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Arabian Lamb
I POUND TENDER LAMB (FROM LEG OR CHOPS) 2 TABLESPOONS HONEY, WARMED APRICOT JAM SALT AND PEPPER 2 TABLESPOONS CHOPPED PISTA- CHIO NUTS Cut lamb in pieces convenient for threading on a skewer. Season, put on skewers, and place on hot grill over hot coals. When done, remove, brush with honey, sprinkle with pistachio nuts, and replace on the grill a moment. Eat with apricot jam.
A one-pound skewer recipe that depends almost entirely on timing: the honey goes on at the very end, and only for a moment over the fire.
- The hinge: honey lastHoney scorches and turns bitter over direct coals. The recipe brushes it on only after the lamb is done, then returns the skewers for a moment -- call it 30 to 60 seconds -- to set the glaze and toast the nuts.
- Cut and donenessBoneless leg cut into 1 to 1 1/4 inch cubes cooks in roughly 8 to 10 minutes over hot coals, turned every couple of minutes. Lamb is at its best pulled at 130-135F internal, still pink; cooked to grey it dries out and the honey has nothing to cling to.
- Fire"Hot coals" means the coals are ashed over and you can hold a hand five inches above the grate for two or three seconds. A gas grill on high, direct, is the equivalent.
- Warming the honeyTwo tablespoons of honey thinned in a small pan or a bowl of hot water brushes on in a thin coat rather than sitting in blobs that burn.
- Apricot jamNo quantity is given because the jam is a condiment served alongside, not a marinade. Half a cup is ample for a pound of lamb; a spoonful loosened with a little lemon juice cuts the sweetness.
- PistachiosUse unsalted shelled pistachios, chopped coarse, and add them with the honey so they stick. Salted cocktail nuts will overwhelm the seasoning already on the meat.
- SkewersSoak bamboo skewers 30 minutes, or use flat metal ones, which stop the cubes spinning when turned.
- YieldA pound of lamb serves two as a main course or four as part of a mixed grill.