It is an authentic Lebanese dish, quite suitable for the sharp chill of autumn. The burghul is added last thus allowing lamb meat, chickpeas, onions and spices to mingle together. This in fact is what gives it such a distinctive taste.

Serves 4

Ingredients.

• 120g / 4½ oz chick peas soaked overnight in water with ½ tsp of bicarbonate of soda. Alternatively, use tinned chickpeas.
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• 550g / 1¼ lb lamb neck fillet (or any lean part) cut into large cubes
• 3 medium onions  quartered or the equivalent amount of shallots
• 2 cinnamon sticks 6.5cm /2½ inches long each
• 1.5 litres / 2½ pints water
• 275g /10 oz coarse bulgar wheat / burghul
• Salt &freshly milled black pepper
• 1 ½ tsp ground allspice
• 450g / 1lb plain yoghurt to serve

Method.

1. Rinse chickpeas with fresh water, transfer into a large saucepan (large enough to take at later stage the meat – onions mixture), cover with water (3 times their amount) and add 1 tsp of salt. Using a high heat setting, bring to the boil removing any scum, then reduce the heat, cover and simmer for half an hour checking occasionally.
2. While chickpeas are cooking, heat up the oil in another non stick saucepan or deep frying pan and brown the meat to seal it, season with freshly milled black pepper, then stir in the onions and sauté for 1 minute. Now transfer the mixture onto a plate covered with kitchen paper to drain excess fat.
3. By that stage the chickpeas should have been boiling for half an hour or a little over, a time suitable to add the meat-onions mixture. Top up with some boiling water, increase the heat and boil for 5 minutes, check whether any scum needs removing, then reduce the heat. Give everything a good stir and simmer for 50 minutes or until both chickpeas and meat are done and the cooking liquid is reduced to about 650ml / 1 pint 2 fl oz.
4. Discard cinnamon sticks, season with allspice, taste the sauce and adjust seasoning if necessary. Add in the burghul, give it a good stir and let it simmer gently until the burghul is cooked and the liquid is absorbed. It takes roughly 15-20 minutes, the burghul should be swollen and tender.
5. Let it stand covered for 5 minutes before serving. Some cooks prefer to cover the pan with a kitchen towel to absorb the steam and achieve a perfect texture.
6. Serve hot topped with well chilled yoghurt, as the contrast of hot versus cold gives this dish an unusually succulent taste.

At home, mother used to serve this dish with an additional side one: Beetroot Salad (Salatit Shmandar: See Salads Section) which I think works well.    

Facts. Did you know?

• Bulgar wheat or burghul is high in fibres and carbohydrate and low in fat.
• It is rich in “B” vitamins, iron, phosphorous and manganese.

Find out more on: http://www.sunnylandmills.com/health.html

Lahem or lahmeh means meat as a generic term. However, when we say lahem meshwi, we refer to lamb meat because that is what it traditionally was. Having said that and although the recipe title indicates lamb, a beef steak cubed and barbecued tastes equally nice. I use a very simple marinade based on olive oil and a herb, as for the meat, I go for a neck fillet or diced leg of lamb or beef rump steak. The choice is yours but make sure you select a nice tender cut.

Serves 4

Ingredients

·         750 g / 1 ½ lb lamb meat like neck fillet or leg. Alternatively, you could use beef rump steak.

·         Freshly milled salt and black pepper

·         1 tbsp ground allspice

·         50 ml / 2 fl oz extra virgin olive oil

·         1 tbsp dried or 2 tbsp fresh rosemary. Alternatively you could use the same amount of fresh thyme

·         250 g / 9 oz  onions preferably shallots but big ones will do.

You also need a medium sized glass or Pyrex dish.

To serve

·         450 g / 1 lb plain yoghurt

·         Lebanese or Arabic bread. Alternatively use pitta bread.

Method

1. Cut the meat into suitable sizes for the skewers, trimming away excess fat. Transfer into the glass or Pyrex dish. Season with salt, pepper and allspice, add the rosemary (or fresh thyme) followed by the olive oil and mix well. Leave to marinate at room temperature for 2 hours. You can also prepare it the day before and leave it in the fridge overnight.
2. When you are ready to cook, fire up the barbecue or pre-heat the grill to a medium setting. Rinse and quarter the onions leaving the skin on, if using shallots, cut them into halves. Now, thread the lamb or beef pieces onto the skewers, inserting the onions in-between. The meat pieces should not be too closely compacted together or they will not cook evenly. Barbecue or grill for about 12 minutes turning the skewers to ensure even cooking. You should end up with a nicely browned meat that is cooked through but not dry nor burnt.
3. If you have to barbecue or grill in batches and at the same time keep the meat warm, here is the Lebanese way: Open up one or two warmed Lebanese bread and put inside the barbecued meat (leaving it on skewers). With its double layer, the bread will keep the meat warm, at the same time, it absorbs the excess unwanted fatty juices.   
4. Just before serving the Sheesh Kebabs, warm up the remaining bread. Next, open up the warmed bread, put the skewers inside it (roughly 2 skewers per 1 bread), pull out the skewers off the meat and pass round the bread filled with the barbecued or grilled meat.
5. We usually serve it with plain yoghurt. Some prefer it with Toomeh (see recipe in Sauces). Fattoush (Bread Salad: see recipe in Salads) makes also a nice accompaniment. So, for whatever you go for sahtein (a very Lebanese expression wishing doubly good health).

The term sheesh (means sword or skewer in modern usage) comes up very frequently in Lebanese cooking, in fact, it is originally Turkish. As history tells us, Lebanon was part of the Ottoman Empire for over 400 years, so this explains the usage of some Turkish words in our vocabulary.

Back to the recipe, you could use either deboned skinless chicken breasts or thighs. The basic ingredients of the marinade flavour the chicken with a succulent light taste that goes well with summer evenings. This is often served as part of a Lebanese Mixed Grill (Sheesh Taouk, Sheesh Kebab -lamb cubes- Kafta – see my recipe in Main Courses).

           Serves 4

Ingredients

• 1 kg / 2 ¼ lb deboned and skinless chicken breasts or thighs.
• Salt and freshly milled black pepper
• 2 colourful peppers

     For the marinade

• 1 head of garlic, cloves peeled and crushed to a paste.
• 100 ml / 3 ½ fl oz lemon juice
• 200 ml / 7fl oz olive oil
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• 1½ tbsp strong mustard, (English mustard works well)

To serve:

• Toomeh (See recipe in Sauces)
• Lebanese or Arabic Bread (alternatively large Pitta bread)

Method

1.      Rinse the chicken under cold water and pat dry with kitchen paper. Cut the breasts or thighs into the suitable sized pieces for the skewers and place in a glass or Pyrex dish. Season with salt and pepper.

2.      As for the marinade, mix thoroughly all the ingredients until well combined then tip over the chicken, making sure every bit of chicken pieces is smeared with the marinade. Cover and pop in the fridge for several hours or preferably overnight.

3.      When you are ready to cook, fire up the barbecue or pre-heat the grill to a medium setting. Wash and cut the peppers into cubes. Thread the chicken pieces into the skewers, inserting in between the cubed peppers. The chicken pieces should not be too closely compacted together or they will not cook evenly. Barbecue or grill for about 15 minutes turning the skewers to ensure an even cooking, baste if necessary with the remaining marinade. Make sure the chicken pieces are cooked all the way through. You should end up with a nicely browned meat that is cooked through but not dry nor burnt.

4.      If you have to barbecue or grill in batches while keeping at the same time the meat warm, here is the Lebanese way: Open up one or two warmed Lebanese bread (depending on the size and number of skewers) and put inside the barbecued meat, still on skewers. With its double layer, the bread will keep the meat warm, at the same time, it absorbs the excess fatty juices.  

5.      Just before serving the Sheesh Taouk, warm up the remaining bread. Next, open up the warmed bread, put the skewers inside it (roughly 2 skewers per 1 bread), pull out the skewers off the meat and pass round the bread filled with the barbecued or grilled chicken pieces.

6.      The essential accompaniment for this is Toomeh which is a delicious combination. Also, serve with Fattoush (Bread Salad: see recipe in Salads).