Minced Lamb Kebabs.

And they don't even fall off the skewer when you're barbecuing them!

Trying to find something to defrost for dinner at the start of the barbecuing season (well the traditional summer one, in reality we grill and smoke things outside year-round) set me on a mission to create the perfect Minced Lamb Kebabs that actually hold together on the skewer as you expose them to a lick of heat. The result is finally ready, and they’re perfect to serve either wrapped up in flatbreads or with your choice of side salads. I’ve include the recipe and my method below, including what we ate with them the evening I took these photographs!

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I wanted to keep these kebabs both simple and adaptable. The simple part was easy; blending the two different half portions of lamb mince we found together along with some onion, garlic, harissa and spices in the food processor before using wet hands to shape them. In later batches, I found a good quality lamb mince worked best that was course with good lumps of fat, as already quite fine and uniform mince did not mix up as well. I know I’m a brand ambassador so you’d expect me to say this, but I really, honestly would recommend Field & Flower’s Lamb Mince for this.

I ordered these Cusinart Grill & Prep Trays from America for Father's Day because what do you buy the barbecue fanatic who has everything, but they're actually super useful. These small ones are currently out of stock, but they're worth seeking out if you're US based (no longer available at a reasonable price here, sadly!)

Using harissa really makes these kebabs easy to adjust to different tastes without actually changing the recipe. I used a mild rose harissa in most batches as this is a family recipe and both my parents are quite sensitive to spice, but if it was up to me or I was making them just for me and J, I’d go straight in with my favourite Smoked Chilli Harissa from Belazu. I also tested a version of these with Ottolenghi’s Pomegranate, Rose and Lemon Harissa, which is simply stunning (I need to buy another jar) and which also makes a fantastic marinade for barbecue prawns by the way, just add a pinch of salt.

Harissa.

As for the shaping, as I already mentioned wet hands are important to make the mixture stick, but as are metal kebab skewers with a flat edge; the edge does not have to be aggressive, but try these on rounded wooden skewers and they just won’t work (I’ve not tested them with those fancy flat wooden ones!) Squeeze a handful of mince onto the bottom of the skewer, and then squeeze it along the skewer. It will take a while to get the knack, but what you want to avoid is weighted pieces of mince pulling the meat from the metal; this is why I make 8 skewers from a 450g pack of mince because if you make them too big, the meat will be too heavy and will just fall off.

Summer side dishes are some of my favourite side dishes, and whilst we enjoyed lots of Israeli Salad and Jewish Potato Salad with these kebabs during testing (two family favourites!) I was celebrating my first ever successful beetroot harvest (previously I’ve been unable to grow them past salad green stage) so I made patzarosalata, a wonderfully tangy Greek beetroot salad that honestly has to be one of my favourite things to make with beetroot, and is always a real crowd-pleaser.

The first home grown Costoluto Fiorentino salad tomatoes called for some of the beautiful Mandranova Biancolilla extra virgin olive oil we brought back from Sicily, and a generous sprinkle of Breton Fleur de Sel. They didn’t need anything else.

Here is everything we ate on our Sicilian road trip.

And finally, some rosé wine, some flatbreads (I do often make my own but if you also can’t be bothered these Waitrose ones freeze beautifully, and just re-heat on a baking tray sprinkled with a little water in minutes), and a lovely little raw courgette / pine nut / ricotta number I’ve written for my Macknade residency which I’ll link to in Nibbles once it has been published in August.

Minced Lamb Kebabs

Serves: 4 (or up to 8 as part of a larger spread, e.g. in flatbreads with salads and something else with potatoes), Preparation time: 15 minutes (plus the time it takes to get the barbecue up to temperature), Cooking time: 15 minutes

• 450-500g lamb mince (nothing lean!)

• 1/2 white onion, roughly chopped

• 1 large garlic clove, roughly chopped

• 1 tbsp harissa

• 1/2 tbsp ground cumin

• 1 tsp salt

• 1/2 tsp ground coriander

• olive oil, in a spray bottle

1. Prepare the barbecue for cooking over both direct and indirect heat.

2. Blitz all the ingredients (except for the oil!) in a food processor until you produce a uniform paste.

3. With damp hands, squeeze small amounts of the lamb mixture along flat metal barbecue skewers; be careful not to make them too thick as they will fall apart. You should get roughly 8 skewers.

4. Spritz both the grates and the kebabs with a little oil, and cook them over a high heat until they take on some colour on all sides; the quicker they colour the less chance there is they’ll fall apart as you’re sealing the meat. Move them onto the cooler side until they’re cooked through; test this by breaking a piece off on the end as they’re so thin, with a metal core a cooking thermometer won’t be much use!

5. Use tongs to carefully slide the kebabs off the hot skewers before serving.