Antep Pistachio Kebabs

Ok, so these technically aren't kebabs since I am skewer-less and, more importantly, barbecue-less, but I wasn't going to let details like that stop me from making these. I actually wasn't a fan of lamb the first time I tried it--some tough, overcooked piece I nabbed from a friend's dish at a Chinese restaurant--but I decided to give it another go when I had dinner at a Turkish restaurant uptown. I have to admit, it didn't completely win me over at that time either, but something about it appealed to me since some time after that, I decided to pick up a package of ground lamb when I noticed them at Whole Foods and that's it; that's all she wrote.


Antep Pistachio Kebabs
from Greg and Lucy Malouf's turquoise

1 lb ground lamb
1 small red onion, diced
1/2 T salt
1 heaped T Lamb Spice Mix (recipe to follow)
2 oz unsalted shelled pistachios, coarsely chopped
1/4 cup shredded flat-leaf parsley leaves

Knead lamb with onion, salt, and spice mix for 2-3 minutes. Refrigerate for at least 20 minutes to allow flavors to develop. When ready to cook, knead in the pistachios and parsley.

If you don't have a barbecue or don't want to deal with the fanfare, shape meat into balls and cook in a lightly oiled pan for 3-4 minutes on each side until golden brown.

If you're lucky enough to have a barbecue, heat it to its highest setting. Divide meat into four equal portions and mold each around a skewer. Cook for 2-3 minutes on each side until golden brown.

Lamb Spice Mix
from Greg and Lucy Malouf's turquoise

Mix:
2 T ground cumin
2 T sweet paprika
1 T hot paprika
1 T ground nutmeg
1 T ground black pepper


Herb Salad
from Greg and Lucy Malouf's turquoise
1 cup shredded flat-leaf parsley
1 cup shredded mint leaves
1 small red onion, finely sliced
juice of 1/2 lemon
olive oil
1/2 t ground sumac
salt + pepper

Toss together parsley, mint, and onion. Whisk lemon juice, glug of olive oil, sumac, and salt + pepper and drizzle over salad.