The Carolina Inn has been a Chapel Hill landmark for more than eight decades. Slightly newer to the scene is Jimmy Reale, who has been offering unique blends of progressive American cuisine for a little more than two years as its executive chef. Reale (pronounced Ree-al-ee) is a bit of a unique blend himself, with a combination of Lebanese and Italian heritage that made for good cuisine.
“My mother was always making huge meals for our family, whether it was falafel and tabouli or spaghetti and meatballs, and we tasted a lot of different foods in our house,” Reale says. “I think it really influenced how I like to experiment with flavors now.”
Reale tapped into his Lebanese side as he prepared a spread of traditional dishes that included zataar bread (a flaky bread with a spice mix of sumac, oregano, thyme and sesame seeds in the center), sheigh il mihshee (roasted eggplant stuffed with ground beef, onions, pine nuts and tomatoes) and samak tajine (baked flounder with tahini sauce, caramelized onions and pine nuts). With the family on hand (“This is what we do on holidays now,” says his sister, Liz Morgan. “We get together and watch Jimmy cook!”), Reale showed us how to make Djaj Mah Ruz, a chicken-and-rice staple in Lebanon. CHM
Djaj Mah Ruz
For the chicken:
1 whole 2-pound roasting chicken
(Reale loves Chatham County’s Poulet Rouge Fermier, which you can buy at Whole Foods.)
1 onion, diced
1 bunch of celery
2 carrots, diced
2 tablespoons bay leaves
For the rice dish:
2 cups of white rice
2 onions, diced
3 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1 cup pine nuts
Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions:
1. Dice celery, carrots and onions into a large pot on stovetop, and bring to a boil. Insert whole chicken, lower temperature and simmer in broth for 1 1/2 hours. For additional seasoning, you can add bay leaves or salt and pepper to the broth.
2. Pull chicken out of water, and let sit for about 20 minutes before deboning by hand. You want the chicken to still be warm so that it will pull apart easily. Dig along the bone lines, pulling the meat into small, shredded pieces. Set aside. Don’t throw the broth out – you will need it later.
3. Dice 2 onions, then sauté with the butter, cinnamon, pine nuts and some salt and pepper until the
onions are a light, golden brown.
4. Pour uncooked rice in with the sautéed onions, then ladle in 4 cups of the reserved broth. Stir and simmer for about 20 minutes, then remove from burner and let cool for about 5 minutes.
5. Mix the rice and chicken together, add salt and pepper or additional cinnamon as desired, and serve.
(Tip: Reale often serves this dish with Laban, a Middle Eastern yogurt that you can find at several local ethnic markets.)
Latest Comments