Greece’s second-largest island, Lesbos, is just 18 miles off the Turkish coast in the Aegean Sea. It’s a wonderfully beautiful place, with long sandy beaches next to thickly forested mountains, crystal-blue waters and salt marshes.
As far as human existence goes, we have travelled, and food has been the greatest gift we take back home. Reem, a restaurant in Lesbos’s capital, Mytilene. It serves traditional Syrian food like baklava, falafel and hummus to locals and tourists. But the best of all is there special- grilled chicken, sharpened with pomegranate molasses and marinated in warming spices.
Here’s the recipe for you:
POMEGRANATE AND SUMAC CHICKEN
Eight large, bone-in chicken thighs
Three tablespoons of olive oil
One tablespoon tomato puree
Two tablespoon Aleppo pepper
One tablespoon sumac
Two fat garlic cloves, crushed
Three tablespoons pomegranate molasses
Salt and black pepper
Half tablespoon ground allspice
INSTRUCTIONS
Put the chicken in a large bowl and stir all the marinade spices over it along with 1½ tbsp black pepper and 1½ tbsp salt. Now, using your hands, mix this into the chicken until it is uniformly coated, then cover and place it in the refrigerator to marinate for about four hours.
When you are ready to cook, take the chicken out of the refrigerator and let it reach room temperature. Heat the oven to 240C/fan 180C/Gas. Place the chicken on a tray and grill for about 30 minutes.
Serve with salad and rice.
