Lamb and Aubergine Rosemary Skewers

BBQ season just doesn't feel right without a kebab does it? But growing up, my lamb or pork Andrew's kebab always seemed overcooked (sorry Dad!) and ended up being put to one side in favour of juicy sausages and meaty spare ribs. The ones I used to make with friends, with some courgette and mushroom didn't fair much better either. A few years ago I stumbled across this fantastic Nigel Slater article laying down kebab law: keep things simple, one meat and one veg, playing with flavours away from the classic bit of shrivelled mushroom, or mushy tomato. 

Shop wise, Richard started making kebabs by hand, on slightly smaller skewers (much more appetising as part of a BBQ selection) and they are now marinated in delicious sauces to keep the meat juicy and singing with flavour. And yet there's still something about making our own! Here in Paris I had a delicious lamb neck fillet in the freezer: plenty of marbling for flavour, very reasonable and the perfect shape for cutting into kebab cubes! Nigel gives a recipe for Pork and Mango which sounds amazing but here I experiment with his other suggestion of Lamb and Aubergine and make with saffron rice, salad, pitta and tzatsiki. 

Ingredients 

One good sized lamb neck fillet makes three kebabs | Three strong sticks of rosemary or normal wood skewers (available to buy at Andrew's) | One small aubergine cubed | 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped or crushed | Chilli powder | 150g Greek yoghurt | Rice | Salad | Good handful of fresh mint leaves | 

1| Preparing your lamb is super easy, you just need a sharp knife (your butcher will do this for you if you would really like!) Cut length ways into three, and then slice each strip into five equal good sized pieces. 

2| Drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper and move to one side on your board. 

3| On the same board, prepare your aubergine, cutting into cubes of a similar size to your lamb, sprinkle with 2 of the crushed cloves of garlic, some torn mint leaves, olive oil, and chilli powder ( I would have loved to have used some crushed fennel seeds but couldn't get hold of any) and put to one side with the meat. 

4| Making your kebabs on rosemary skewers is not only a great way to get flavour throughout the kebab but also looks fantastic too. If however you can't get hold of good quality rosemary, you can always push some rosemary leaves into the kebab once on a wooden skewer. If using rosemary, strip of the leaves, leaving some still intact at the end of the kebab and keep aside for use another time. Then place about four aubergine pieces, and five lamb pieces alternately on the skewer. 

5| You can now make your tzatsiki which is a lovely light and refreshing accompaniment. Simply add the other two cloves of crushed garlic with a handful of finely chopped mint to the greek yoghurt and stir. You can also add finely chopped cucumber, but that is optional.

6| Add your rice to a pan of salted boiling water and cook for ten minutes. Saffron is an expensive herb so can be definitely done without if not already in the cupboard!

7| Heat a hot non stick pan on a high heat. Place in your kebabs and use a fork to press the meat down into the pan, so that they really brown off, for a couple of minutes each side. The rosemary skewer makes it very easy to turn over and fit in the pan. 

8| When your rice comes to the end of cooking, use a ladle to add some of the cooking water to the pan, and turn the heat down slightly to let it simmer away. This will just help the kebabs retain liquid for the rest of the cooking, for about another 5 minutes, and stay lovely and juicy. 

9| Meanwhile prepare your salad and toast some pitta bread. Once kebabs are cooked serve immediately. You can either use the pitta bread whole to place everything inside, or cut small as a little extra on the side. 

"Bavette" Steak, Mini Roast Potatoes and Garlicky Green Beans

This week I go totally French and discover the beautiful cut that is "Bavette" or what us Brits may or may not know as Skirt steak. This cut is usually used for Minced Beef or as Casserole Steak: basically anything that isn't a quick-frying steak.

Out for dinner with three other English friends in one of my first weeks in Paris we only paid half the bill when we realised that we had been served this cut as a steak for our main course! It really was so tough. So for the last six months I have wondered why on earth I have seen it cropping up on menus all over town as the "Plat Du Jour"... Until I tried it for lunch and realised it really is rather delicious when done right! Ever so slightly harder to cut, but absolutely full of flavour. And of course the reason I'm raving about it on here, is that it is so much cheaper per kilo than any other steak you will buy.

Reading around I believe that this cut is sneaking on to menus in London, and am predicting it is a cut that foodies will become much more familiar with in a year or so!
My top tips for buying and cooking skirt steak are as follows: 

1| You absolutely MUST buy from a top quality butcher, and tell them that you're looking to cook it as a steak. Expert butchers will know exactly what they're giving you, if it is matured enough etc, and it will be of a quality that allows you to cook this cut like a steak, for a short time.

2| Marinading is key! You can tell just looking at the steak, that it is more tightly textured, which is why it takes longer to tenderise... Lemon juice, wine, or vinegar are going to help make the meat more tender before cooking. Here I used a good squeeze of lemon juice with olive oil, herbs and spices, make it up as you like. Also remember nothing is going to happen in less than an hour!

Ingredients

Ask your butcher to cut you a steak per person | An acidic ingredient like white wine or lemon juice + mixture of herbs and finely chopped garlic... I used mint and basil although would normally use more woody herbs like thyme, it's dependent on taste and availability. | A little sprinkle of chilli powder or fresh cut chilli will add a kick but shouldn't over power the dish. | Fresh french green beans | Potatoes for roasting. | Finely chopped clove of garlic.

1| Create your marinade. Herbs, spices and chopped garlic in a bowl first, before adding olive oil and lemon juice/white wine. A good glug of each! Mix trying to mash the ingredients together into a paste. Massage into the meat and leave out for an hour before cooking to bring to room temperature.

2| In the meanwhile prepare your roast potatoes. Peel and chop slightly smaller than the traditional roastie, wash in cold water, and bring to the boil in fresh cold water in a pan. Boil for five-six minutes.

3| While they're boiling, heat a roasting dish with a couple of tablespoons of olive oil on a high heat of 200C for at least 5 minutes. When your potatoes have boiled, drain and shake with the lid on. Then add to the hot roasting dish keeping the saucepan down low to the oil so that it doesn't splash all over your arm. They should sizzle immediately- this is how you get a good crispy edge! Try to put straight back into the oven as soon as possible to prevent losing heat. These will probably cook in around 45-50 minutes, try to keep an eye and turn over half way through. Place in serving bowl and keep in turned off oven.

4| Let's prepare the green beans. Blanche in boiling water for about 2-3 mins and drain. In a frying pan, melt a good tablespoon of butter and sautée the garlic on a soft heat as these will burn easily. Add the beans and fry on a high heat for a good 5-7 minutes until cooked to taste. If they look like they are burning just add a splash of water, it will soon cook away. Place in a serving dish and keep in the oven with the finished potaotes.

5| Now for the steak. In the same pan, add your steaks. I cooked these for about 3-4 minutes each side. You want them pink but definitely not raw. Really it depends on how thick they are, you can always cut with a sharp knife in the center to see how they are getting along. Towards the end of frying I threw in a small glass of water for two reasons. Firstly I wanted to slow things down, and not burn or overdo the steaks. Secondly, on a high heat that water is going to, for want of a better word, "unstick" any meat juices stuck to the pan, making a gorgeous jus, or gravy.

6| Once my steaks were cooked, I lifted them from the pan and let them rest a minute while I concentrated on this sauce. If all that water has cooked away or is looking like it is starting to burn on just add a splash more, using a wooden spoon to lift any of the juices stuck to the pan. Then, if quite runny, just add a light sprinkle of flour (or cornflour) over the whole pan, mixing really quickly so that you don't have any lumps. In about two minutes you will have such a delicious sauce that you can pour over the steaks to keep them juicy. (Soup bowls are actually great for serving something like this!)

7| Serve immediately with potatoes and vegetables on the table, letting everyone help themselves.