Meatballs and kebabs
This summer kebab from Gaziantep pairs ground lamb patties with halved tomatoes on the same skewers and grills them together. Mash the cooked tomatoes with a fork on flatbread and wrap them around the patties, using the tomatoes as both garnish and sauce. Choose firm, meaty tomatoes; watery ones can split on the skewer and fall into the coals.
Grate the onion, squeeze out its liquid, and add it to the ground lamb. Add the spices and salt, then knead for 6–8 minutes, until the mixture sticks to your hand.
Cut the tomatoes in half crosswise, not through the stem end. This keeps the seed chambers closed when the tomatoes are threaded onto the skewers and prevents their juices from dripping into the coals.
Shape the mixture into flat 30 g patties. Thread a patty and a tomato half onto each skewer in alternation, with the tomato skin facing outward. This makes 8 skewers.
Thinly slice the onion into half-moons and rub it with the sumac and chopped parsley.
Position the skewers 10 cm above the coals. Turn them every 2–3 minutes and cook for 12–14 minutes; grill the peppers too. The kebab is ready when the tomato skins are wrinkled and charred in spots and the center of a patty reaches 71°C / 160°F.
Open the flatbread and slide the tomatoes from the skewers onto it. Mash them coarsely with a fork. Add the patties and sumac onions, wrap, and serve with the peppers.
Wait until the flames have died down and the coals are covered with ash before grilling the skewers. Flames can burn the tomato skins without cooking the flesh through.
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