Recipes

Shake up your routine with this Turkish style lamb kabob. Yogurt is the perfect base for a marinade because it makes meat deliciously tender. I prefer to make this recipe with leg of lamb. But it can be made more economically with lamb shoulder by increasing the time in the marinade. Cook on the grill and keep it simple with a side of couscous and fresh vegetables. 

Ingredients for Lamb and Marinade:

• 4-5 pound boneless leg of lamb
• 1 ¾ cup full-fat yogurt
• 2 tsp coarse salt
• 2 tsp turmeric
• 2 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp red pepper flakes
• 6 cloves garlic, minced
• ½ cup olive oil
• Juice of one lemon

Ingredients for Zhoug:

• 1 ½ cups parsley
• 4 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2 Tbs dried oregano (or 3 Tbs fresh oregano)
• 1 jalapeno pepper, chopped (optional)
• 3 Tbs red wine vinegar
• ½ cup olive oil
• ½ tsp coarse salt

Instructions:

• Remove the netting from the leg of lamb. Unroll the leg and flatten it out. Trim the leg to remove any large pieces of fat or connective tissue. Cut the leg of lamb into 1” cubes.
• In a bowl, combine the yogurt, salt, turmeric, cumin, red pepper flakes and minced garlic. Stir well. Then whisk in the olive oil and lemon juice.
• Add the lamb cubes to the yogurt mixture and stir to coat. Allow the mixture to rest at least four hours or overnight.
• If using wooden skewers, soak them in water for at least an hour.
• For the zhoug (similar to pesto or chimichurri), combine all of the ingredients in a food processor, omitting the jalapeno pepper if desired. Pulse ingredients until finely chopped and well combined. Store in the refrigerator for 30 minutes for the flavors to meld.
• When you are ready to cook the lamb, heat the grill to medium-high heat (about 400°F).
• Load lamb on each skewer, leaving about 1” of the skewer exposed for grasping.
• Cook the skewers for about 4 minutes, then flip them over and cook for another 4 minutes or until the meat reaches an internal temperature of 140°F.
• Serve with the sauce. Accompaniments could include cucumber salad, grilled tomatoes, marinated vegetables, feta, or flatbread.

Indoor Variations:

• Rangetop. Prepare the kabob cubes, marinade, and sauce as described above, When you reach the cooking step, rather than heating the grill, heat a rangetop griddle to medium-high heat. Coat the hot griddle lightly with olive oil. Cook the skewers for about 8-10 minutes, turning every 2-3 minutes until achieving an internal temperature of 140°F.
• Broiler. Prepare the kabob cubes, marinade and sauce as described above, When you reach the cooking step, rather than heating the grill, turn the broiler to 500°F, and allow it to heat for about five minutes. Place the skewers on a broiling pan or baking sheet. Place the pan 3 inches under the broiler. After 4 minutes, remove the pan from the broiler, turn the skewers, and return to the broiler for another 4 minutes. The skewers are done when the cubes reach an internal temperature of 140°F.