Lamb is without a
doubt one of my favourite meats to cook at home. I often make Ottolenghi’s lamb
shawarma on a Sunday or lamb koftas during the week and I also enjoy a
comforting lamb tagine from time to time. I love lamb for its unique flavour
and because it works so wonderfully well with spices.
We’re lucky to
live in a country where lamb meat is of exceptional quality and I don’t know
about yours but my local butcher shop always has a variety of cuts. I buy
cutlets or a full leg when I really want to treat myself, but generally I get
lamb mince or a full shoulder as they are inexpensive and can be cooked many
different ways.
I’m delighted to
take part in Bord Bia’s campaign ‘Lamb. Tasty Easy Fun’. This campaign for
European lamb aims to promote lamb as a versatile and tasty meat and support
the production and consumption of European lamb. Bord Bia have plenty of easy
recipes using lamb on www.tastyeasylamb.ie, including the one I’m posting today.
Naturally, I
chose these lamb kebabs with spices and raisin tabbouleh because it’s totally
up my street as I use turmeric and sumac a lot in my cooking. The lamb kebabs
are super easy to make as it only takes a few minutes to prepare the marinade,
you just need to remember to marinate your meat for a few hours before cooking
it. The lamb kebabs are succulent and flavoursome, served with a fresh zingy
tabbouleh. Perfect during summer time if you are gathering a few friends for a
BBQ or even just want something delicious for dinner.
Lamb kebabs with spices and raisin tabbouleh
Preparation time: 30 minutes (+ 2 hrs resting time)
Cooking time: 5 to 8 minutes
Ingredients for 4 people:
- 800 g shoulder of lamb, trimmed and cubed
- 4 tbsp olive oil
- 2 large lemons
- 1 bunch of flat-leaf parsley
- 3 or 4 cloves of garlic
- 1 level tbsp turmeric
- 1 level tbsp sumac
- 250 g bulgur wheat or couscous
- 50 g raisins
- salt and pepper
- 1 small bunch of mint
- 4 scallions
- 3 tomatoes
Instructions:
- Mix 2 tbsp of olive oil with the juice of half a lemon, 2-3 tbsp of
chopped flat-leaf parsley, the peeled and sliced garlic cloves, turmeric
and sumac in a dish. Add the cubed meat, mix well, then cover and leave to
marinate in the fridge for at least 2 hours.
- Place the bulgur wheat and raisins in a mixing bowl. Pour in 250 ml
of boiling water, add a little salt and leave to swell.
- Meanwhile, chop the rest of the flat-leaf parsley, scallions and
mint. De-seed and then dice the tomatoes. Juice the remaining lemons.
- Pour 2 tbsp olive oil over the bulgur wheat, mix well with a fork
to distribute, then add the rest of the ingredients (add lemon juice to
taste). Mix and season to taste. Cover and leave in the fridge for at
least 2 hours.
- About 30 minutes before serving, take the meat out of the fridge,
thread onto 8 kebab sticks making sure to remove any pieces of garlic.
Season with a little salt and pepper.
- Grill the kebabs on a barbecue or in a grill pan.
- Serve straight away with the tabbouleh.
Tip: The longer you marinate the meat, the softer and more flavoursome it
will become.
You can find more recipes and tips on cooking lamb on http://www.tastyeasylamb.ie/
Disclosure: This
is a sponsored post in collaboration with Bord Bia, Ireland’s Food Board.
However, I maintain full editorial control and my love for Irish lamb is purely
my own!
