Grilled Lamb Skewers with Chickpea Puree and Mache

Ingredients:

1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for grilling
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
4 garlic cloves, chopped
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon fresh oregano
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
1 lemon, juiced
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 (3 1/2 pound) boneless leg of lamb, cut into 1 inch cubes
1 bunch mache (sold in bags at Trader Joe's)
1 bunch mint, leaves only
2 scallions, sliced thin
Lemony Chickpea Puree, recipe follows

Directions:

To make the vinaigrette, whisk together the oil, vinegar, garlic, dried and fresh oregano, thyme, and lemon juice; season with salt and pepper. Pat the lamb cubes dry and place it into a shallow platter. Season it well with salt and pepper. Pour 1/2 the vinaigrette over the lamb and let it marinate for at least overnight in refrigerator.

Heat the grill or grill pan and oil it lightly. Remove the lamb from the marinade, skewer and grill. (Adjust the time accordingly for other degrees of doneness.)

Meanwhile, toss the mache, mint leaves, and scallions in a bowl and season with salt and pepper. Dress salad (just before serving) with about 3 tablespoons of the vinaigrette. Place the lamb skewers onto a serving board. To serve, spread the Lemony Chickpea Puree on the platter, arrange skewers on top of puree and scatter some greens on top. Serve additional puree and mache alongside.


Lemony Chickpea Puree:

1 cup dried chickpeas, soaked overnight (use medium-sized bowl, beans expand)
1 bay leaf
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more as needed
3 lemons, zested and juiced
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 tablespoon finely chopped parsley, for garnish

Drain and rinse chickpeas and put them into a saucepan. Cover with cold water by 2 inches; add the bay leaf and salt and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer beans until tender, about 1 1/2 hours. Drain, reserving about 1 cup of the cooking liquid. Remove the bay leaf and discard.

Put cooked chickpeas into a food processor or blender. Add the olive oil, lemon juice and zest, garlic, and salt and pepper to taste. Process until smooth; add some of the reserved cooking liquid to thin, if needed. Garnish with a drizzle of olive oil and the parsley.

Adapted from Tyler Florence recipe