Yogurt Marinated Lamb Skewers with Mint Pistachio Pesto Pilaf -- The Patience My Father Taught Me

I have been thinking about Baba a lot this month. October does this — the angle of light reminds me of the bakery kitchen in autumn, when the sun came through the window and lit up the flour dust like snow and Baba stood at the counter with his arms crossed and his mustache catching crumbs and his eyes watching everything without seeming to watch anything. He had that Greek father ability to be present and distant simultaneously, to fill a room with his silence and make you feel both observed and free.

The real estate market is in its fall stride — steady, predictable, the kind of market that lets me plan instead of react. I listed three properties this week and showed five. One buyer, a woman from Virginia, asked me why I seem so calm. I said I am Greek. She said what does that mean. I said it means I have been preparing for disaster since birth and when disaster does not come I am pleasantly surprised. She laughed. She bought the house.

Alexander is waiting for his USF early action response. The waiting is harder than the application. He checks his email every hour and pretends he is not checking it and I pretend I do not notice him pretending. We are a family of polite pretenses, which is to say we are a family of Greeks.

Sophia is working on a Halloween costume that involves a lab coat and safety goggles and what she calls a mad scientist aesthetic, which I believe is her way of dressing as herself in approximately ten years. She asked me for dry ice. I said absolutely not. She said it would be atmospheric. I said it would be dangerous. She said science is dangerous. I said not in my kitchen.

I made a slow-braised lamb shoulder this week — marinated in red wine, garlic, rosemary, and oregano, then braised for four hours until the meat was so tender it surrendered at the touch of a fork. This is the kind of cooking that requires nothing but time and heat and the willingness to let the oven do the work while you do yours. I served it over mashed potatoes — not Greek, I know, but the lamb was Greek enough for both of us — and Alexander said it was the best thing he had eaten all month. I will take his word for it. He eats a lot of things each month. The competition is fierce.

Lamb has always been my way back to Baba—to that flour-dusted kitchen light, to the particular quiet of a man who taught me that good things require patience and not much else. The slow braise I made this week reminded me that the recipe doesn’t always have to be the same one to carry the same feeling, so I’m sharing these yogurt-marinated lamb skewers as the version that travels well, feeds a table of people waiting on good news, and pairs beautifully with a pilaf that Alexander would absolutely approve of—competition from this month’s dinners included.

Yogurt Marinated Lamb Skewers with Mint Pistachio Pesto Pilaf

Prep Time: 20 minutes (plus 2–4 hours marinating) | Cook Time: 20 minutes | Total Time: 40 minutes active | Servings: 4

Ingredients

• For the lamb:
• 1 1/2 lbs boneless lamb shoulder or leg, cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes
• 3/4 cup plain whole-milk Greek yogurt
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• Juice of 1 lemon
• For the mint pistachio pesto pilaf:
• 1 1/2 cups long-grain white rice
• 2 3/4 cups low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 cup shelled roasted pistachios, roughly chopped
• 1 cup fresh mint leaves, packed
• 1/4 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 1 small garlic clove
• 3 tablespoons olive oil (for pesto)
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• Salt and pepper to taste
• To serve:
• Lemon wedges
• Extra mint leaves
• Flaky sea salt

Instructions

1. Marinate the lamb. In a large bowl, whisk together the yogurt, minced garlic, olive oil, cumin, paprika, coriander, oregano, salt, pepper, and lemon juice. Add the lamb cubes and toss until fully coated. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or up to 4 hours. If using wooden skewers, soak them in water for 30 minutes before grilling.
2. Make the mint pistachio pesto. Combine the mint, parsley, garlic, and pistachios in a food processor. Pulse until roughly chopped. With the motor running, drizzle in the olive oil and lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.
3. Cook the pilaf. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the rice and stir for 1–2 minutes until lightly toasted and fragrant. Pour in the broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and cook for 15–18 minutes until the liquid is absorbed and the rice is tender. Fluff with a fork.
4. Grill the lamb skewers. Preheat a grill or grill pan to medium-high heat. Thread the marinated lamb onto skewers, leaving a small gap between pieces. Grill for 3–4 minutes per side (12–16 minutes total), turning to char evenly, until the lamb is cooked through with a slightly pink center or to your preferred doneness.
5. Finish the pilaf. Stir 3–4 tablespoons of the mint pistachio pesto into the hot rice and fold gently to combine. Reserve any remaining pesto for serving.
6. Plate and serve. Spoon the pesto pilaf onto plates or a large serving platter. Lay the lamb skewers over the rice. Drizzle with any remaining pesto, scatter extra mint leaves on top, and finish with a pinch of flaky sea salt. Serve with lemon wedges alongside.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 610 | Protein: 38g | Fat: 28g | Carbs: 52g | Fiber: 3g | Sodium: 420mg