Margarita's International Recipes

Caucasus



Shashlik Caucasian

This recipe for lamb shashlik may be Caucasian in origin, but I think it was more Greek in my execution. I used 3 times more lemon juice than the original recipe called for - I mistook teaspoon for tablespoon - and I omitted the celery tops on the marinade. Not only wasn't I sure what the recipe meant by celery tops, but the celery I had at home had wilted. Finally, the recipe did not specify what type of oil to use, so I decided to use olive oil - which I can't imagine is used very much in Caucasian cuisine (but what do I know?).

The results, however, were very good. I used leg of lamb, and the meat was amazingly tender. The marinade did not impart a particular strong flavor - and one change I'd make next time is double the amount of salt I used (use 2 teaspoons instead of 1). I'd also reduce the olive oil by at least 1/4 cup - 1 cup was too much for 2 lbs of lamb. The recipe below is as I made it.

I served the shashlyks with rice with dill, walnuts, and golden raisins, which is not a Caucasian dish. The original recipe said to serve it with rice, but I wanted to use some of the dill I'd bought for this recipe. The combination was pretty good - if you like dill.



Shashlik Caucasian

Ingredients

  • 2 lbs boneless lamb
  • 1 cup olive oil
  • 1 Tbsp. lemon juice
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • black pepper to taste
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 tsp. fresh dill
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • 4 celery tops, chopped (optional)
  • 1 green bell pepper
  • 1 large firm tomato (optional)
  • 1 onion

    Instructions

    Cut lamb into large cubes, set aside.

    In a large bowl, whisk together the oil, lemon juice, salt, pepper, bay leaf, dill, garlic and celery (if using). Add the lamb, coat well, and marinate in the refrigerator for at least 6 hours.

    Cut the green bell pepper and tomato (if using) into large chunks, cut the onion into wedges.

    Thread the lamb and the vegetables into skewers (remember that if you are using bamboo skewers, you must soak them in water for 20 minutes before using).

    Prepare your grill and heat it to medium heat. Place shashliks on grill and cook until done to your preference, about 12-16 minutes for medium rare, turning once.

    Adapted from a recipe,at RecipeSource.com


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