Kuzu şiş (Turkish marinated lamb skewers)

Ingredients

• 800 g boneless lamb shoulder
• 2 pieces yellow onion
• 120 g whole-milk plain yogurt
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 tsp sweet paprika
• 1 tsp pul biber
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
• 1 tsp fine salt
• 4 pieces vine tomatoes
• 4 pieces Turkish sweet green peppers or long sweet peppers
• 1 piece red onion
• 0.5 bunches flat-leaf parsley
• 1 tsp ground sumac
• 4 pieces lavash or Turkish pita bread
• 1 piece lemon

Method

1. Trim the lamb by removing hard sinew and excess thick fat, then cut the meat into even cubes so they all cook at the same rate.
2. Grate the yellow onion, press the pulp through a fine-mesh strainer and keep only the juice; it should smell bright and sweet, with no solid pieces.
3. Mix the onion juice with the yogurt, olive oil, tomato paste, paprika, pul biber, cumin, pepper and salt until you get a smooth, orange-red marinade.
4. Coat the lamb in the marinade, cover and let rest in the refrigerator until the meat is highly fragrant and slightly softened to the touch.
5. Take the meat out to come to room temperature while the grill, griddle or a large cast-iron skillet heats up very high; the surface must be hot enough to sear immediately.
6. Thread the lamb onto skewers without packing the pieces too tightly, then prepare the tomatoes and peppers on the side to grill at the same time.
7. Cook the skewers over high heat, turning them regularly, until the sides have distinct grill marks, the edges are slightly caramelized and the center is still juicy.
8. Grill the tomatoes and peppers until their skin blisters and their flesh softens, then quickly warm the lavash using the residual heat.
9. Slice the red onion, massage it with the sumac, flat-leaf parsley and a squeeze of lemon until it becomes pliable and glossy.
10. Serve the skewers immediately on the warm lavash with the tomatoes, grilled peppers, sumac onion and lemon wedges.

Nutrition

Per serving

Energy

573.2 kcal

Protein

40.65 g

Carbohydrate

23.16 g

Fat

36.02 g

Fibre

3.38 g

Calcium

74.09 mg

Iron

1.19 mg

Magnesium

15.87 mg