Lamb Kebabs With Pomegranate Cumin Glaze Recipes

Steps:

• For the lamb: Bring the lamb to room temperature. If you're going to cook your kebabs on the grill, soak bamboo skewers in water for at least 30 minutes, so they don't burn. Grab your food processor. You can chop all this by hand too; just make sure to chop it all up very finely. Throw the ginger, garlic, shallots, lemon zest, mint, cilantro and salt into the processor. Grind until very finely chopped. Throw the lamb into a big bowl. Add the shallot mixture, 2 tablespoons pomegranate molasses, baking soda, garam masala if using and pepper to the meat. Using your hands, knead 2 to 5 minutes until the meat lightens in color, taking on the appearance of knitted fabric. It will also be very sticky. Perfect! Divide the meat in half, then in half again and then half again, until you have 8 mounds. Have a platter ready for your completed kebabs. Drizzle a little oil on the platter so the kebabs don't stick. Have your bamboo skewers standing by. Take one ball of meat and roll it into a short stump. Thread the skewer through it, and then begin shaping the kebab with quick strokes, pulling the meat down. It should be a little over 1/4-inch thick. Roll the kebab between your hands to seal the meat. Repeat. Preheat a griddle over medium heat, drizzling oil over it, so that when it starts to smoke, you'll know it's ready. Meanwhile, mix the juice of half the lemon with the remaining 2 tablespoons pomegranate molasses in a small bowl. When it's hot, place the skewers on the grill. Cook about 2 minutes, then turn a quarter of the way. Brush with the lemon-molasses glaze and cook another 2 minutes. Continue in this way until you've cooked the meat 8 to 10 minutes.
• For the raita: Mix the yogurt, mint, cucumber and garlic together. Season with salt and pepper, and serve alongside the kebabs.

Steps:

• Whisk the pomegranate juice and cornstarch in a small saucepan. Add the sugar, honey and mustard and whisk to combine. Bring to a simmer over medium heat. Simmer until thickened to the consistency of barbecue sauce, 6 to 8 minutes. Season to taste. Let cool for 30 minutes. The glaze can be made ahead of time and stored in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
• Place the lamb chops in a large zipper-top bag. Pour half of the glaze into the bag and let the lamb marinate at room temperature for 1 hour. Reserve the remaining glaze to coat the lamb chops on the grill.
• Preheat a grill or grill pan over medium-high heat and liberally oil the grates.
• Take the chops out of the bag and place them on a paper towel-lined tray or plate to wipe off any excess marinade to ensure a nice crust. Season the chops with salt and pepper on both sides. Place the chops on the grill until charred in spots, 3 to 4 minutes. Flip, baste liberally with the glaze and grill for another 3 or 4 minutes or until the internal temperature hits 135 degrees F on a meat thermometer.
• Baste the chops with the glaze again, then remove them from the grill. Coat one side in the chopped pistachios for an added crunch. Serve with a nice schmear of the feta tzatziki and garnish with some fresh mint.
• Grate the cucumber on the large holes of a box grater and place in a fine-mesh strainer or piece of cheesecloth fitted over a bowl. Salt the cucumber and let sit for 10 minutes. Then squeeze out any excess moisture. Put the strained cucumber into a bowl. Add the yogurt, feta, lemon juice, mint, honey and garlic. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Steps:

• For the raita: Mix the cucumber, mint, garlic, and yogurt together in a large bowl with plenty of salt and pepper, to taste. Cover and chill.
• For the potatoes: Fill a large pot with cool water and put over high heat. Add the potatoes and a hefty dose of salt. Bring to a boil, and then simmer until the potatoes are tender, about 20 minutes. Once the potatoes are cooked, drain and push them through a potato ricer. Heat the canola oil in a large saute pan over medium-high heat. Once shimmering, add the panch puran seasoning. Cook the seasoning blend until fragrant and the spices begin to pop, about 30 seconds. Add the onion and saute until tender and lightly browned. Reduce the heat to medium. Add the potatoes and flatten them with a spatula, cook about 5 minutes, stirring and flattening a few times, until the bottom gets a little crispy. Season the potatoes with salt, and pepper, to taste, and keep warm until ready to serve.
• Meanwhile, in a food processor, combine the parsley, mint, shallot, lemon zest, and garlic and pulse until finely minced. Add the mixture to a bowl with the ground lamb, baking soda and lots of salt and pepper, to taste. Knead until the mixture turns sticky, looks like a piece of knitted fabric, and holds its shape. Pull off a small ball of meat and shape into a fat cylinder. Thread a skewer through the middle lengthwise, and smooth the meat down the skewer until it's even all the way down. Repeat with rest of the meat mixture. Put the kebabs on an oiled baking sheet and drizzle with a little more oil. Combine the pomegranate molasses, lemon juice and mustard in a small bowl. Set aside.
• Light a grill or heat a grill pan over medium-high heat.
• Arrange the kebabs on the hot grill, turning every 2 to 3 minutes, generously brushing with the pomegranate mixture. Cook the kebabs until browned, about 6 minutes.
• Transfer the kebabs to a serving platter and serve with the potatoes and raita on the side.
• For the raita: Mix the cucumber, mint, garlic, and yogurt together in a large bowl with plenty of salt and pepper, to taste. Cover and chill.
• For the potatoes: Fill a large pot with cool water and put over high heat. Add the potatoes and a hefty dose of salt. Bring to a boil, and then simmer until the potatoes are tender, about 20 minutes. Once the potatoes are cooked, drain and push them through a potato ricer. Heat the canola oil in a large saute pan over medium-high heat. Once shimmering, add the panch puran seasoning. Cook the seasoning blend until fragrant and the spices begin to pop, about 30 seconds. Add the onion and saute until tender and lightly browned. Reduce the heat to medium. Add the potatoes and flatten them with a spatula, cook about 5 minutes, stirring and flattening a few times, until the bottom gets a little crispy. Season the potatoes with salt, and pepper, to taste, and keep warm until ready to serve.
• Meanwhile, in a food processor, combine the parsley, mint, shallot, lemon zest, and garlic and pulse until finely minced. Add the mixture to a bowl with the ground lamb, baking soda and lots of salt and pepper, to taste. Knead until the mixture turns sticky, looks like a piece of knitted fabric, and holds its shape. Pull off a small ball of meat and shape into a fat cylinder. Thread a skewer through the middle lengthwise, and smooth the meat down the skewer until it's even all the way down. Repeat with rest of the meat mixture. Put the kebabs on an oiled baking sheet and drizzle with a little more oil. Combine the pomegranate molasses, lemon juice and mustard in a small bowl. Set aside.
• Light a grill or heat a grill pan over medium-high heat.
• Arrange the kebabs on the hot grill, turning every 2 to 3 minutes, generously brushing with the pomegranate mixture. Cook the kebabs until browned, about 6 minutes.
• Transfer the kebabs to a serving platter and serve with the potatoes and raita on the side.

Steps:

• Place a roasting pan in the oven and preheat to 450 degrees. To make the glaze: combine all ingredients except lemon juice in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and strain. Stir in the lemon juice.
• To make the lamb: rub the lamb with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Place in the pan, fatty side down, and roast for 10 minutes. Baste with glaze, turn over and baste the other side. Cook for 10 to 15 minutes, or until a meat thermometer inserted reads 125 degrees. Let stand several minutes before slicing. Serve with extra glaze.

Steps:

• Put the garlic, cinnamon, cumin, oregano and lemon in a blender with 1 tsp salt and 2 tsp black pepper. Blend until smooth. Put the lamb in a large roasting tin and tip the marinade over the top. Massage all over the lamb and leave for 24 hrs in the fridge, or up to 2 days.
• Remove lamb from the fridge 1 hr before cooking. Heat oven to 160C/140C fan/ gas 3. Scatter the onions around the lamb, tucking some underneath, then pour over the pomegranate juice. Cover the lamb with foil and cook for 4 hrs.
• Remove the foil, carefully pour the meaty pomegranate juices from the tin into a large saucepan and add the honey. Increase oven to 220C/200C fan/gas 7, re-cover the lamb and continue cooking for 30 mins. Meanwhile, bubble the cooking liquid over a high heat until reduced, thick and syrupy - this may take up to 30 mins.
• Pour the sticky pomegranate glaze over the lamb and onions and return to the oven for another 30 mins, uncovered, until the glaze is bubbling and just starting to char, and the lamb is really tender. Mix the yogurt, most of the pomegranate seeds and mint leaves in a small bowl. Shred the lamb at the table and serve with the sticky onions and the minty pomegranate yogurt. Scatter over the remaining pomegranate seeds.