Lamb Schawarma Recipe שווארמה

During my interview with Levana Kirschenbaum, I learned about a type of sandwich called schawarma that is a signature Israeli dish. So I tried to see if I could find any recipes for schawarma to understand how it is made. I found a couple of recipes that used chicken as the main ingredient. However, when I think of Middle Eastern cuisine, lamb comes to mind. The recipe that follows is a hybrid of a few that I found with some of my own improvisations.

Last weekend was the first time that it was really warm here and it felt like spring. So we decided to grill the lamb for the schawarma outside on the Weber.


We also decided to try a new wine with this dish. Since schawarma is popular across the Mediterranean, we wanted to find a wine from this region as well. We decided on Voga Merlot. This Sicilian wine (in a most un-traditional bottle) turned out to be an exceptional pairing with the lamb schawarma.


This recipe is all about prep-work. You will need to marinade the lamb overnight. In addition, you will need to slice up a few vegetables for condiments as well as make a tahini paste and tzatziki. There is a little bit of work involved in getting the condiments ready but if you get a few bottles of wine and some friends involved, dinner will be ready before you know it! Here is how to do it:

Recommended Equipment:
charcoal or gas grill

Ingredients:
2 pounds lamb
12 slices pita bread
1 cup plain yogurt
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tspn tobasco sauce
2 tspn lemon juice
1 tspn vinegar
1 tspn onions, finely minced
1/2 tspn Kosher salt
1/2 tspn black pepper
1/2 tspn cayenne pepper
1 cup tahini
2 tspn lemon juice
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tspn chopped parsley
1/2 cup water

condiments
sliced tomatoes
sliced onions
mixed sprouts
romaine lettuce, sliced thin
tzatziki


Preparation:

1. Make the tzatziki.
2. In a large bowl, add yogurt, lemon juice, garlic, Tabasco sauce, black pepper, cayenne pepper, vinegar, onion and salt.
3. Add meat to the bowl and coat with the marinate. Refrigerate overnight.
4. Combine the tahini, garlic, lemon juice, and parsley.
5. Whisk well.
6. Add water if needed.
7. Slice up the tomatoes, lettuce, onions for condiments.
8. Grill the meat until done.
9. To make the sandwich slice open a pita, spread some of the tahini sauce onto the bread. Add some lettuce, tomato, sprouts, and onion. Top with the meat and a dollop of tzatziki.

Israel