Greek Kebabs

This simple dish brings back wonderful memories for me of my two years spent working the summer at sailing resorts in Greece back in the late 90’s. You often see a make-shift braai (barbeque) setup on the roadside with rows of these for take-away or on the griddle of the tavernas along the wharfs of the fishing villages. These are quick and easy to whip up and definitely should be cooked over an open flame for the best tasting kebabs outside of Greece!

Ingredients

• 500g pack of beef mince
• 1 red onion, diced finely
• juice and zest of half a lemon
• 1 tsp ground corriander
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp  mustard seeds
• 1 tsp of coarse sea salt
• 2 tbsp of fresh thyme
• 2 cloves of garlic chopped
• 1 egg, beaten

Give it a whirl!

The first thing is to get your spice and aromatics mix prepared. Take your corriander, cumin, mustard seeds, coarse salt, fresh thyme, garlic and place in a pestle and mortar and grind this to make a paste.

Then take a large mixing bowl and empty your beef mince into it. Add the onions and spice paste to the mince and mix well. Then take the lemon juice, zest and beaten egg and add it to the mince to mixed well again.

Next you want to take handfuls of the mixture, roll it into balls and then slowly work these out into elongated sausage shapes. Work a metal skewer through your shapely portions of mince and then you’re ready to place on the fire. Cook until crispy and char-grilled on the outside. Serve with the best potato fries and Tzatziki, a greek cucumber yogurt dip.