Spice Rubbed Lamb Skewers With Herb Yogurt Sauce Recipes

SPICE-RUBBED LEG OF LAMB WITH HARISSA YOGURT SAUCE

Steps:

• For the lamb: Use paper towels to pat dry the leg of lamb. In a small bowl, combine the salt, cumin, cinnamon, allspice, ginger, black pepper and cayenne. Season all sides of the lamb with the spice mixture and place on a roasting rack in a roasting pan. Let sit at room temperature for 30 to 45 minutes or place in the refrigerator overnight and allow to sit at room temperature for 45 minutes before cooking.
• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
• Drizzle the lamb with the olive oil, then roast for 15 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F and bake until the internal temperature is 140 degrees F for medium, about 1 hour and 15 minutes more. Allow to rest before serving, 15 to 20 minutes, then slice.
• For the sauce: Meanwhile, in a small bowl, mix the harissa, yogurt and honey. Season with salt. Refrigerate until serving.
• For the optional garnish: Garnish with the pomegranate seeds, mint, scallions, good olive oil and sea salt if desired. Serve with the harissa yogurt sauce.

SPICE-RUBBED LAMB SKEWERS WITH HERB-YOGURT SAUCE

Steps:

• Slice lamb into 12 strips, each 1/2-inch thick, about 2 inches wide and 4 to 6 inches long. Place in a dish and rub with 1 tablespoon oil. Mix paprika, cumin, 3/4 teaspoon pepper and 1/2 teaspoon salt together and rub over meat. Cover and set aside for 4 hours at room temperature. Place 12 8-inch bamboo skewers in water.
• Mince garlic and herbs by hand or machine. Place in a serving bowl and add yogurt and 2 tablespoons oil. Add 2 to 4 tablespoons cold water to thin to saucelike consistency. Stir in remaining 1/4 teaspoon pepper and add salt to taste. Refrigerate.
• About 30 minutes before serving, heat grill or broiler. Heat remaining oil in a skillet, add onion and sauté over medium heat until just starting to brown. Place in a serving dish.
• Thread meat on skewers and sear quickly on grill or broiler, 1 1/2 to 3 minutes a side for medium-rare to medium. Arrange on a platter, lightly toast cut sides of pita breads on grill or under broiler. Arrange in a basket. Serve kebabs with pita, onions and sauce.

LAMB KABOBS WITH YOGURT SAUCE

Steps:

• In a small bowl, combine the first 6 ingredients. Pour 1/3 cup marinade into a shallow dish; add lamb and turn to coat. Cover; refrigerate for 15 minutes., Pour 1 tablespoon marinade into a small bowl. Stir in yogurt; cover and refrigerate. Cover and refrigerate remaining marinade for basting. Drain and discard marinade from lamb. On two metal or soaked wooden skewers, alternately thread lamb, mushrooms and zucchini., Grill kabobs, covered, over medium heat for 5-6 minutes on each side or until lamb reaches desired doneness (for medium-rare, a thermometer should read 135°; medium, 140°; medium-well, 145°), basting frequently with reserved marinade. Serve with couscous and yogurt mixture.

LAMB SOUVLAKI WITH YOGURT-GARLIC SAUCE

Steps:

• For souvlaki, mix first 5 ingredients to make a marinade and set aside. Distribute lamb, bell peppers, onion and tomatoes among 8 skewers. Place in a large shallow pan with marinade. Cover and refrigerate at least 3 hours, rotating skewers once. Heat a gas grill to medium, or use a charcoal grill and allow the coals to turn a light-ash color. Coat grill with cooking spray. Grill until lamb is medium rare and lightly charred, 5 to 8 minutes. Rotate to cook evenly. To cook in oven, broil on metal skewers 6 minutes, rotating until evenly browned. Grill or toast pitas. For sauce, puree cucumbers and a pinch of salt in a food processor. Place in a fine-screen colander and squeeze out the juice. Reserve juice and discard pulp. Whisk cucumber and lemon juices in a bowl with yogurt. Mix in garlic; season with salt and pepper. Serve with pitas and skewers.

SPICE RUBBED LAMB TENDERLOIN AND YOGURT SAUCE

Steps:

• For the spice rub: Stir together the paprika, cumin, mustard, fennel, salt and pepper in a small bowl and set aside.
• For the yogurt sauce: Whisk together the yogurt, oregano clementine and lemon juices in a small bowl and season with salt and pepper.
• Sprinkle each tenderloin liberally with the rub. Heat a grill or grill pan to high. Drizzle the lamb with the oil and grill until golden brown on both sides and cooked to medium-rare doness, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer to a cutting board and let rest 5 minutes before slicing.
• Serve with the yogurt sauce.

SPICED LAMB SKEWERS WITH LEMONY ONIONS

Steps:

• Season lamb with salt and pepper. Add cumin and turmeric and toss to coat. (This can be done up to 24 hours ahead, if you like.)
• If you're using a charcoal grill, build the fire so it's screaming hot. This lamb is to be cooked hot and fast so it can stay nicely medium-rare, so the hotter the better. If you're using a gas grill, set it on high. Bring a clean platter, cutting board or baking dish out to the grill for the skewers to rest in after cooking.
• Combine onion, sumac (if using) and 3 tablespoons lemon juice; season with salt and pepper and toss to combine. Set aside.
• Combine yogurt and remaining 2 tablespoons lemon juice; season with salt and pepper. Set aside.
• Skewer the lamb onto wooden or metal skewers, 2 to 4 pieces per skewer.
• Once the grill is hot, cook the skewers on all sides until deeply browned and lightly charred all over, 2 to 3 minutes per side (less time for smaller pieces), moving the skewers around as needed to prevent excessive flare-ups. (If you've trimmed most of the fat away from the lamb, the flare-ups shouldn't be too bad.)
• Transfer the skewers to the platter, cutting board or baking dish to rest for a few minutes and drizzle with olive oil. Serve with the dressed onions, lemony yogurt, cilantro, olives, lavash and any pickled vegetables or peppers you like.

LAMB KEBABS WITH YOGURT-CILANTRO SAUCE

Steps:

• Make the kebabs: In a medium skillet, heat oil over medium-high. Add onion and cook until very soft and translucent, about 6 minutes. Add garlic, cumin, and coriander and cook until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl; let cool.
• In a small bowl, pour milk over bread and let soak 5 minutes. In a large bowl, combine lamb, feta, cilantro, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, 1 teaspoon pepper, egg, cooked onion mixture, and bread mixture. Use your hands to mix gently until combined (do not overmix). Refrigerate until chilled.
• Divide meat mixture into 4 equal portions, then form each portion around a 3/4-inch-wide flat metal skewer, leaving about 1 1/2 inches at each end. Transfer kebabs to a baking sheet, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until chilled or up to overnight.
• Preheat grill for direct-heat cooking (or a grill pan over medium-high). Brush grates with oil. Grill kebabs, turning as needed, until cooked through and charred in spots, and a thermometer inserted into the center reaches 140 degrees (medium-rare), 6 to 8 minutes.
• Make the sauce: Combine yogurt, cilantro, and lemon zest and juice in a small bowl. Season with salt; drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle with cayenne before serving.

SPICED GRILLED LAMB SKEWERS

Steps:

• Blend all the marinade ingredients until smooth, and season with 1 tsp salt and some black pepper. Add the lamb, mix well, cover and put in the fridge to marinate for as long as possible; overnight is best.
• When ready to cook, soak 8 wooden skewers in water for 10 mins and heat a barbecue to medium-high, or heat your grill and line a baking tray with foil. Thread the lamb onto the skewers, about 4 pieces on each. Place on oiled racks of the barbecue and cook for 12-14 mins, turning often, or until charred in places and cooked right through. If you're grilling the skewers, cook for 10-12 mins.

SPICE-RUBBED BUTTERFLIED LEG OF LAMB

Steps:

• Combine first 13 ingredients in processor. Using on/off turns, process until coarse paste forms. Add oil and lemon juice and process until well blended.
• Place lamb in large resealable plastic bag. Pour spice mixture over lamb; seal bag. Turn bag several times and rub spice mixture into lamb. Refrigerate overnight, turning bag occasionally.
• Prepare barbecue (medium heat). Remove lamb from marinade; shake off excess. Grill lamb to desired doneness or until instant-read thermometer inserted into thickest part of lamb registers 125°F to 130°F, for medium-rare about 15 minutes per side. Transfer lamb to cutting board. Cover with foil and let stand 5 to 10 minutes. Cut lamb into 1/3-inch-thick slices. Arrange on platter and serve.

LAMB SKEWERS WITH SPICY YOGURT DRESSING

Steps:

• The day before serving, heat the olive oil in a sauté pan over low heat. Add the onions and cook slowly until translucent, about 30 minutes. Drain any excess oil.
• Break the ground lamb up into a bowl. Add the onions, scallions, garlic, mint, salt, and pepper. Mix well. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
• When ready to serve, soak 16 six-inch wooden skewers in water for 30 minutes. (This helps prevent the skewers from burning on the grill.) Preheat a grill (high heat).
• Divide the lamb mixture into 16 equal pieces. Shape each piece into a 1-inch diameter log, approximately 3-inches long. Thread each piece lengthwise onto a skewer.
• Grill lamb to medium rare, turning once, about 5 minutes. Serve with Spicy Yogurt Dressing.
• To make the dressing: Mix the yogurt, cayenne, and mint in a small bowl. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve at room temperature with the lamb skewers.

GRILLED LEG OF LAMB WITH SPICY LIME YOGURT SAUCE

Steps:

• Pat lamb dry with paper towels and place it on a rimmed baking sheet. In a bowl, combine oil, herbs, orange zest and juice, the minced garlic cloves, salt and pepper. Rub mixture all over lamb. Cover with plastic wrap and let marinate at room temperature for 2 hours, or overnight in the refrigerator.
• Meanwhile, prepare the sauce: Place all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Taste and add more salt if you like.
• Heat the grill. Wipe lamb with paper towels, removing most of the rub, then grill until a digital thermometer reads 120 degrees for rare or 130 for medium (about 6 to 15 minutes per side, depending on how you like your meat and how thick the lamb is). If the meat starts to char before it's done, move it to a cooler part of the grill to finish cooking. Let rest for 10 to 15 minutes before slicing and serving with the yogurt sauce.