New Ingredient: Sumac

Very common in Middle Eastern cuisine, in it's ground form, it adds a great lemony flavor to your dish.  It's rich color also makes for nice presentation when sprinkled on top.  Prior to lemons, Romans actually used this as a souring agent.  I had never given this spice much attention until my friend Kelly expressed her undying love for the purple powder.  I figured that I must be missing out and I sure was! 

Using sumac, I made a tangy spice rub for my grilled chicken and served it on top of a funky salad.  Turned out great and was the perfect dish for a hot summer day!  Healthy too ;)

Sumac-rubbed Chicken

Ingredients

4 chicken breasts

3 tbsp sumac

3 garlic cloves crushed

1 lemon, zest and juice

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Salad:

1 can chickpeas

1 cucumber, chopped

1 red onion, chopped

1 chili, finely chopped

1 handful arugula (rocket)

1 tbsp lemon juice

1 tsp sugar

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil 

S&P

 Directions

1. In large plastic bag, combine chicken and all ingredients for the marinade.  Marinate atleast 30 minutes in the refrigerator.
2. For salad, combine all ingredients through arugula.  For dressing, whisk lemon juice and sugar together.  Gradually add olive oil while whisking to emulsify.  Combine dressing and salad and season to taste.
3. Grill the chicken over medium high heat 4-5 minutes on each side until cook through. Slice and serve over salad.  Enjoy!