Moorish skewers with grilled vegetables and hummus

At this time of year, I love enjoying my barbecue and spending a pleasant while on my terrace. For me, cooking on the barbecue is a real ritual: I light it, and while it heats up I carefully prepare the ingredients, uncork a bottle of wine, and the party begins. While my guests enjoy the appetizer, I cook and chat with them while my Weber barbecue takes care of everything.

So I want to give you one more idea so you can get the most out of your barbecue, making some authentic Moroccan skewers with vegetables and hummus. I’ve used lamb leg meat, but you can also use chicken or pork.

The secret is to marinate the meat with a mix of spices, lemon, and oil. That way it turns out incredibly tender and full of amazing flavor. The mix I’m suggesting is the way I like it, but you can experiment and customize it to your taste. You’ll see that I use a casserole to marinate the meat. With its ceramic coating, it’s perfect for this kind of job because it doesn’t absorb odors or stain, so cleanup is very easy.

Weber barbecue and round Le Creuset mini-casserole

Ingredients

For the skewers:

• 1Kg of boneless lamb leg meat
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 100ml extra virgin olive oil
• 4 garlic cloves
• 1 tablespoon cumin
• ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon sweet La Vera paprika
• 1 tablespoon hot La Vera paprika
• 1 teaspoon salt
• A few fresh cilantro leaves
• Vegetables to serve, to taste

For the hummus:

• 400gr cooked chickpeas
• 1 garlic clove
• 3 tablespoons tahini
• 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
• ¼ teaspoon ground cumin
• Juice of 1 lemon
• Salt
• La Vera paprika

Round Le Creuset Mini-Casserole and round Le Creuset Evolution casserole.

Method

For the skewers

1. Cut the lamb into bite-size cubes. Put it in a casserole.
2. Crush the garlic in a mortar along with the cumin and cilantro leaves. Add the rest of the spices and the salt. Add the oil and lemon juice as well, and mix well.
3. Add the marinade to the meat and mix. Cover the casserole and place it in the fridge until the next day.
4. Light the barbecue so it heats up while you assemble the skewers with the marinated meat and cut the vegetables. We’re going to give them a quick cook so they’re nicely browned on the outside and juicy on the inside.
5. Grill the vegetables too, seasoning them at the end with a little salt and oil.

For the hummus

1. Put all the ingredients in the blender and blend until smooth. You’ll need to add water to adjust the thickness.
2. Put the hummus in a mini casserole and sprinkle with La Vera paprika, then drizzle a little olive oil over the top.

KitchenAid stand mixer and round Le Creuset mini-casserole.

Serve the skewers with the vegetables and hummus. You’ll see you’ll be a hit!