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This can be served as Lam Koftas – which are on skewers or may be made into Lamb Meatballs – or make both so that your guests can pick & choose! Either can be served as a main course or an appetizer.

You will need:

-          1kg of minced lamb,                                      

-           2 crushed cloves of garlic,

-          1 x medium onion – finely chopped,                

-          2 tablespoons fresh coriander (washed and finely chopped),

-          2 tablespoons fresh mint (washed and finely chopped),

-          1 tablespoon dried, ground paprika,                

-          1 tablespoon dried, ground cumin,

-          ½ teaspoon ground cayenne pepper                

-          12 – 15 skewers (metal or bamboo – soaked in water)

-          ½ teaspoon of each salt and freshly ground pepper.

 

What to do:

-          Mix all of the ingredients together in a large bowl,

-          Cover with cling film and put in fridge for 1 – 2 hours,

-          If making Lamb Koftas … divide the mixture into 12 or 14 even portions on a work surface,

-          Wet your hands under the tap occasionally, take a portion of the lamb mixture and, using your hands, form the mix into a fat, short sausage, then push the skewer through it, (if you form the mix around the skewer it tends to split along the form line when BBQ’ing them), usually put 2 of these on each skewer.

-          If making the lamb mixture into meatballs, wet your hands under the tap occasionally and roll spoonfuls of the mixture in your palms into your desired size of meatball.

 

A really nice accompaniment to this is the following Greek yogurt mix:

-          100g Greek yogurt

-          1 crushed clove of garlic

-          1 teaspoon chopped fresh coriander

-          1 teaspoon chopped mint

-          1 teaspoon lemon juice

-          Freshly ground black pepper

-          A pinch of salt.

Mix all ingredients together and place into a serving dish. Cover with cling film & place in a fridge until needed.

 

Another nice accompaniment: A nice bottle of Shiraz or Durif or a citrusy beer like Corona.

 

The BBQ – Give the BBQ Chef a beer or glass of wine and ask him to get the BBQ warming up – these can be cooked on the plate or the grill (best on the grill -- but don’t suggest – leave it to the expert, or it will become another of your jobs!!)

Once the BBQ Chef deems that the BBQ is ready, give him the Koftas &/or meatballs to cook.

They need to be turned often so that they don’t burn, but he will already know this as BBQ Chef’s are born with this knowledge.

 

Just as a guide, 500g of lamb mince makes 3 – 4 skewers with 2 large ‘rolls’ on each skewer & 12 walnut sized meatballs … see the picture …. Well … one has to try the recipe out before publishing it!

 

Once they are fully cooked there are a few options for serving:

 

Meatballs:

-          serve as an appetiser with toothpicks & the yogurt for dipping,

-          serve as a main course with yogurt and salad,

-          serve mixed into freshly cooked pasta with a pasta tomato sauce.

 

Koftas:

-          serve as they are on the skewers as an appetiser with the yogurt brushed along them using a spoon,

-          alternatively, have one ‘roll’ on each skewer as an appetizer with the yogurt on the side,

-          serve on a piece of flat or Lebanese bread with some chopped Lebanese cucumber, chopped tomato, chopped red onion and a swipe of the yogurt over the centre of the bread. Roll up & hold the roll with one hand so that you can feel the meat in the centre, pull the meat off the skewer through the bread & eat. Have this as an ‘assemble-it-yourself’ lunch!

-          serve with salad on a plate with a spoon of the yogurt on the side.

 

How-ever you serve this mixture – it is fantastic and soooo tasty!!

It can all be prepared beforehand so the washing up can be done & there is little to do after the meal except have a nice glass of wine or a beer & enjoy the company.