Spanish Grilled Lamb Skewers

Ingredients:
1/2 Cup fresh Cilantro
​1/2 Cup fresh Parsley (flat-leaf)
​4 garlic cloves 
3 Tbs Lemon Juice
​2 Tbs Garam Masala
​2 Tbs Thyme

3 Tbs Pimenton
​1 Tbs Chile Pepper (New Mexico)
2 Tsp Black pepper
1 Cup Spanish Olive Oil
​3 Lbs Leg of Lamb
​Salt

Marinated and Grill Lamb Skewers is a common dish in Spanish cuisine. It is great with some Spanish Rice or as a stand-alone tapas. There is a strong influence of African cuisines in this dish. The reason is that the Moors crossed into Spain from North Africa 700 AD where they stayed for three centuries. This had a strong impact on Spanish culture, especially in the south.

You want to make sure that you give yourself plenty of time to prepare this recipe since you want the lamb to marinade for at least 18 hours. If you want to less of an African taste, use a smaller amount of Garam Masala and instead increase the Pimenton and the Garlic.

Make the marinade by combining the cilantro, parsley, garlic, black pepper, thyme, pimento, garam masala, chile, lemon juice, oil and a couple of teaspoons of salt. Blend on  high until you have a very smooth puree. Set aside.

Start trimming the leg of lamb by slicing off the large chunks of fat and silverskin that is covering the leg. It is important that remove most of this - if not, the lamb will be chewy and stringy when you grill it. You will have to remove quite a lot. Once you have trimmed a 3 lbs leg, you will be left with about 2 lbs of good meat for grilling. Next, cube the trimmed meat into 1-inch cubes. Make sure the cubes are equal in size, to ensure that they reach doneness at the same time when you grill them.

Mix the marinade and the cubed lamb thoroughly. Ensure that the marinade is spread evenly. Vacuum-seal or cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for a minimum of 18 hours. Soak the bamboo skewers for at least 2 hours before grilling. This will prevent the skewers from burning up. Use flat skewers when grilling to prevent the meat from rotating on the skewers when you grill. Light the charcoal grill or set your gas grill on medium-high. Thread 6-8 lamb cubes on each skewer. Season with salt on each side. Grill the lamb for 5-7 minutes total or until ready. Outside should be charred and the meat should have a little resistance when you press it. Flip the skewers one time. Serve immediately.