Often, kebab recipes include a marinade to deepen the flavor and keep the foods tender as they cook. Kebabs can be made from many kinds of meat, seafood, fish, poultry or vegetables, or a combination thereof.
If you double the marinade, you could also marinate some chunks of red onion, zucchini and summer squash separately. Stick the onions on a couple of skewers, the squash on some more skewers, and cook those alongside the meat. The onions should take about 10 minutes on the grill, the squash 7 to 8. This makes for a pretty presentation, especially when served up with a Greek Orzo Salad.
Ingredients:
¼ cup olive oil
1 red onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped
Juice of 1 lemon (about 2 tablespoons)
1 tablespoon minced fresh oregano or 1 1/2 teaspoons dried
1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme or 1/2 teaspoon dried
1/8 teaspoon (big pinch) cayenne pepper
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
2 pounds boneless lamb leg or shoulder, cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes
Garnish (optional): Fresh oregano sprigs, lemon wedges, chopped fresh parsley
To Serve: Tzatziki (store-bought or homemade)
Directions:
Place the olive oil, onion, garlic, lemon juice, oregano, thyme, cayenne, and salt and pepper in a large mixing bowl and stir to combine, or place the ingredients in a food processor and blend to puree. Add the lamb cubes and toss to coat well. Cover and refrigerate for 6 to 12 hours.
Soak 10 12-inch wooden skewers in water to cover for 30 minutes. If you're using metal skewers, they don't need soaking.
Thread the skewers with the lamb. Discard the remaining marinade.
Heat an outdoor grill to high, or heat a grill pan over medium-high heat. Grill the kebabs 4 inches from the heat source, for about 8 minutes total for medium rare, turning them every few minutes to get nice grill marks on most sides of the meat. Or sear them for the same amount of time in the hot grill pan.
Transfer to a serving platter, and garnish with the oregano sprigs and lemon wedges, if desired.Sprinkle with parsley. Serve with the tzatziki.
