Iskender Kebab with Sizzling Tomato Butter
Thin shavings of seasoned lamb draped over torn pieces of crispy pide bread, drenched in a rich tomato sauce, and finished with a cascade of sizzling browned butter and a crown of creamy yogurt. This legendary dish from Bursa is Turkish comfort food at its most indulgent.
Ingredients
- 1.5 lbs ground lamb
- 1 small onion, grated and squeezed dry
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tsp ground cumin
+ 12 more ingredients
Instructions
Combine the ground lamb, grated onion, garlic, cumin, Aleppo pepper, salt, and black pepper in a bowl. Mix until just combined. Shape the mixture into a flat, rectangular loaf about 1 inch thick on a foil-lined sheet pan.
Preheat the broiler to high. Broil the lamb loaf 4 to 5 inches from the heat for 6 to 7 minutes per side until deeply browned and cooked through. Let rest for 5 minutes, then slice into very thin strips.
While the lamb cooks, prepare the tomato sauce. Heat the olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the tomato sauce, tomato paste, sugar, and oregano. Simmer gently for 10 minutes until slightly thickened. Season with salt to taste.
Toast the pide bread until golden and crispy, then tear into bite-sized pieces.
To assemble, arrange the torn pide bread across the bottom of a wide, shallow serving platter. Spoon half the tomato sauce over the bread. Pile the sliced lamb on top and drizzle with the remaining tomato sauce.
Dollop the room-temperature yogurt along one side of the platter.
In a small pan, melt the butter over medium heat and continue cooking until it foams, turns golden amber, and smells nutty, about 3 minutes. Immediately pour the sizzling browned butter over the entire platter — it should hiss and bubble dramatically.
Serve immediately with roasted green peppers on the side.
Nutrition Estimate
Per serving • Estimated by Blinner AI