Marinated Lamb Kebabs

There are few things as gratifying as waking up to a beautifully sunny day, particularly when it has rained continually for the past month. So what could be better? Waking up to sunshine two days in a row of course, and with the sun comes a whole new world of food possibilities. No longer does my body crave the comfort of a steaming plate of food, instead I want light lunches and finger food. Picnics, barbecues, anything which involves little effort and allows you to enjoy the sun as much as possibility gets a big tick in my book.

Kebabs in this country have a pretty bad name, they are associated with indistinguishable slithers of meat covered in some kind of sauce and some shredded salad, usually accompanied by a hangover the next day and kebab breath for far too long. It’s a shame really because (although I may have partaken occasionally in this drunken affair) they are one of my favourite things, so easy and surprisingly healthy!

I used a mix of cuts as that was what I had available (1 steak and 2 small pieces of neck fillet) and made 6 kebabs.

Ingredients

Approx. 300g boneless lamb

2 cloves

2 cloves of garlic (peeled and chopped)

1-2 teaspoon smoked paprika

1 teaspoon coriander seeds

1 teaspoon cumin (just under)

½ teaspoon chilli flakes

Salt and pepper

Extra Virgin Olive oil

Soak your skewers.

Bash up the coriander seeds, cumin (if seeds), chilli flakes, salt (I’d use sea salt), pepper and garlic in a pestle and mortar.  Add the paprika and cumin, if not seeds, and mix well. Add the oil and the cloves (whole).

Dice the lamb into chunks about 2cm square and rub the marinade all over. Leave to marinade for at least 20 minutes (but the longer the better).

Cut the red onions into 8 pieces (half, half and half again). Thread the lamb onto skewers alternately with the red onion and cherry tomatoes. 

Grill on each side (either on the barbecue or under the grill) for approx. 2 minutes for pink lamb, longer for well done. Leave to rest for 5 minutes (if you can resist) and then tuck in.