Sonoma chef shares tips on how to make shawarma at home

Shawarma, a dish of thinly sliced meat tucked into some pita and garnished with herbs, tomatoes, cucumbers and a garlicky sauce, is one of the most popular street foods in the Middle East.

But you don’t have to travel to exotic lands to enjoy it with family and friends this Labor Day weekend. Cristina Topham, chef/owner of Spread Catering Co. in Sonoma, has shared some of her expert tips on spicing, marinating and grilling shawarma at home, then setting up a pita bar so people can easily put together their own pita sandwiches.

“It’s a really common, take-away food in Lebanon and throughout the Middle East, but it really varies from region to region,” said Topham, who has focused on Lebanese food since she visited that country for the first time 2017. “It’s usually slow cooked on a tall, vertical rotisserie.”

Here on the North American continent, shawarma is more readily recognizable as the Mexican spit-roasted pork al pastor, a favorite ingredient in tacos.

“When the Lebanese immigrants left in the 1800s, they brought it to Mexico,” she said. “And when the Mexicans started making it, they made it with tortillas. ... For our drop-off catering, instead of taco meat and tortillas, you get shawarma meat and kebabs and pita, plus all the fixings.”

But you don’t have to invest in a vertical rotisserie to create shawarma out of chicken, beef, pork or lamb. All you need is a well-stocked spice cabinet, a grill and a sharp knife to slice the meat very thinly.

For beef shawarma, Topham prefers a dry rub spice made with cumin, coriander, turmeric, allspice, cinnamon and black pepper. For chicken, she likes to make a marinade spiced with za’atar, a mint-related herb that is similar to oregano and marjoram. Since the herb can be difficult to find, za'atar is commonly made from dried thyme, oregano, sumac and sesame seeds.

For side dishes at the pita bar, she suggested a classic Fattoush Salad, made with pita bread, herbs, tomatoes and peppers. She buys Mediterranean-style pita from Jerusalem Bakery in Sacramento because it’s baked really thin. She also likes the Oasis Pita Bread, available at Apna Bazaar in Cotati.

“It’s really thin as well,” she said. “That’s really traditional in Lebanon. The pita has to be really thin.”

Although she is third-generation Lebanese-American on her mother’s side, Topham did not go to Lebanon until 2017. After that trip, she decided to switch her menu at the catering company solely to that healthy cuisine.

“Everything is super fresh, very vegetable-forward,” she said. “We use healthy fats, mostly olive oil, and a lot of citrus and fresh herbs. It’s not heavily salted or cooked for very long.”

The other trademark of Lebanon, she said, is its warm hospitality.

“If you meet them, they want to feed you and take care of you, like my grandmother and mother,” she said. “I just had dinner with some Lebanese friends, and the mom was constantly trying to put food on my plate.”

When they gather together for a meal, the Lebanese like to take their time, starting out with lighter appetizers, known as meze, then working their way to the heavier meats.

“The style of how people eat, meze-style, is very slow, and it’s meant to be shared with family,” she said. “It’s not just gobbled down in one night.”

Traditionally, a gathering will begin with the host putting out vegetarian dips such as hummus and baba ganoush along with flatbreads, a taboulleh salad made with bulgur and some stuffed grape leaves.

“My grandmother did it all, but her stuffed grape leaves with lamb were a specialty,” Topham recalled. “When we would go visit her, my cousins and I would have a contest to see who could eat the most.”

After snacking leisurely on the meze, the guests will then enjoy the main course: pita bread and shawarma, along with a bowl of herbs, some onions tossed in sumac, plus chopped cucumbers and tomatoes to garnish the meat.

A side of basmati rice and a variety pickles can also be served.

“There’s a Lebanese pickle called lifit that’s traditional,” she said. “It’s a turnip that’s been pickled with red beets. ... The Lebanese have a very rich history of pickling and preserving.”

For dessert, baklava would be the most traditional, but rice pudding, milk pudding (made with ground rice) or mini pancakes stuffed with a ricotta-like cheese, similar to a cannoli, are also popular.

“If you want to put out fresh fruit, just put out some dates too, because they are really common in Middle Eastern cooking,” she said.

Topham started her culinary journey in 1999, after quitting her Wall Street tech job and graduating from the French Culinary Institute in New York City.

She worked at The Savoy in New York City, Les Olivades in Paris and Julia’s Kitchen in Napa. Along the way, she started a boutique catering company in Brooklyn, where she learned about wine pairing by catering for Morrell Wines.

In 2006, she left the Big Apple to become a chef in the super-yacht industry for seven years, cooking her way through the Mediterranean, the Caribbean and Mexico.

She moved to Sonoma in 2014 and did wine pairing and catering for wineries such as Miner Family Winery, Cornerstone Vineyards, Silverado Vineyards and Luna Vineyards.

Topham launched Spread Catering Co. in 2016, and for the past year or so, she has built up her drop-off catering business to reduce the risk during the pandemic.

Although she’s now on the West Coast, where she was born, Topham has remained close with her Lebanese relatives in New York and her Lebanese heritage by making recipes from her grandmother.

“When she passed away, I inherited her wedding china, all her platters and her cookbooks and recipe cards,” she said. “All of her cookbooks have notes in them from her sisters and nieces and cousins, sharing recipes and ideas and thoughts about cooking.”

When she and her cousins were cleaning out her grandmother’s home, they discovered a freezer full of stuffed grape leaves and baklava.

“It’s an Arab thing. You have to be ready to feed 100 people at a moment’s notice,” she said. “It was her parting gift to us.”

This dry rub is based on one of the “Go To” spice blends at the Spread Catering kitchen. It’s great added to a meatball mixture for kofta or directly to sauces, soups and stews.

Beef Shawarma Dry Rub

Serves 4-6 (easily doubled)

1 tablespoon cumin seed

1 tablespoon coriander seed

1 teaspoon smoked paprika

1 teaspoon Aleppo pepper

½ teaspoon ground ginger

Olive or grapeseed oil

2 pounds skirt or flank steak

Salt, to taste

Grind cumin and coriander seeds to a powder in a spice mill. In a small bowl, combine all the spices. Brush steak lightly with olive oil. Sprinkle a heavy layer of spice mix over both sides of the steak and marinate in refrigerator up to 2 hours. Remove from refrigerator, season with salt and bring to room temperature about 20 minutes before cooking.

Preheat grill. Make sure grill grates are scrubbed clean of debris to prevent sticking. When grill is hot, place steak on grill. Sear for 2-3 minutes or until steak lifts easily off grates without sticking (skirt steak will cook much faster than flank). Turn over and cook for another 2 minutes or until steak is seared (but not burned!) on the outside and pink inside. Steak will continue to cook once pulled off the grill. Allow to rest for 10 minutes before slicing.

Slice into ⅟₄-inch thick strips. Serve with pita bread, sliced cucumbers and tomatoes, pickled beets and yogurt sauce.

Dried mint is a common ingredient in Lebanese cooking, from salad dressings to stews or sprinkled over yogurt. It can be found at Middle Eastern and Indian markets or easily made by drying mint leaves and grinding them in a spice mill.

Chicken Shawarma Marinade

Makes 4-6 (easily doubled)

8-10 garlic cloves

2 teaspoons course sea salt (omit if marinating the chicken overnight)

1 teaspoon allspice

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

1 teaspoon dried mint (available in Middle Eastern markets or make your own)

⅟₂ teaspoon ground turmeric

⅟₄ teaspoon ground cinnamon

2 teaspoon lemon juice

⅟₂ cup olive oil

2 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs, trimmed of any large pieces of fat

If marinating overnight, do not add salt until just before cooking as salt will begin to break down the proteins in the meat and can give it an unpleasant texture or dry it out.

Using a mortar and pestle or the flat side of a chef’s knife, mash garlic with course salt to form a paste. In medium bowl, add the garlic paste, spices, mint, lemon juice and olive oil and whisk to combine. Add chicken. Mix to coat. Marinate for at least 1 to 2 hours in refrigerator. Remove from refrigerator 20 minutes before cooking and bring to room temperature.

If using a gas grill, preheat to medium-high. If using charcoal, split coals to create two temperature zones for variation. When grill is hot, place chicken thighs skin side down on grill. Sear for 3-4 minutes, turn thighs over and move to cooler section of the grill. Cover and cook until chicken is cooked but still slightly underdone. Remove to a sheet pan and cover with tinfoil. Chicken will continue to cook from the residual heat and stay moist.

Slice chicken into ⅟₄-inch thick strips. Serve with pita bread, sliced cucumbers and tomatoes, pickled beets and yogurt sauce.

Fattoush is all about the “stuff,” so don’t skimp on the herbs, vegetables or pita chips. Pomegranate molasses adds a sweet-tart kick to the vinaigrette and is easily found at any good grocery store with the syrups or baking items. Topham loves to use pomegranate molasses in tomato sauces and dressings and even a splash in sparkling lemonade for a festive beverage.

Fattoush Salad

Serves 6-8

For the pita chips:

2 pieces of pita bread (preferably thin pita, with a pocket)

⅟₄ cup za’atar

Olive oil to brush bread

Salt

For the vinaigrette:

2 garlic cloves

Coarse sea salt

2 tablespoons pomegranate molasses

3 tablespoons lemon juice

⅟₂ cup olive oil

2 teaspoons ground sumac

For the salad:

3 heads of little gem lettuce or 2 heads of romaine, torn into bite-size pieces

2 handfuls baby arugula (about 2 cups)

1 bunch mint, stems removed and leaves coarsely chopped

1 bunch flat-leaf parsley, stems removed and leaves coarsely chopped

1 English cucumber, seeded and cut into thin half-moons

1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved

1 red bell pepper, seeds removed, diced

⅟₄ cup red onion, sliced thin, soaked in ice water and drained

3 scallions, sliced thin (white and green parts)

⅟₄ cup sheep’s milk feta cheese, crumbled (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cut pita bread in half and separate tops and bottoms (so you have eight halves). Lay the bread on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper, with rough side facing up. Brush with olive oil and sprinkle generously with za’atar and a pinch of salt. Bake until pita chips are crisp, about 10-15 minutes.

While pita chips are toasting, make the vinaigrette. Using a mortar and pestle, add the garlic cloves and a healthy pinch of coarse sea salt (the sea salt helps break up the garlic), then smash with the pestle until a smooth paste has formed.

Add the sumac, pomegranate molasses, lemon juice and olive oil. Whisk together. Check for seasoning. Add more salt or lemon juice, if needed.

In a large bowl, combine the little gems with the arugula, mint, parsley, cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, sweet peppers, onion and scallions. Drizzle in about half the vinaigrette and toss. Check seasoning. Add salt or more vinaigrette, depending on taste.

Add half the feta cheese and toss gently. Place in a salad bowl and top with the remaining feta, then crumble the pita chips on top.

The word “leban” translates to white in Arabic, and Lebanon got its name from the white, snow-capped mountains that surround Beirut, on the Mediterranean Sea. Leban is also the word for fermented milk, aka yogurt. While yogurt sauce is a little untraditional with shawarma, yogurt is eaten with practically everything else — breakfast, lunch and dinner. Yogurt sauces are always wildly popular with Spread’s shawarma and kebab catering, Topham said.

Green Apple, Red Onion and Mint Leban

Makes about 3 cups

2 teaspoons roasted cumin seeds, coarsely ground

2 cups plain yogurt (Topham likes full-fat, but use whatever you prefer)

1 crisp green apple, grated or finely diced

¼ cup red onion, finely diced

2 tablespoons dried mint, finely ground

2 teaspoons lemon juice

1 tablespoon olive oil

Salt, to taste

To roast cumin seeds: Place whole cumin seeds in a small pan over medium flame. Shaking pan every few seconds; cook until cumin seeds begin to turn golden brown and release their aroma. Cumin seeds can burn easily, so remove them immediately from the hot pan by pouring into a bowl or plate. Allow to cool. Grind in a mortar and pestle or a spice mill.

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and whisk to combine. Taste for seasoning and add more lemon juice or salt as needed. Best if made a few hours or even a day in advance.

Staff Writer Diane Peterson can be reached at 707-521-5287 or diane.peterson@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @dianepete56