The Easter season brings to mind a number of things around our camp, not the least of which is spring fishing with Blue Wing Olives and Skwalas in a good year, coupled with some of the grilling season’s early bounty.
Finding it hard to shake the Southern from our pedigrees, we often lean to serving a ham or leg of lamb for the family get together over the holiday weekend. The last few years it’s been this Southwestern Leg of Lamb, you still have time to get it in the marinade if you’re so inclined.
She Who Must Be Obeyed spent some time growing up in North Africa (Algeria) and grew to favor the roasted lamb kabobs of what used to be called the Barbary Coast (Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria and Libya).
We’ve been fiddling with this Moroccan-inspired lamb and vegetable kabob combo for a few years now and SWMBO pronounced these Barbary Coast Lamb Kabobs will be on the menu this year.
They’re a piece of cake to throw together, only need 6-8 hours soak time and play well for a crowd. They’re damned tasty, offer a fun, hands-on meal for everybody, and can stand alone with a yogurt sauce and some tzatziki, though a greek salad or nice couscous on the table ensure your promotion to culinary genius status.
And as a bonus this works incredibly well with chicken too.
2 lb. leg of lamb, trimmed, cut into 1.5 inch cubes
Marinade
3/8 cup olive oil
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
3 large garlic cloves, minced
1 tbsp. fresh mint, chopped
2 tsp. grated lemon peel
2 tsp. fresh ground pepper
1 tsp. good salt
1 tsp. (generous) coriander (ground)
1 tsp. (generous) cumin (ground)Veg and Fruit
16 dried apricots, soaked in boiling water 5 min. then drained
2 red onions, quartered, with resulting pieces then halved
1 red bell pepper, stemmed and seeded, cut into 1.5 inch pieces
1 green bell pepper, stemmed and seeded, cut into 1.5 inch pieces
2 baby zucchini, trimmed, cut into 1.5 inch pieces
1 small container grape tomatoes
Mix it up. Combine the entire list of marinade ingredients in a medium bowl and whisk to blend. Reserve 1/2 cup or so for basting; dump the cubed lamb into the remainder and marinate 4 -8 hours (can do 2 in a pinch).
Fire the grill.
Skewer it. Thread the lamb onto your metal grilling skewers, alternating with onion and pepper slices. Thread the remainder of the vegetables and the apricot artfully on skewers as well. Brush all the skewers with the reserved marinade.
Grill time. Place all the skewers on the grill; the lamb should be medium-rare in 8 or so. Turn and baste every 3 or 4 minutes. The vegetables may take a minute or two longer.
Serve hot off the grill with a salad of your choice – She Who Must Be Obeyed whips up a cucumber/tomato/red onion/feta cheese/greek olive salad or couscous usually.
Enjoy.
