3 minutes.

Methods / Instructions
Sear lamb in the olive oil in a cast-iron skillet or Dutch oven. Add the onions; saute them for 2 minutes; then add the garlic and saute it for 1 minute. Put in the turmeric, nutmeg, cardamom, crushed red pepper and cinnamon and saute the mixture for 1 to 2 minutes more, being careful not to burn the onions or garlic. Add the tomatoes and veal stock and stir.

Cover the dish and bake at 350 F. for about 1 hour, until the meat is tender and begins to break up. Remove the dish from the oven and add the spinach, stirring until the spinach is wilted and blended in. Allow the stew to cool slightly. Add the yogurt, lemon peel and salt to taste. Sprinkle with roasted pine nuts.

Yield: 4 to 6 servings. Serve over rice pilaf.

2 Whole breasts of chicken,
-cut into 1-in cubes
1 md Onion, sliced thick
1 tb Cognac or arak
1/2 ts Pepper
1/2 ts Ground cinnamon
1/4 ts Ground turmeric
1 ts Salt

Methods / Instructions
1. Mix everything together & marinate at room temperature for a minimum of 1 hour or preferably in refrigerator overnight.

2. Put 4 or 5 cubes of chicken, without onion, on each metal skewers and broil over charcoal for 10 or 15 mins or in a gas or electric broiler. Serve hot w/Afghan bread (Noni Afghan — see AFGHAN.019), salad, & pickles. Serve 4 or 5.

NOTE: My Afghan mentor related that turmeric was much used in Afghanistan in many ways & had a great reputation for its health-giving properties. It is reputed to cleanse blood, & a little turmeric in ones morning milk would a day of good health.

2 c Sugar
2/3 c Milk
1/4 ts Salt
2 tb Light corn syrup
2 tb Margarine or butter
1/2 ts Ground cardamom
1/4 c Chopped walnuts
1/4 c Chopped pistachios

Methods / Instructions
Cook sugar, milk, salt and corn syrup in 2-quart saucepan over medium heat, stirring constantly, until sugar is dissolved. Cook, stirring occasionally, to 240F on candy thermometer or until small amount of mixture dropped into very cold water forms soft ball that flattens when removed from water. Remove from heat. Add margarine. Cool mixture to 120F without stirring. (Bottom of pan will be lukewarm.) Add cardamom. Beat vigorously and continuously until candy is thick and no longer glossy, 5 to 10 minutes. (Mixture will hold its shape when dropped from spoon.) Quickly stir in nuts. Spread mixture in buttered 9x5x3-inch loaf pan. Let stand until firm. Cut into 1-inch squares.

1 1/2 c (abt) water, warm
1 ts Sugar
1 pk (1/4 oz, 7 grams) dry yeast
3 1/2 c Flour
3 tb Corn oil
1 Egg, separated
1 Egg yolk, beaten with
1/2 ts Corn oil
1/4 c Corn oil
2 md (2 cups) onions, chopped
1 c -water, hot & 1/4 t salt
2 tb Sugar
1 lb Butternut squash, calabasa,
-or pumpkin,
2 tb Corn oil
3 md (2 cups) onion, chopped
1 lb Ground beef or lamb
1/2 ts Salt, or to taste
1/4 ts Pepper, peeled & cut into
-1/2-in pieces
1 lb Farmer cheese
1 Egg yolk, beaten
3 tb Sugar
1/2 ts Ground cinnamon
1 c Strawberry or grape or
-prune jam (lekach)
2 tb Bread crumbs

Methods / Instructions
Bichak are popular appetizers for tea or coffee hour. The pumpkin & jam stuffings are on the sweet side while meat & cheese are savory & could be eaten for lunches w/salad & dish of yoghurt. An added attraction is that they may be prepared in large quantities, cooled & frozen for the future.
Heat oil in a pan, add onions, & saute over moderate heat until onions turn golden. Add water, salt, sugar, & squash or calabasa or pumpkin & bring to a boil. Cover pan & cook over low heat for abt 20 mins as squash/calabasa/pumpkin becomes soft & disintegrates. Stir now & then, which in effect mashes contents. Continue last mins of cooking, uncovered, to evaporate all liquid & create & thick jam. The mash is still moist.

MEAT: Heat oil in a skillet & brown onions lightly over moderate heat. Add meat, salt, & pepper & stir-fry for 5 mins, making certain liquid has evaporated & mixture is dry. Cool.

CHEESE: Mix everything together. Set aside.

JAM: Mix jam & crumbs together. Set aside.

TO PREPARE TRICORNERS: 1. Mix 1/2 c warm water, sugar, & yeast together & proof in a warm place until mixture foams, abt 10 mins.

2. Make a well in flour, add yeast mixture, oil, & 1 egg white, & stir them into flour. Add balance of water, or enough water to prepare a soft dough. Knead for several mins & roll into a ball. Oil top lightly & leave dough in mixing bowl. Cover bowl w/foil or a towel & let rise for 45 mins to 1 hour.

3. Punch down dough ball. Pull off abt 1/2 cup of dough & roll into a slightly flattened ball. Prepare 6 balls.

4. On well-floured board roll out each ball, 1 at a time, to 12-” pancake. Using empty can or a cookie cutter, 3-” in diameter, cut out circles in pancake. Put 1 tb of whichever stuffing you are using, or variety of stuffings, in center of each circle. Fold over right & left side of circle to meet in the center & bring up bottom to cover stuffing. Pinch ends together to form tricorner pastry. Seal in contents. Paint tops of bichak w/egg yolk.

5. Line baking pan or cookie sheet w/lightly oiled aluminum foil. Place tricorners on foil & bake in a preheated 350F. oven for abt 40 mins, or until brown. Serve warm. Makes 48 to 50 bichak.

NOTE: Cool bichak, store in plastic bags, & freeze. To serve, thaw out frozen bichak for 1/2 hour & heat in preheated 350F. oven for 5-10 mins.

Stephen ceideburg
2 lg Cloves garlic
1/2 ts Salt
2 c Plain, whole-milk yogurt
Juice and pulp of 1 large
-lemon, 3 to 4 tablespoons
1/2 ts Cracked black pepper
2 lg Whole chicken breasts, about
-2 pounds