Turkish Kabobs (Izmir Style) - Recipes at Penzeys Spices

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Grilled skewers of lamb or beef, marinated in rich Turkish spices, served on pita bread with seasoned yogurt. A perfect party lunch, or serve the skewers alone for a picnic appetizer. A favorite at the Penzeys' annual picnic.

1 lb. boneless lamb/beef cubes (start with 2 lbs. bone-in lamb shoulder or use beef stew meat) cheaper cuts work perfectly in this recipe
2-3 tsp. TURKISH SEASONING (use 2 tsp. if the skewers will be served with seasoned yogurt, 3 tsp. if they will be served plain as skewers)
1 TB. vegetable oil
16 wooden skewers

Yogurt Dip:

1 Cup plain yogurt
2 tsp. TURKISH SEASONING

Seasoned Onions:

1 medium onion, thinly sliced
2 tsp. SUMAC

Cut the meat into small, (no more than 3/4" cubes). Each piece should be a one-bite morsel. This allows for the crispiest cooking on the grill, plus, traditionally the most tender cuts of meat are not used for kabobs, so small pieces are better. The Turkish cooks will get up to 30 skewers from a pound of meat by using very small pieces.

Wash the meat, pat dry. Coat with TURKISH SEASONING and vegetable oil. Cover tightly, refrigerate overnight for best flavor. Soak the skewers in water while the coals are heating. The kabobs should be cooked over high heat, so stack coals two deep. Thread the meat loosely on the skewers and grill, uncovered, until crispy brown (about 5 minutes per side) Serve with yogurt mixed with TURKISH SEASONING and thinly sliced onion coated with SUMAC, (plain onion is fine if you don't have SUMAC). Warm pita bread makes a great wrapper.

Yield: 16 skewers
Prep. time: 20 minutes (starting with bone-in meat) plus marinade
Cook time: 10 minutes