Armenian kebabs

If you want a quick and easy meal for after work and are prepared to plan ahead, this is the one for you!   Alternatively, prepare it in advance before you go out and leave it to marinade in the fridge to cook when you get back from the pub or club and save yourself the cost of a kebab :-) You can also cook these on the barbie and they'll taste even better, but make sure you leave the barbie to cool slightly before cooking them otherwise they'll burn on the outside.

You need to marinade the meat, ideally overnight, so be warned!  Rowena is especially keen on shish kebabs so she'll love this I'm sure.  It's not too expensive either, especially if you make it by buying lamb chops and cutting them up into pieces - this cost me a tenner for three people.

Ingredients
1 decent size lamb chop per person, fat and bone cut off and chopped into 2cm cubes
150ml red wine
50ml oil - olive oil by preference
1 small teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon salt

To serve
Lettuce or Salad leaves - I prefer Little Gem lettuces
1 medium tomato
A few slices of cucumber
A few slices of raw onion
1 green chilli (optional)
Half a lemon or lemon juice
1 pitta bread, toasted
Salt and Pepper to taste

Method
First, mix all the marinade ingredients together in a non-metallic bowl and add the diced lamb.  Cover and put in the fridge ideally overnight but for at least a few hours.

Next day, turn the grill on full then thread the meat cubes onto skewers (I use metal skewers but you can use wood if you prefer) then place them under the grill, adding a little of the marinade over the top to keep the meat moist.  If you're using the chilli, top, tail and deseed it and cut in n half lengthways and add it to the grill pan with a little of the marinade.  Cook the meat, turning regularly, until it is slightly browned on all sides - it takes bout 10-15 mins with my grill.

While the meat is cooking, prep all the salad. Shred the lettuce, quarter the lemon, slice the tomtato, cucumber and onion and slit the pitta bread across the long side to make a pocket.

Once the meat is cooked, put it on the plate and while it's resting for a couple of minutes lightly toast one side of the pitta.  I prefer serving it all separately so you can mix and match what you put in your kebab but if you prefer you can assemble them in advance, it's up to you.

Finally, serve with some chilli sauce - there's my recipe here if you want to make your own!