This succulent Lamb Shish Kebab recipe, infused with Eastern Mediterranean flavours, is a tasty addition to your barbecue repertoire. Taken from Levantine by Ghillie Basan
© RYLAND PETERS & SMALL
People often associate kebabs with the Levant, in particular the Turkish ‘döner’ kebab (‘shawarma’ in Arabic), its thin slices of tender, marinated lamb threaded onto a vertical spit, roasted in front of a fire and meat sliced off as it cooks. Also popular is the Turkish ‘s ¸is¸ kebab’, traditionally cooked on a sword (dating from when Ottoman troops cooked meat on the end of their swords over an open fire).
Called ‘shashlik’ or ‘lahma mashwi’ in Arabic, there are variations throughout the region but to my mind, this Turkish version is the ultimate. Designed to use up day-old pide (Turkish bread) which can be substituted with pitta bread, the dish is succulent and tasty.
Lamb Shish Kebab with Yoghurt and Flatbread
Equipment
- charcoal grill
- 6 broad metal skewers (the mixture will not hold together well on thin, rounded skewers)
Ingredients
For the kebabs
- 500 g lean minced lamb
- 2 onions finely chopped
- 1 fresh green chilli seeded and finely chopped
- 4 garlic cloves crushed
- 1 teaspoon finely chopped dried red chilli or paprika
- 1 teaspoon ground sumac
- a bunch of fresh flat-leaf parsley finely chopped
- sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 8 fresh plum tomatoes
For the sauce
- 2 tablespoons samna or 2 tablespoons olive oil with a knob of butter
- 1 onion finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves finely chopped
- 1 fresh green chilli seeded and finely chopped
- 1–2 teaspoons granulated sugar
- 400 g can chopped tomatoes
- sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
To serve
- 4 pitta breads cut into bite-sized pieces
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 teaspoon ground sumac
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- sea salt
- a bunch of fresh flat-leaf parsley roughly chopped
- 400 g thick creamy yogurt
Instructions
- Put the minced lamb into a bowl with all the other kebab ingredients and knead well, until it resembles a smooth paste and is quite sticky. Cover and place in the fridge for about 15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, make the sauce. Heat the samna (or olive oil and butter) in a heavy-based pan. Stir in the onion, garlic and chilli, and cook until they begin to colour. Add the sugar and tomatoes and cook, uncovered, until quite thick and saucy. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Keep warm.
- Wet your hands to make the mixture easier to handle. Mould portions of the meat mixture around the skewers, squeezing and flattening it, so it looks like the sheath to the sword.
- Prepare a charcoal grill. Thread the plum tomatoes onto skewers and place them and the meat skewers over the charcoal. While they are cooking, quickly prepare the pitta breads. Melt the butter in a heavy-based pan, add the pitta bread pieces and heat until golden. Sprinkle them with some of the sumac and oregano and arrange them on a serving dish, bearing in mind that they are the base for the whole dish. Splash a little sauce over the pitta breads.
- As soon as the tomatoes are nicely charred, arrange them around the dish. When the kebabs are cooked on both sides, slip the meat sheath off the skewer, cut it into bite-sized pieces and arrange the pieces alternately with the tomatoes around the dish. Sprinkle salt over the top, along with the rest of the sumac and oregano. Garnish with parsley and serve hot with extra dollops of sauce and yogurt.
Taken from Levantine by Ghillie Basan, published by Ryland Peters & Small (£25). Photography © Ryland Peters & Small
Know someone who would love this recipe? You can share it using the share buttons at the top of the page. Discover more recipes on The Home Page here and below.
