Marinade Comeragh Mountain Lamb kebabs with Tzatziki

This dish is simple to prepare, tastes fantastic and can be eaten as a starter or a main course. I use award winning Willies Drohan’s lamb from the Comeragh Mountains in west Waterford. His sheep roam wild on the Mountain and feed on wild heathers, grasses, herbs, wild flowers and drink natural spring water, all free from chemicals and pesticides.
For ten skewers you will need;
500g of diced Lamb
15ml of soya sauce, has to be Kikkoman soya
1tsp of roasted and crushed cumin seed
1tsp of roasted and crushed coriander seed
Juice of half a lemon
1 tblsp of fresh mint chopped
2tsp of local honey
1 tblsp of good olive oil

Place the diced lamb in a bowl and add the rest of the ingredients. This must marinade overnight so that the meat will take on the flavours. If using bamboo skewers soak them in water for at least an hour before treading the meat onto them. Cook on a hot bbq or a griddle pan for about four minutes. Serve the skewers homemade Tzatziki.

A beautiful quote from Elizabeth David book ‘spices, salt and aromatics in the English Kitchen’ really explains the cooking technique for this recipe. ‘’ based on the craze for the so called barbecue, which hit the British Isles in the late fifties, a whole new tradition of English grill-cookery is now in the making. It’s most elementary and most delicious manifestation is kebab cookery. This provides something for everybody. No mystique is attached to it. It is simple spit-roasting in miniature. Tender meat and the correct skewers are basic essentials, the rest is a question of practice with the grill’’


Greek Tzatziki

This is a Greek speciality and is delicious with grilled Lamb or roasted Monk fish. It is simple to put together and will last for a few days in a fridge. Use Greek yogurt for this because it is made with sheep’s milk and is beautifully thick and creamy.

1 cucumber, peeled and diced into small pieces
2 cloves of garlic crushed
Juice of half a lemon
425ml of Greek yogurt
2 tblsp of chopped mint
Salt, sugar and pepper to taste

Put the cucumber into a sieve, sprinkle with a little salt and allow to drain for 20 minutes. Dry the cucumber on kitchen paper put into a bowl and mix with all the other ingredients. Stir well and season to taste. That’s it……