UGA Dining Partners on Ethnic Eats at Street Festival

There’s nothing like a downtown street festival, especially when the food is global, fun and fresh. University of Georgia Dining Services partnered with the school's International Student Life organization on a series of ethnic dishes served at the 17th annual International Street Festival in downtown Athens April 11. The menu included fare like pupusas, a traditional Salvadoran dish consisting of a filled corn tortilla; ebelskivers, a Danish pancake-like dish served with jam; and chicken shawarma, an Arab pita sandwich made with grilled chicken breast topped with pickled turnips and yogurt sauce (see the big-volume recipe below).

RECIPE: Chicken Shawarma

YIELD: 350 servings

For chicken:
130 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken thighs
1 gallon olive oil
¼ cup cumin
3 ¾ cups paprika
1 ¼ cup allspice
¾ cup turmeric
5 Tbsps. cardamom
5 Tbsps. garlic powder
5 Tbsps. cinnamon
1 Tbsp. cayenne
salt and pepper, to taste

For pickled turnips:
3 qts. white wine vinegar
3 cups kosher salt
5 bay leaves
¼ cup whole peppercorns
2 gallons water
20 lbs. turnips, mandolin cut
2 beets, peeled and quartered
10 cloves garlic, minced

For yogurt sauce:
10 lbs. plain Greek yogurt
10 cloves garlic, minced
3 Tbsps. cumin
1 lemon, juiced
salt and pepper, to taste

For sandwiches:
350 pita circles

1.    For chicken: Mix together all spices with olive oil. Pour over chicken thighs to coat. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Place thighs on sheet pans in single layer. Bake in 400°F oven until internal temperature measures 165°F. Let cool slightly, then slice meat into thin pieces. Place back in oven until heated through.
2.    For pickled turnips: In saucepan, heat vinegar, salt, bay leaf and peppercorns until salt dissolves. Remove from heat and add water. Pour liquid mixture over turnips, beets and garlic. Let sit in refrigeration overnight up to a few days.
3.    For yogurt sauce: Mix all yogurt sauce ingredients together.
4.    To assemble: Grill pitas and stack each with chicken slices, pickled turnips and drizzle of yogurt sauce.

Recipe: University of Georgia