George’s Recipe for Lamb skewers and xo, with sides
Ingredients:
- 1kg boneless lamb shoulder
- 1 teaspoon salt – 5g
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil – 12g
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Bastourma XO (makes 1 litre)
- 80g dried shrimp
- 80g dried scallop
- 1kg ripe tomatoes
- 200ml vegetable oil
- 3 red eshallots, peeled & finely sliced – 120g
- 2 tablespoons chilli flakes – 15g
- 6 garlic cloves, thinly sliced – 60g
- 2cm piece ginger, finely grated – 10g
- 4 star anise – 10g
- 1 cinnamon stick – 5g
- 60ml tamari
- 125ml chilli oil
- 100g bastourma, finely diced
Bastourma XO
1. Prepare this at least 1 day in advance.
2. Place the dried shrimp & scallop in a bowl. Cover with cold water & leave to soak overnight.
3. The next day, drain the dried shrimp & scallops & discard the liquid.
4. Wearing gloves break the mixture up slightly with your hands, then leave to stand until required.
5. Coarsely grate the tomatoes into a bowl, until you are left with the skins. Discard the skins & set aside the flesh.
6. Heat oil in a large, heavy based saucepan over a medium-high heat.
7. Add the eshallots & cook, stirring, for 2 minutes, or until softened.
8. Stir in the chilli flakes & cook for another minute, or until aromatic.
9. Add the garlic, ginger, star anise & cinnamon & stir to combine.
10. Increase the heat to high, season with a pinch of salt & add the tamari, chilli oil, bastourma & rehydrated shrimp & scallop. Cook for a further 1 minute, or until coated in the oil.
11. Add the tomato flesh & 250ml water.
12. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to low & cook, stirring regularly, for 1 hour 20 minutes, or until the mixture has reduced by half.
13. Season with salt to taste.
14. Leave to stand until cool, then transfer to an airtight container. (The XO sauce will keep in the fridge for up to 1 month)
15. Prepare the kalamaki 1 day in advance.
16. Remove the lamb from the fridge & dice it into 2cm pieces.
17. Combine in a bowl with salt, olive oil, XO sauce.
18. Refrigerate overnight to marinate.
19. Thread the lamb onto the skewers.
OR
Thread the lamb onto the skewers and then brush with salt, olive oil, XO sauce.
Cabbage Salad
1. With a mandolin or knife, shred white cabbage super fine.
2. Roast some slivered almonds in a pan on a medium heat, until they are lightly toasted and golden brown.
3. Finely chop a bunch of dill and mix through the shredded cabbage.
4. Mix 50ml of white balsamic vinegar with a drizzle of olive oil to soften the white cabbage and dill.
Tahini Dressing
- Mix together in a bowl, 50g tahini, a glug of olive oil, 200g of Greek yoghurt, and a big squeeze of lemon juice. (25ml)
- Season with salt and pepper.
Pickled Fennel/onion
- With a mandolin or knife, slice the bulb of the fennel/onion into thin strips.
- Bring a pot of 250ml white wine vinegar, 250ml water and 150g sugar (add your favourite aromatics, peppercorn, bay, coriander seed).
- Once boiling, take off the heat and carefully pour over your sliced vegetables.
- If you don’t want your fennel turning pink, pickle these separately.
- Leave them overnight, the longer the better, to pickle.
To serve, lightly toast the pitta bread in a pan, top with lamb off the skewers, pile on a bunch of the cabbage salad, drizzle over the tahini dressing and top with a generous helping of pickled fennel.
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