Greek lamb kebabs
BY READERS DIGEST
1st Jan 2015 Recipes
Cubes of lamb flavoured with a mixture of garlic, lemon and fresh oregano are cooked on skewers and served with a Greek-style tomato and cabbage salad and pitta bread for a deliciously aromatic main dish.
Serves 4
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 2 large garlic cloves, crushed
- juice of ½ lemon
- 1 tbsp chopped fresh oregano
- 450 g (1 lb) boneless leg of lamb, trimmed of all fat and cut into 2.5 cm (1 in) cubes
- salt and pepper
Greek-style salad
- 6 tomatoes, thickly sliced
- 1 red onion, finely chopped
- 1 baby white cabbage, about 225 g (8 oz), core removed and thinly shredded
- 4 tbsp chopped fresh mint
- ¼ cucumber, halved and finely sliced
- juice of ½ lemon
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
To serve
- 4 pitta breads, cut into triangles
- Greek-style yogurt (optional)
Preparation and cooking time: 30 minutes
Method
1. Preheat the grill or heat a ridged cast-iron grill pan. Put the olive oil, garlic, lemon juice and chopped oregano in a bowl and stir to mix together. Add the cubes of lamb and turn until very well coated. Thread the cubes on 4 skewers,
2. Cook the lamb under the grill or on the grill pan for 7-8 mins or until tender, turning frequently. Towards the end of cooking, warm the pitta bread under the grill or on the grill pan.
3. Meanwhile, make the salad. Put all the ingredients in a salad bowl and season with salt and pepper to taste. Toss together gently.
4. Serve the kebabs with salad, pitta bread and, if required, yogurt.
Another idea
- To make chilli beef kebbas, use 4 beef fillet or sirloin steaks, about 400 g (14 oz) in total, cut into 2.5 cm (1 in) cubes. Mix together 1 tsp chilli powder, ¼ tsp ground cumin, 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, 2 large garlic cloves, crushed, the juice of ½ lime and seasoning to taste. Coat the steak cubes on all sides with the spice mixture, then thread onto 4 skewers. Cook with 1 large sliced onion under the grill or on the ridged grill pan for 4-6 minutes or until tender, turning frequently. Take skewers from the pan and continue cooking the onion until tender. Meanwhile, to make salad, mix 1 can red kidney beans, about 410 g, drained and rinsed, with 1 large diced avocado, the juice of 1 lime, 1 ½ tbsp. extra virgin olive oil, ½ red onion, very finley chopped,1 fresh green chilli, seeded and finely chopped, 300 g (10 ½ oz) cherry tomatoes, halved, and 15 g (1/2 oz) chopped fresh coriander. Season to taste and add a pinch of caster sugar. Remove the steak from the skewers and divide with the onion among 8 warmed flour tortillas. Add 1tbsp bottled caesar salad dressing and some of the salad to each tortilla, and roll up into wraps. Serve with the rest of the salad.
Top image source: Lifestyle Food
