Lamb Kabobs with Tzatziki Sauce

Looking for a mouth-watering meal for your next BBQ, but don’t know where to begin?

Look no further.

When it comes to Cooking for Real, Sunny Anderson knows how to heat up the grill and serve up a plate of food your guests won’t soon forget.

Supplies:
12 (6-inch) wooden skewers

Ingredients:
1 1/2 pounds ground lamb 2 scallions, finely chopped
2 teaspoons onion powder  2 teaspoons chopped fresh oregano leaves
1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary leaves
1 teaspoon garlic powder 1 teaspoon ground cumin 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
Salt and freshly ground black pepper Oil, for brushing 1 bag pita bread, at least 6 loaves
Tzatziki Sauce, recipe follows

Directions:
Soak the skewers in water for 25 to 30 minutes. In a large bowl combine the lamb, scallions, onion powder, oregano, rosemary, garlic powder, cumin, thyme, salt and pepper, to taste. Form the meat around the skewers, making an oblong sausage shape pressing and securing firmly. Refrigerate them for 30 minutes. Remove the skewers from refrigerator.

Preheat a grill to high.

Brush the grill with oil. Grill the kabobs until charred on the outside and medium-rare on the inside, turning only once, about 3 minutes each side. Brush the pita lightly with oil, and grill briefly on both sides to warm. Remove the lamb kabobs from skewers, slice pita loaf in half and place 2 kabobs in each pita. Drizzle with Tzatziki Sauce to serve.

Yield: 6 servings (makes roughly 12 kabobs)
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 8 minutes Inactive
Prep Time: 1 hour, 30 minutes
Ease of preparation: intermediate

Tzatziki Sauce:

Ingredients:
2 cups Greek strained yogurt
1/2 cucumber, seeded and chopped
1 garlic clove
2 1/2 teaspoons hot sauce (recommended: Frank’s Red Hot)
1 teaspoon lemon juice
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Special equipment: food processor

Directions:
Add the yogurt, cucumber, garlic, hot sauce, lemon juice and zest in a food processor and blend until smooth. Season with salt and pepper, and transfer the mixture to a bowl. Refrigerate at least 1 hour before serving.

Yield: 2 1/2 cups

Recipe courtesy Sunny Anderson, 2009
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