What does one do when it is below zero and they are under the weather? They shoot the next Cucee recipe of course!
As my asthma and her hangover both turned into a nasty cold, we needed something to distract us from our cough. I grabbed ground lamb; she went for the mini-tripod. I lined up my spices; she duct-taped the flashlight to the ladder. 2 hours later, we had a recipe created, dinner on the table and a time-lapse that you are watching right now!
Cuceebabs
Ingredients
- 2 lb ground lamb
- 1 tsp cream of tartar
- 1/2 ts[ baking soda
- 1/2 tsp nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp turmeric
- 1/2 tsp chili powder
- 2 tsp garlic powder (or 2 cloves, minced)
- 2+ tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 4 tbsp warm water
- 7-8 6-inch kebab skewers
Directions
Shaping
- Soak 10 wooden skewers in water for at least an hour
- Line 2 large chopping boards with plastic wrap
- In a large bowl, gently mix lamb and next 11 ingredients
- Divide lamb mixture in half. Move half to the chopping board and press it down evenly with your hands into a flat rectangle about ⅓ – ½ inch thick. Repeat the process with the second half of the lamb
Assembling
- Take the pre-soaked skewers and layer them over one of the lamb rectangles, spacing them evenly, about ⅔ – 1 inch apart. Make sure you leave about half the skewer peaking out
- Cover them with another lamb rectangle. Gently press to seal the two rectangles together.
- Cover with plastic wrap and move to fridge for 30 minutes or more
Grilling
- Lightly oil the grates of a gas grill and preheat it to medium high for about 20 minutes
- Remove the lamb from the fridge. With a large kitchen knife or a pizza cutter, cut evenly between the sticks. You will end up with about 7-8 cuceebabs
- Place the cuceebabs on the lightly oiled, heated gas grill. Grill on medium-high heat for 4 minutes on one side, turn over and grill for another 3-4 minutes
- Serve immediately while they are still warm
Wine pairing
I can finally drink wine again!!! But not just any wine – only clean sugar-free dry farmed wine that I have discovered at Dry Farm Wines
Damn! Those look GOOD!
I’m a kebab lover and proud of it. I let my boys have a kebab at least once a week, I took the mindset that if I introduced them to kebabs at a fairly young age they won’t binge on them when they turn 18, ruining their digestive system for all eternity. Lol.
I love your blog
We live in a Sr. Citizens community where grills are not allowed; can these be baked in the oven? Do you use metal skewers or wooden ones in the oven?
Betty, I think you could definitely broil these kebabs (or even fry them in a pan.) When frying them, omit the skewers.
To broil, you can use either metal or wooden skewers. Adjust oven rack 6 inches from broiler element and heat broiler. Line broiler pan bottom with foil and top with slotted broiler pan top. Arrange skewers on prepared pan. Broil, turning occasionally, until chicken is charred around edges, about 10 minutes.