Lamb Kebabs
A Middle Eastern tradition.
Reprinted with Permission from Christine Cooks.
Although lamb isn’t the most common meat found in Jewish American kitchens, it is still very popular in many Sephardic kitchens, particularly during Passover, and in the springtime.
Ingredients
1 basket juicy red grape tomatoes or cherry tomatoes
1 large red bell pepper cut into 1×2 inch pieces
2 portobello mushroom caps cut into 10 or 12 wedges
18 to 24 pieces lean lamb, from a boneless leg, cut into 1 inch square pieces
1 large sweet onion cut into 10 or 12 wedges
1/2 cup dry red wine
1 Tablespoon oregano
generous pinch of Kosher salt
generous grindings of good black peppercorns
2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
1/4 – 1/3 cup good olive oil
olive oil
Directions
Mix all the marinade ingredients in a deep glass bowl. Taste and adjust seasonings to your liking.
Add the lamb chunks, cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight if possible. Turn the lamb to make sure it gets fully coated with the marinade.
Prepare all the vegetables and have 6 skewers ready.
Remove the lamb from the marinade. Discard the marinade.
Beginning and ending with a piece of onion, thread the lamb and vegetables onto the skewers, making them fit snugly against each other.
Place the kebabs in a roasting pan and drizzle with a bit of olive oil. Sprinkle them with kosher salt and black pepper if desired.
Grill the kebabs over medium-high heat until the lamb reaches an internal temperature of 140 degrees.
Remove the skewers from the heat and allow the kebabs to rest in a warm place for 5 to 10 minutes. The lamb will continue to cook and rise in temperature to at least 145 degrees which is medium-rare. Grill lamb longer if you prefer it to be more done.
Sephardic
Pronounced: seh-FAR-dik, Origin: Hebrew, describing Jews descending from the Jews of Spain.
