The first time I had lamb kebab was in 1971, at the famed George Mardikian’s restaurant in San Francisco, Omar Khayyam. There are dining moments in everyone’s life that stand out as the top experiences, and this was one of them. I ordered the shish kebab mostly because those were the only words I recognized on the menu. My dad used to make shish kebab on the Hibachi in the 60’s, which consisted of chunks of London broil that had been marinated in something, along with peppers and onions, and burned tomatoes. It seemed a safe bet.
What I had at Omar Khayyam that day was one of those defining moments of the palate of a 16-year old: it was wondrous, perfectly cooked, and served on a pilaf that was delicate, and delightful.
In his cookbook, Dinner at Omar Khayyam’s, which was first published in 1944 to introduce Armenian and Middle Eastern cooking to Americans, Mardikian provided a simple recipe for shish kebab. It goes like this:
- 1 leg of lamb (5 to 6 pounds)
- 8 ounces onions, peeled, sliced
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
- 1/3 cup dry sherry
- 2 tablespoons oil
- 1 teaspoon oregano
This simple recipe was aimed at the kinds of things an American housewife might know about and have on hand, but certainly could not have been what he was using in his restaurant. As I got a little older, I had a certain nostalgia for the meal I enjoyed there, and in around 1976, after Leslie and I were married, we had a subscription to Bon Appetit magazine (which I now get online). Every month, they had a feature where they would get a recipe from a famous restaurateur, and somewhere around that time they printed the “real recipe” from George Mardikian for his famous shish kebab. I was elated.
We made it many times through the years, and it was close to what nostalgic memory recalled, but without the elegance of actually being in that basement restaurant on Powell Street (which sadly burned down in the mid-80’s).
In the last several years I have been curating my own recipe for lamb kebab, and it has been a staple of the summer grilling months here. I thought I would share it here. I have to warn you, however, that the quantities of the ingredients are somewhat unknown to me. I throw things at the lamb without measuring and do the best that I can. Experiment and have fun!
Lamb Kebab recipe
For a while, I was buying boneless leg of lamb at Halal markets, and have also had fresh leg of lamb cut up for me. In my location, I find that when you ask for boneless leg of lamb at a Halal market, you will get the same thing you get at Costco. It’s not fresh, as in, it was walking around minding its own business yesterday fresh. However, there are good sources of lamb that don’t have to be sitting on a container ship from New Zealand. Lamb freshness matters. If the lamb tastes “gamey” or “lamby” then it’s been waiting to clear customs too long in the harbor. My favorite question when I serve this to guests is: “what kind of meat is this?” That’s how you know it’s fresh.
Get the freshest lamb you can. If you get a whole leg cut up, with the bones attached, it will be fantastic, just more challenging to eat. I mostly go with 5-6 lbs of boneless lamb leg, purchased either at the Halal market or Costco.
Instructions
Marinate the following
- 5-6 lbs boneless lamb (or cut up lamb leg)
- 1/2 bulb of fresh garlic (about 6 cloves)
- 3 tbs of chopped rosemary
- olive oil
- kosher salt
Cut up the leg into 1 – 1 1/2 inch cubes, trimming fat and gristle. Put the lamb into a large bowl, coat with kosher salt, and toss by hand. Add the garlic and rosemary, and toss again, then add enough olive oil to coat when you toss again.
Cover the lamb mixture with plastic wrap and allow to marinate for 1-2 hours. I do this outside the refrigerator. If you’re the nervous type, put it in the fridge.
Spice and honey the lamb
Here’s the dirty secret to this: I use Penzey’s Turkish seasoning for the spice mixture. It’s a mixture of salt, garlic, cumin, Tellicherry black pepper, Turkish oregano, sweet paprika, sumac, cayenne red pepper and cilantro. It’s great.
Coat the lamb liberally with this spice mixture, tossing all the while (glove up for this, unless you like your hands looking orange and dogs following you).
Once you feel like the spices are well distributed and the lamb well coated, drizzle honey over it as you toss it. You want just enough honey to add a sweetness to the charred lamb.
Skewer and grill
If you want vegetables with your kebab, place them on separate skewers. Lamb and onions don’t cook at the same rate, and you want to avoid that whole “burned tomato” experience. What I often do is prepare the vegetables by roasting them in the oven in a more controlled, flame-free environment.
Skewer your lamb on their own skewers, being sure not to make them press tightly into each other. Put the skewers on the grill, and turn them every couple of minutes until you pretty certain that they’re cooked on all sides. I go for somewhere between medium rare and medium.
Serve with a rice pilaf, and roasted vegetables, and you have a feast.
