scorecardresearch Skip to main content

Recipe for lamb spiedini with mint salad

Lamb spiedini with peach, tomato, and mint saladSally Pasley Vargas for The Boston Globe

Serves 6

Spiedini, the Italian word for small pieces of skewered meats, comes from spiedo, or spit, and they are tasty little bites, here paired with peaches and tomatoes. You don’t often see those fruits together, but they’re refreshing in a salad with cucumber, mint, and basil. After grilling the skewers, toast thick slices of bread to go with them.

LAMB

Grated rind of 1 lemon
Juice of 2 lemons
1clove garlic, finely chopped
Salt and black pepper, to taste
1tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
¼cup olive oil
3pounds boneless shoulder or leg
of lamb, cut into 1½-inch cubes
3red, yellow, or orange bell peppers
(or a mixture), cored and cut into
1-inch pieces

1. Have on hand 14 metal or bamboo skewers (10 inches long). If using bamboo skewers, soak them in water for 20 minutes.

2. In a bowl large enough to hold all the lamb, whisk together the lemon rind and juice, garlic, salt, black pepper, rosemary, and olive oil. Add the lamb and toss well. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, or for as long as overnight.

Advertisement



3. On each skewer, alternate lamb and bell pepper.

4. Light a charcoal grill or turn a gas grill to medium-high. Place the skewers on the grill and cook for 2 minutes on a side for pink meat; 2 minutes longer for well done meat. (Slice into meat to check for doneness.)

BREAD

6thick slices country-style bread
2tablespoons olive oil
1clove garlic, halved

1. With a pastry brush, brush bread on both sides with oil.

2. Set on the grill and toast for 1 minute on a side, or until golden (the inside will still be a bit chewy). Use the cut side of garlic to scrape over the slices.

SALAD

2tablespoons red wine vinegar
Salt and pepper, to taste
3tablespoons olive oil
2large tomatoes, halved crosswise, seeds squeezed out, and cut into ¾-inch pieces
1cucumber, peeled, seeded, and cut into ¾-inch pieces
3peaches, peeled and cut into ¾-inch pieces
2sprigs fresh mint, leaves torn into
pieces
2sprigs fresh basil, leaves torn into
pieces

1. In a salad bowl, whisk together the vinegar, salt, and pepper. Gradually whisk in the oil.

2. Add the tomatoes, cucumber, peaches, mint, and basil to the dressing. Taste for seasoning and add more salt and pepper, if you like. Serve the skewers with the salad and bread. Sally Pasley Vargas