Think Outside the Box This Thanksgiving with this Soasties Appetizer Recipe

Welcome to Thanksgiving week! Have you started prepping for the big feast? Or are you not quite sure yet what you’re going to make this year? Over the next few days, we’ll be featuring some wonderful recipes from our chefs to give you a bit of inspiration, both on our blog and our social media sites.

Some will be traditional with the usual ingredients, like gravy, pumpkin, and more. Others will be a bit more out of the box — like this recipe from Chef Sidney, who for many years taught our culinary travelers and who grew up in the plains of Zululand in South Africa.

Wine pairings for Thanksgiving.

His childhood in Africa is the inspiration behind this lamb soasties recipe, a classic Cape Malay dish that’s often made over the barbecue and served with rotis and fruit chutney. Here in the States for Thanksgiving, it can also work wonderfully as an appetizer, one that’s sure to please your guests, family, and friends.

Soasties Recipe

Serves 4-6
Prep time: 15 minutes (plus marinating time)
Cook time: 10 minutes
Cook method: Grill

Ingredients

• 1kg (2 lb 2 oz) boned leg of lamb
• 2 onions
• 4 garlic cloves
• 4 whole cloves
• 6 bay leaves
• 1 tsp ginger, freshly chopped
• 2 tsp garam masala
• 1 tsp turmeric
• 75ml (2 3/4 oz) cups malt vinegar
• 4 tbsp brown sugar
• 2 tbsp apricot jam
• 2 tsp salt
• 24 dried apricots, soaked in water for 1 hour

Instructions:

1. Cut lamb into bite-size cubes and place in a large mixing bowl.

2. Peel onions and cut into eighths and separate fillets.

3. Peel garlic and slice thinly.

4. Gently stir cloves, bay leaves, ginger, garam masala, turmeric, onions and garlic with the lamb.

5. In a bowl, whisk vinegar, sugar, salt and apricot jam together. Pour over lamb and mix. Cover with cling film and marinate in a refrigerator for about 16 hours.

6. Strain meat and skewer the lamb, onion, apricot and bay leaf evenly on to skewers.

7. Grill on the barbecue or a grill pan, lightly brushing with a little oil.

By Liz Hall

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Originally published November 24, 2014.