Turkish Lamb with Onion & Parsley Salad

Turkish Lamb with Onion & Parsley Salad

Australian lamb is absolutely my favourite meat – juicy, succulent and sweet. It also adapts well to the flavours of many different nations – here it’s given a twist in Turkish Lamb with Onion & Parsley Salad.

Serves 4
Preparation 15 minutes + marinating
Cooking 4 minutes

Ingredients

2 eye of lamb loin (or lamb backstraps)
8 pieces pocket pitta, flat pitta or lavash bread, to serve

Marinade

1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 teaspoon harissa or hot chilli paste
2 cloves garlic, crushed
½ teaspoon mixed spice
½ teaspoon cumin
Freshly ground black pepper|
¼ cup (60ml) extra virgin olive oil

Onion and Parsley Salad

2 red onions, thinly sliced
Sea salt
½ cup chopped parsley
2 tablespoons chopped mint

Method

1. Combine marinade ingredients in a flat glass or ceramic dish. Cut each loin downwards into about 16 thin slices. Add to marinade, stir to coat meat and refrigerate, preferably 8-12 hours. Soak 8 bamboo skewers in cold water for an hour before using, to prevent scorching.
2. Make salad by rubbing onion slices with sea salt and standing for 5 minutes. Rinse and drain onions thoroughly. Toss with parsley and mint.
3. Thread meat on skewers, allowing 4 pieces per skewer. Preheat char-grill or griller and cook kebabs quickly, no more than 1-2 minutes each side. Heat pitta bread at the same time
4. To serve, split the bread or lay the larger slices flat. Place 2 tablespoons or more of salad in centre of each piece and push meat off skewers onto bread. Meat from 2 skewers makes 1 serving. Fold bread over and serve immediately.

Wine: Choose either white such as sauvignon blanc, or a red like pinot noir, grenache or a rose style to balance the mild spicing in the lamb and salad.

Recipe from Lyndey Milan’s Fabulous Food (New Holland 1999)

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