Grilled Marinated Lamb with Mediterranean Cous Cous

Enjoying a variety of ethnic or geographical cuisines is part of the fun of being a foodie. We've been cooking with such a variety of flavors lately, we're amazed with the diversity of human tastes! We combined these Turkish lamb kebabs or souvlaki with some Moroccan flavored cous cous, a sort of rice like pasta, and had a fabulous meal. It was an easy one too. We mixed up the marinade ingredients and let the lamb chunks soak in the delicious flavors for two days. Overnight will do, but the night we were going to grill the weather was hot and sticky so we waited until the next night when it was much cooler. The extra marinating really made the meat tender and flavorful! So here's the recipe.

SERVES: 2
PREP TIME: 10 mins
COOK TIME: 8-10 mins; char the outside but don't overcook

Notice the charring where we let the flames kiss the lamb. We basted throughout the grilling, never letting flare ups get out of control.

INGREDIENTS:
1 + pound lamb leg or shoulder, cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces
1/3 C olive oil
1/3 C red wine
2 t dried oregano
Juice of 2 lemons + their zest
1 t salt
2 garlic cloves, crushed
Fresh ground black pepper

PREPARATION:
1. Mix marinade ingredients in a measuring cup
2. Place lamb chunks into a large sealable freezer bag. Pour the marinade over the lamb and toss to coat, making sure that each piece is covered. Best to marinate in the refrigerator overnight, even 2 nights is good.
3. Preheat the grill. Thread the lamb onto metal skewers, leaving a small space between each piece of meat. Reserve the marinade for brushing on the kebabs while they are grilling. Turn the meat every couple of minutes to cook evenly and brush with the marinade on every turn. Total cooking time is 8-10 minutes.

SERVING:
We removed the kebabs onto two warmed plates and served it with cous cous that we flavored with roasted cherry tomatoes, sauteed green onions and fresh basil. It was a wonderful Mediterranean meal!
For a full Mediterranean experience, one could serve the lamb with a plain Greek yogurt for dipping; but we enjoyed the marinated lamb flavor so much we passed on the dip.

Bon Appetit,
Tom and Anita

Grilled Marinated Lamb with Mediterranean Cous Cous