The kebab

There are dishes that, for one or a thousand reasons, are able to capture the imagination of the whole world, and become a kind of social phenomenon thanks, perhaps, to a particularly inviting scent or flavour. And among the cuisines of the world, those best able to create this effect are undoubtedly from the Mediterranean. And among these, Turkey boasts a specialty famous practically everywhere in the world, namely the kebab, and it will be this dish which will be our star recipe of the day, although we will reinterpret it a little to give a different take on its excellence, in particular telling you one of the secrets of kebab chefs, that is, marinating the meat in garlic and spices. Are you ready to follow our recipe step-by-step, to give something really excellent for your guests to enjoy, perhaps for a memorable summer picnic in the garden of your own home?

For this kebab recipe I chose pork, because there was no lamb available. I wanted to use half ‘collar’ meat for flavour, and half loin chop which is leaner. Cut the meat into more or less equal sized pieces. Put them in a bowl and season with garlic, cumin, salt, pepper and oil. Get two fairly large skewers and insert the pieces of meat, then marinate for the time it takes to prepare the sauce and vegetables and until the fire is ready. Light the BBQ now to save time. I would advise, if you use charcoal, to make a little mound of small wood sticks and add the charcoal on top. Light it from the inside with a firelighter and fire will look after itself without being blown out. Slice the tomato, cut the cabbage into very thin strips, julienne the onion, and mix everything together in a bowl. Make the tzatziki sauce according to our recipe. When the BBQ is ready, place the kebabs on the grill and cook on all sides until nicely browned for about half an hour. Remove from heat and cut off the first two portions, cutting down so as to remove only the crispy browned meat. Return the skewer to the grill and continue cooking in this way until all the meat is done! Serve it in a flatbread or pitta bread, together with the prepared vegetables, dressed well with the tzatziki sauce.