Jighèr Kèbābi

Name: Jighèr Kèbābi
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 40 min
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients: 600 grams sheep's or lamb's liver (Use as much as wanted; cut into 4 cm (roughly 1½-inch) cubes. Fresh liver works best — ask your butcher to trim any sinew or membrane.); 200 grams caul-fat (Cut into thin pieces large enough to wrap each cube of liver once. Ask your butcher for this — it is the lacy fat surrounding the stomach of the animal. Soak in cold water for 10 minutes to make it more pliable before using.); 3 cloves garlic cloves (Skinned (peeled). Use 2 cloves for a milder flavour or 3 for more punch.); 0.5 teacup (approximately 60 ml) wine vinegar (A standard teacup holds roughly 120 ml, so half is about 60 ml. Red or white wine vinegar both work.); 2 teacups (approximately 240 ml) broth (Two standard teacups, roughly 240 ml total. Lamb or beef broth suits this dish best, but any light meat broth will do. Use a good-quality, unsalted or low-salt stock so you can control the seasoning.); 1 pinch (to taste) salt (A little, to taste.); 1 pinch (to taste) pepper (A little, to taste. Freshly ground black pepper is ideal.)

A classic Ottoman liver kebab from Turabi Effendi's 1864 Turkish Cookery Book, in which cubes of lamb or sheep's liver are wrapped in caul-fat and grilled on skewers, then finished in a tangy garlic, vinegar, and broth sauce. Simple and boldly flavoured, this dish makes an excellent introduction to traditional Turkish offal cookery.

⏱ Prep: 15m

🍳 Cook: 25m

⏰ Total: 40m

🍽 Servings: 4 servings

Ingredients

600 grams sheep's or lamb's liver (Use as much as wanted; cut into 4 cm (roughly 1½-inch) cubes. Fresh liver works best — ask your butcher to trim any sinew or membrane.)
200 grams caul-fat (Cut into thin pieces large enough to wrap each cube of liver once. Ask your butcher for this — it is the lacy fat surrounding the stomach of the animal. Soak in cold water for 10 minutes to make it more pliable before using.)
3 cloves garlic cloves (Skinned (peeled). Use 2 cloves for a milder flavour or 3 for more punch.)
0.5 teacup (approximately 60 ml) wine vinegar (A standard teacup holds roughly 120 ml, so half is about 60 ml. Red or white wine vinegar both work.)
2 teacups (approximately 240 ml) broth (Two standard teacups, roughly 240 ml total. Lamb or beef broth suits this dish best, but any light meat broth will do. Use a good-quality, unsalted or low-salt stock so you can control the seasoning.)
1 pinch (to taste) salt (A little, to taste.)
1 pinch (to taste) pepper (A little, to taste. Freshly ground black pepper is ideal.)

Instructions

1Place the caul-fat in a bowl of cold water and leave it to soak for about 10 minutes. This softens it and makes it easier to handle and wrap. After soaking, gently lift it out and lay it flat on a clean board. Cut it into pieces roughly large enough to wrap around a single cube of liver once.
2Pat the liver dry with paper towel. Using a sharp knife on a clean chopping board, cut the liver into even cubes approximately 4 cm (1½ inches) square. Try to keep the cubes roughly the same size so they cook evenly. If you notice any tough connective tissue or membrane on the outside of the liver, trim it away and discard it.
3Take each cube of liver and wrap it snugly in a piece of caul-fat. The fat will help keep the liver moist during cooking and add flavour. Push the wrapped cubes onto skewers — metal skewers work best for stability, but wooden skewers soaked in water for 30 minutes beforehand will also work. Leave a small gap between each cube so the heat can circulate.
4Preheat your grill to a moderate heat — you want steady, even heat rather than fierce flames that will burn the outside before the inside cooks. Place the skewers under or over the grill and turn them slowly and regularly so all sides colour evenly. The liver is done when the caul-fat has rendered and lightly crisped and the liver cubes are cooked through with no raw pink remaining in the centre — this should take around 10–15 minutes depending on your grill. Avoid overcooking: liver becomes dry and grainy if left too long.
5When the liver is nicely roasted, remove the skewers from the grill. Carefully slide the liver cubes off the skewers onto a deep, oven-safe serving dish with a lid (a casserole dish works well). Spread them out in a single layer if possible.
6Peel the garlic cloves and place them in a mortar. Pound them firmly with the pestle until they form a smooth paste with no large lumps remaining. If you do not have a mortar and pestle, you can finely mince the garlic with a knife and then press and smear it with the flat of the blade until it becomes paste-like. The goal is a very fine, pulpy texture so it blends smoothly into the sauce.
7To the pounded garlic in the mortar (or a small bowl), add the wine vinegar and the broth. Season with a little salt and pepper. Stir everything together well with a wooden spoon until fully combined. Taste and adjust the salt and pepper if needed.
8Pour the garlic, vinegar, and broth sauce evenly over the dished-up liver cubes, making sure all the pieces are moistened by the liquid.
9Preheat your oven to 160°C (320°F / Gas Mark 3) if it is not already warm. Place the lid firmly on the dish and put it in the oven for approximately 5 minutes. This short, gentle finish allows the liver to absorb the sauce and the flavours to meld together without overcooking the meat. Alternatively, if cooking over a charcoal fire, set the covered dish on a section of the grill where the coals are covered with grey ash (i.e., low, indirect heat) for the same amount of time.
10Remove the dish from the oven, carefully lift the lid (watch out for steam), and serve immediately. The liver is best enjoyed hot, directly from the dish.