Lamb Kebabs With Herbed Yogurt Food

LAMB KEBABS WITH YOGURT-CILANTRO SAUCE

Steps:

• Make the kebabs: In a medium skillet, heat oil over medium-high. Add onion and cook until very soft and translucent, about 6 minutes. Add garlic, cumin, and coriander and cook until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl; let cool.
• In a small bowl, pour milk over bread and let soak 5 minutes. In a large bowl, combine lamb, feta, cilantro, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, 1 teaspoon pepper, egg, cooked onion mixture, and bread mixture. Use your hands to mix gently until combined (do not overmix). Refrigerate until chilled.
• Divide meat mixture into 4 equal portions, then form each portion around a 3/4-inch-wide flat metal skewer, leaving about 1 1/2 inches at each end. Transfer kebabs to a baking sheet, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until chilled or up to overnight.
• Preheat grill for direct-heat cooking (or a grill pan over medium-high). Brush grates with oil. Grill kebabs, turning as needed, until cooked through and charred in spots, and a thermometer inserted into the center reaches 140 degrees (medium-rare), 6 to 8 minutes.
• Make the sauce: Combine yogurt, cilantro, and lemon zest and juice in a small bowl. Season with salt; drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle with cayenne before serving.

MARINATED LAMB KEBABS

Steps:

• Combine the yogurt, olive oil, lemon zest and juice, rosemary, salt, and pepper in a large, non-reactive bowl. Add the lamb, making sure it is covered with the marinade, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight or for up to 2 days.
• Prepare a charcoal grill with hot coals. Spread the coals in one tight layer on the grill.
• Cut the lamb in 1 1/2-inch cubes. You should have about 20 cubes.
• Cut the red onion in 8 pieces and separate each piece into 3 or 4 sections. Loosely thread 3 or 4 pieces of lamb onto skewers alternately with sections of onion. Sprinkle both sides of the lamb cubes with salt and pepper. Place the skewers on the hot grill and cook for 10 to 15 minutes, turning 2 or 3 times, until the lamb is medium-rare.

LAMB KEBABS WITH HERBED YOGURT

Steps:

• Combine sumac, cumin, coriander, and Aleppo pepper. In a large bowl, combine 1/4 cup mixture, lamb, onion, garlic, cilantro, chile, and 2 tablespoons salt; thoroughly incorporate with your hands. Refrigerate, covered, at least 3 hours and up to 1 day.
• Herbed Yogurt:Stir parsley and dill into yogurt. Add lime zest and juice; season with salt. (Can be made-ahead and refrigerated in an airtight container up to 3 days.)
• Preheat a grill to medium-high. Working with about 1/3 cup at a time, form mixture into roughly 3-inch ovals; thread onto skewers. (You should have about 16 kebabs.) Transfer to a tray lightly coated with oil; turn kebabs to lightly coat all sides. Grill, turning occasionally, until charred in spots and a thermometer inserted in thickest parts reaches 140 degrees, 10 to 12 minutes. Dust with remaining spice mixture. Drizzle Herbed Yogurt with olive oil and serve with the kebabs.

MARINATED LAMB KEBABS WITH A CHILE-YOGURT SAUCE

Steps:

• To prepare the kebabs, skewer the lamb pieces alternating with the onions into 6 large metal skewers. Place the kebabs in a large baking dish. In a small bowl, whisk together the garlic, orange zest and juice, mint, and oil. Pour the marinade over the kebabs and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, or up to 2 hours.
• While the lamb is marinating, prepare the yogurt sauce. Whisk together the yogurt, garlic, cumin, and chile powder in a bowl. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper. Refrigerate until you are ready to serve.
• To grill the kebabs, oil the grill and prepare a hot fire. If you are using a gas grill, preheat on high. If you are using a charcoal grill, let the coals burn until they are covered with gray ash. The fire is hot when you can hold your hand over the grill for no longer than 5 seconds. Remove the lamb from the marinade and drain very well. Place the skewers on the grill and grill, turning once or twice, for 6 to 8 minutes for medium doneness.
• Place the skewers on a serving platter, and garnish with mint sprigs. Serve warm, with the sauce on the side.

HERBED LAMB KEBABS WITH YOGURT SAUCE

Steps:

• Cut the lamb shoulder across the grain in thin slices with a sharp knife, flatten the slices between sheets of plastic wrap until they are 1/8 inch thick, and cut them into 1-inch-wide strips.
• In a saucepan whisk together the lemon juice, the thyme, the rosemary, the oregano, the pepper, and the salt, add the oil in a stream, whisking, and whisk the marinate until it is emulsified. Add the lamb strips, stir the mixture to coat the strips well with the marinade, and thread them onto the skewers, reserving the remaining marinade. Arrange the kebabs on the rack of a broiling pan, broil them under a preheated broiler about 3 inches from the heat, turning them once, for 6 minutes, and transfer them to a plate. Transfer 2 tablespoons of the juice from the broiler pan to the reserved marinade and bring the mixture to a boil. Remove the pan from the heat, whisk in the yogurt and salt and pepper to taste, and spoon the sauce over the kebabs.

GRILLED BUTTERFLIED LAMB WITH AFRICAN SPICES AND HERBED YOGURT

Steps:

• For the grilled lamb: Trim the excess fat and any gristle from both sides of the lamb and lay it flat on a cutting board. To make the lamb generally the same thickness, butterfly the thick ends by slicing shallowly on the diagonal into the thickest part and opening it up, like a book. Score the entire roast, both sides, in a shallow 1-inch-wide crosshatch pattern.
• Heat a small saute pan over medium-low heat and add the coriander and cumin seeds. Toast until fragrant. Combine the toasted seeds with the sesame seeds and grind finely in a spice grinder or a mortar and pestle. Pour the ground spices into a bowl and add the sumac, salt and cinnamon.
• Combine the garlic with a little bit of canola oil to make a paste, and rub into the meat. Rub the spice mix evenly into the meat and leave to penetrate for at least 1 hour at room temperature, or up to 1 day refrigerated.
• For the herbed yogurt: Combine the yogurt, chives, cilantro, dill, olive oil, lemon juice, salt and cayenne in a bowl and set aside.
• Heat a grill to medium-high heat.
• Grill the lamb over medium-high heat, watching carefully for flare-ups, until dark brown on the underside, about 5 minutes. Flip and cook until dark brown again, about 5 minutes. Continue to cook the lamb, flipping every minute or so, until the lamb feels bouncy when poked and measures 125 degrees F on an internal-read thermometer for medium-rare, about 5 minutes longer. (If you like your lamb medium, bring it to 130 degrees.)
• Let the meat rest for at least 5 minutes on a platter, flipping it occasionally, before slicing thinly across the grain and serving with the herbed yogurt.

CUMIN-CHILE LAMB KEBABS WITH GARLIC YOGURT

Steps:

• Make the garlic yogurt:
• Stir garlic, lemon zest, and lemon juice into yogurt in a small bowl to combine; season with salt and pepper.
• Make the lamb kebabs:
• Coarsely grind cumin seeds, peppercorns, caraway seeds, red pepper flakes, and sugar in spice mill or with mortar and pestle until only a few whole spices remain.
• Prepare a grill for medium-high, indirect heat (for a charcoal grill, bank coals on one side of grill; for a gas grill, leave one or two burners off). Oil grates. Thread lamb onto 6-8 skewers, leaving a small gap between each piece of meat. Season with salt, then sprinkle generously with spice blend, pressing it onto the meat with your hands to help it adhere if needed.
• Grill lamb over direct heat, turning every minute or so, until browned and beginning to char in spots, about 4 minutes. Move to cooler side of grill and continue to grill until lamb is cooked to desired doneness, about 4 minutes longer for medium-rare.
• Top garlic yogurt with cracked black pepper and a little lemon zest. Serve alongside lamb.
• Do Ahead
• Yogurt can be made 3 days ahead. Cover and chill. Spice blend can be made 1 month ahead. Store airtight at room temperature.

MINTY LAMB KEBABS

Steps:

• Heat the grill to medium. Mix the yogurt and mint sauce together, then divide the mixture in half. Stir the cumin into one half of the yogurt mix, then pour over the diced lamb. Mix thoroughly to coat and season well.
• Thread the lamb onto 4 skewers, alternating with pieces of onion, then arrange on the wire rack of a grilling tray. Grill the kebabs for 3-4 mins on each side, until the lamb is cooked through and the onion is beginning to brown. Warm the pittas in a toaster for 1-2 mins and split open. Stuff the pittas with lamb, onion and lettuce, drizzling over the remaining minty yogurt to serve.