Shashlik
(Central Asian grilled skewered lamb)
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by Sergey Vladimirov
4 to 6 servings
Ingredients
- Lamb leg or shoulder, boneless, cut into 1-inch cubes -- 2 pounds
- Onion, thinly sliced-- 1
- Salt and pepper -- to season
- Lemons, juice only -- 2
- Oil -- 3 tablespoons
Method
- Toss the lamb, onion, salt and pepper, lemon juice and oil together in a large bowl. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours to marinate. Overnight is best.
- Thread the chunks of meat on skewers and set at room temperature while you get a hot fire going in a grill.
- Grill the meat skewers over the hot grill flame, turning frequently, until done to your liking.
- Serve the skewers with a vegetable salad, slices of rye bread and shots of vodka or a nice Georgian wine.
Variations
- Vegetable Skewers: Shashlik is often accompanied by grilled vegetable skewers. Popular veggies include cherry tomatoes, chunks of bell pepper, mushrooms and onion wedges. Toss the vegetables with a little lemon juice, salt, pepper, oil and any remaining marinade. Skewer separately and grill until cooked through.
- Shashlik is usually made with lamb, but you can try beef, pork or chicken if you like. There is even such a thing as sturgeon shashlik!
- Instead of lemon juice, some cooks use vinegar or a dry white wine. Others eliminate the acidic element altogether.
