Tasty Lamb Skewers For Fall Barbecues

Do you believe that fall is around the corner? For those of us ‘fair-weather outdoor grillers’, fall means the end of outdoor cooking until next spring.

In celebration of the last weekends of summer we decided to share this Paul Kahan recipe published in Bon Appétit – Grilled Lamb Skewers with Carrots, Feta and Mint. A subtle combination of flavours combined with a vegetable that covers as a salad.

And of course, we had to ask: where did the idea of skewered meat or kebabs first originate?

It makes sense that kebabs are considered to have originated in Turkey when soldiers would grill chunks of freshly hunted animals skewed on swords on open field fires. The word kebab means to roast and was discovered in the Turkish script of Kyss-I Yusuf in 1377.

In Asian countries, kebabs are served necessarily served on skewers, but with rice, salad and some form of bread.

In North America, we know kebabs as the ubiquitous fast-food dőner kebabs made of seasoned meat stacked in the shape of an inverted cone, and cooked slowly on the rotisserie. The outer layer is continually sliced into thin shavings, and served in a pita or as part of a meal. While, most kebab restaurants offer mainly beef or chicken, the original kebabs were made of lamb.

Every recipe we read about Lamb Kebabs reminds the reader to marinade the meat well and to not over grill. So, keep that in mind and enjoy!

Grilled Lamb Skewers with Carrots, Feta and Mint

Serve With Rice or a Baguette

Pairing with Italian Barolo

INGREDIENTS

For the Lamb:

• ½C dry white wine
• ½C olive oil
• 8 garlic cloves, minced
• 4t kosher salt
• 4t sugar
• 4t whole grain mustard
• 1T chopped fresh thyme leaves
• 2t red pepper flakes
• ½t freshly ground black pepper
• 2 pounds trimmed leg of lamb, cut into 1’ cubes

For the Carrots:

• 2T olive oil
• 1T fresh lemon juice
• 1/2t ground coriander
• 1/2t ground cumin
• 1/2t smoked paprika
• Pinch of ground cinnamon
• 3 bunches baby carrots (about 3/4 lb. total), trimmed, peeled
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the Sauce:

• 1/2C coarsely torn fresh mint leaves
• 1/2C crumbled feta
• 2t fresh lemon juice
• 2t olive oil
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

RECIPE PREPARATION:

LAMB:

• Whisk all ingredients except lamb in a medium bowl to blend well. Add lamb to bowl and toss to coat. Cover and chill, tossing occasionally, for at least 4 hours and up to overnight.

CARROTS:

• Whisk first 6 ingredients in a medium bowl to blend; set marinade aside.
• Cut any carrots longer than 3″ in half lengthwise on a diagonal. Cook carrots in a large pot of boiling salted water until crisp-tender, 4-5 minutes. Drain. Transfer carrots to a large bowl of ice water to cool. Drain and pat dry.
• Add carrots to marinade; season with salt and pepper and toss to coat. Cover and chill for at least 4 hours or overnight.

ASSEMBLY:

• Arrange carrots on a large platter; set aside.
• Thread lamb onto skewers. Grill lamb, turning every 1-2 minutes, until lamb is cooked to desired doneness, 7-8 minutes for medium-rare to medium. Lay skewers over carrots and let lamb rest for 5 minutes.
• Toss mint, feta, lemon juice, and oil in a small bowl. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Spoon mint-feta mixture evenly over lamb and carrots.

Do you have a lamb recipe that you’d like to share? Post it on the Puslinch Today Facebook Page!