Grill/Barbecue

Kebapcheta with Tzatziki

June  4, 2011
4
3 Ratings
  • Prep time 1 hour
  • Cook time 10 minutes
  • Makes 14 to 16 "logs"
Author Notes

These little lamb logs can be found all over Bulgaria ( and I'm sure other parts of Eastern Europe). They're grilled and in Bulgaria traditionally served with a hunk of bread. We'll put them on a stick sometimes and like to serve them with tzatziki, tomato, red onion,cucumber, feta, black olives and pita. Prep and cook times are approximate. - inpatskitchen —inpatskitchen

Test Kitchen Notes

Kebapcheta is not just fun to say, it’s also delicious! The ground cumin offers just the right warm spicy back note to meat; the grated onion and moistened bread ensure a nice tender kebab; and the tzatziki is the perfect cool tangy balance to the rich lamb. I did make two small adjustments that I think inpatskitchen will forgive -- I added a squeeze of lemon to the tzatziki because I really love lemon, and I lightly coated the kebabs with olive oil because I was a little worried about them sticking to the grill (they didn’t). I love the technique of grating both the onion and the cucumber -- that way all the flavors are perfectly incorporated and the texture of both parts of the dish is spot on. Big happy double thumbs up! - aargersi —aargersi

What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • For the tzatziki
  • 4 ounces plain yogurt
  • 4 ounces sour cream
  • 1/2 English cucumber, shredded and blotted dry with paper toweling
  • 1 clove garlic, grated or mashed in a garlic press
  • 1 tablespoon dried dill weed
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
  • For the lamb
  • 1 1/2 pounds ground lamb
  • 1 medium onion, grated
  • 2 cloves garlic, grated or mashed in a garlic press
  • 1 slice white bread, soaked in water and then squeezed "dry
  • 1 tablespoon ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon black pepper
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 1/2 cup chopped parsley
Directions
  1. For the tzatziki
  2. Combine all ingredients and chill for a few hours.
  1. For the lamb
  2. Combine all ingredients thoroughly and chill for about an hour.
  3. Shape the meat into 3 inch logs about 1 1/2 inches in diameter.
  4. Grill on a gas or charcoal grill until done to your likeness. Serve with tsatziki, pita bread, feta, kalamata olives and sliced cucumber, tomatoes and red onion.

See what other Food52ers are saying.

  • aargersi
    aargersi
  • lorigoldsby
    lorigoldsby
  • TheWimpyVegetarian
    TheWimpyVegetarian
  • inpatskitchen
    inpatskitchen
inpatskitchen

Recipe by: inpatskitchen

I think I get my love for food and cooking from my mom, who was an amazing cook. She would start baking and freezing a month before Christmas in order to host our huge open house on Christmas afternoon. I watched and I learned...to this day I try not to procrastinate when it comes to entertaining. My cooking style is pretty much all over the place, although I'm definitely partial to Greek and Italian cuisine. Oh yes, throw a little Cajun in there too!

8 Reviews

aargersi May 7, 2013
I am so glad you entered this - I LOVE it and make it often!
 
inpatskitchen May 7, 2013
I'm so happy you're still enjoying this and if I neglected to thank you earlier, thanks for your awesome review!
 
lorigoldsby June 6, 2011
we make something similar called "kibbe" in St. Louis. It calls for soaked bulgar instead of the bread....interesting how the names are similar
 
inpatskitchen June 6, 2011
I know...they're also known as kofte or keftes depending ...
 
These sound fabulous!! Saved!
 
inpatskitchen June 5, 2011
You're too kind....let me know what you think if you try them!
 
aargersi June 5, 2011
I am doing this with my next ground lamb - they sound amazing!
 
inpatskitchen June 5, 2011
Thanks...they really are great!