LAMB KEBABS WITH ROSEMARY VEGETABLES

Shish kebab must be the most famous Turkish dish. It is thought to have been first created in the ottoman Empire when Turkish soldiers, forced to camp in tents, grilled/broiled their food over wood outside. I like to use rosemary stems for vegetable kebabs. They add so much flavour. You should marinate the vegetable and lamb kebabs first and, if possible, grill/broil them over dried herbs to improve the taste even more. A local blacksmith made me a large metal spit to use over the open fire in my kitchen. Dried rosemary, thyme, sage, bay and even lavender are always on hand when I am using the spit. Pheasant, partridge, and smaller dishes like kebabs, are cooked over our own dried wood, often collected after pruning apple and pear trees.

Preparation: 30 mins, plus marinating

Cooking : 12 mins

Serves 4

1 large neck fillet of lamb, about 500g/1lb 2oz, cut into small squares

16 small tomatoes

16 small mushroom caps

2 yellow peppers, deseeded and cut into 16 pieces

4 straight rosemary stems to use for the vegetables kebabs

2 tbsp sumac (optional)

HERB MARINADE

90ml/3fl oz/6 tbsp olive oil

2 tbsp chopped rosemary leaves

4 bay leaves

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

juice of 2 lemons

TO SERVE

4 pitta breads

Tabbouleh (see page 60) or rice

dressed salad herb leaves

Mix together all the marinade ingredients, pour half over the lamb, cover and leave to marinate at room temperature for at least 2 hours, turning occasionally. Marinate the tomatoes, mushroom caps and peppers in the remaining marinade for 1 hour.

Drain the meat and thread onto 4 metal or soaked wooden skewers. Sprinkle with the sumac, if using. Thread the tomatoes, mushrooms and peppers onto 4 rosemary stems, one for each person. Grill/broil both the lamb and the vegetable kebabs on a fire, a barbecue or under a very hot grill/broiler for no more than 10 minutes, turning occasionally, when the vegetables will be cooked and the outside of the meat should be brown, but the inside pink and juicy.

Warm the pitta bread for 1 minute under the grill/broiler. Serve the kebabs and pitta with Tabbouleh or rice and a herb salad.