These tasted as good as they looked. There is only one problem with them which I will share with you later. Obviously I didn’t just serve my family artichokes for dinner! I had to have a ‘main course’ and even though a nice, fleshy ‘choke is quite satisfying it is just not enough for a real dinner celebration. I had gone into the weekend with great intentions of laying out a Italian feast featuring Leslie’s meatballs but fate conspired against me and I was left with only two hours of party prep-time and a scratchy throat notifying me that I could be in for an early ‘summer cold’ the next day. Kebabs are perfect since they can be quickly put together and laid out on a platter ready for serving. The actual cooking can take place after the guests have arrived leaving you more time to get everything else ready.
Lamb Kebabs
This is what you will need:
- 1 large container plain yogurt
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- 1 t lemon zest
- juice of two lemons
- 1 t salt
- 1/2 t pepper
- 5 T rosemary
- 1 t dried fresh mint
- 1/4 cup chopped shallots
This is how you make it:
- Combine ingredients in a gallon sized zip lock.
- Cut lamb into 1 1/2 inch cubes and put in the bag.
- Set bag in a bowl so that marinade covers up all the meat.
- This can marinate overnight and up to 2 days.
- Thread onto skewers and grill over hot coals turning every few minutes for 10-15 minutes until done.
I love this recipe because the yogurt marinade really keeps the meat tender and moist. You can use this as the base for any grilling meat, even chicken. So what was wrong with my lamb kebabs? Simple: I didn’t make them. I bought them! Yeah, I know. But I was quite pressed for time and unless they read this blog, none of my guests will ever know. As you can see, I still had the time time to put them on a platter with some fresh scallions and rosemary so as not to ruin the illusion for my guests. Yeah, I’m guilty of a dinner party “cheat” now and then so sue me. Ina always says on her show “make something – buy something” so I’m in good company. I already knew that these would be great since I’d had them before. Don’t discount some of the good food available in the higher priced supermarkets prepared foods sections! To spruce them up a bit I did make the tzatziki sauce that was served alongside of them. This not only added an air of Greek authenticity to the meal but also served to camouflage my deceit.
This is what you will need:
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1 18 oz container Greek yogurt
- 1 hothouse cucumber
- 3 T lemon juice
- 2 T white wine vinegar
- 1 T minced fresh dill
- 1 1/2 T minced garlic
- 1 t kosher salt
- 1/2 t pepper
This is how you make it:
- Grate the cucumber using a large grate setting and squeeze out all the moisture.
- Mix together other ingredients in a bowl, add cucumber, and then keep refrigerated until serving.
- Adjust seasons to taste.
- A good variation on this is to substitute mint (fresh or dried) for the dill and then your sauce will travel away from Greece and into Persia!
