Are you missing restaurants as much as I am? Let’s hope they re-open soon. As much as we love a takeaway, its sometimes nice to make your own version at home. Plus its cheaper and healthier!

I love Turkish restaurants. The grilled kebabs with fluffy rice and those vibrant salads are heavenly. Served with lots of different condiments its a feast for the eyes and the palette. So I thought I’d give it a go at home and it was delicious!

I made Turkish style shish kebabs with hummus and tzatziki, served with flat breads and salad. If you are pushed for time you can always buy the accompaniments and they will be just as delicious.

Here’s the recipe:

Turkish Kebabs:

• 500g mince (I used half lamb mince and half chicken mince to make it a little lighter)
• 1 small red onion, finely chopped
• 1/2 red pepper, finely chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tsp each of coriander seeds (crushed), chilli flakes, dried thyme, cumin powder, smoked paprika
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp oil
• 1 small handful of parsley, chopped
• salt and pepper to taste

1. Mix all of the ingredients together and shape into kebab shapes. I didn’t have those fancy flat skewers so I simply shaped them onto a plate. I firstly shaped them into a long sausage shape, then flattened them and then made indentations along the whole kebab to add to the effect.
2. Cook them on a hot griddle pan until cooked through and charred.

Hummus:

• 1 400g tin chickpeas
• 1 heaped tsp tahini paste
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp cumin powder
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• pinch of smoked paprika
• salt to taste

1. Drain the chickpeas but reserve the water they came in. Put the chickpeas into a blender.
2. Add the remaining ingredients and add a splash of water from the chickpea tin.
3. Blend until ultra smooth. Add more water if needed to achieve a smooth hummus.
4. Smooth out onto a plate and sprinkle over with smoked paprika and extra virgin olive oil.

Tzatziki:

• 200ml full fat greek yoghurt
• 1/4 of a cucumber
• half a small clove of garlic, grated
• lemon juice
• pinch of cumin powder
• extra virgin olive oil

1. Grate the cucumber and then squeeze all of the water out of it through your hands.
2. Add the grated cucumber to the yoghurt and add the remaining ingredients and mix.
3. Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil to serve.

I bought some nice pitta breads to go with this and made a simple salad on the side of tomatoes, red onions, cucumber and parsley. This recipe was a winner! Great to have with friends, once we are allowed to have them over!

Give it a go and let me know how it turns out. Hope you are all keeping safe and well during this lockdown. We will get through this!

Check out my website at www.jbimagery.co.uk