While I’m not in Greece during the summer, I’m still connected and wired to the homeland via internet, Skype, telephone and satellite radio and television. Few television shows can resist including a cooking segment.

I recently caught Greek cookbook author and TV personality, Maria Loi on a weekend show where she prepared a dish called Simit Kebab. On the surface, the name of this dish doesn’t sound Greek at all but there are some Greek origins worth mentioning.

According to my friend Maria (another Maria) of History of Greek Cooking, “the Greek word σιμίτι (simiti) derives from turkish simit which comes from the arabic semiz, a loan from the greek word σεμίδαλις semidalis = semolina, hard/durum wheat.” The Greeks of Asia Minor brought to Greece their rich legacy of cookery that surely included wonderful dishes like Semit Kebab.

One of the main ingredients in the kebab is bulgur, known as “pligouri” (πλιγούρι) in Greek. Bulgur is a quick-cooking form of whole wheat that has been cleaned, parboiled, dried and then ground into particiles and sifted into distinct sizes.

Bulgur has a wonderful nutty taste to it and it also allows for some additional flavours to be added to it. Bulgur cooks much like cousocus in that you add an equal amount of hot water to the amount of couscous (or in this case, bulgur) being called for in a recipe. Bulgur’s most popular use is in a Tabbouleh salad but you’ll seek out Bulgur just to make Semit Kababs!

Bulgur’s pairing with ground lamb here makes this kebab a wonderful offering to your guests at the grilled meal. I’ve used my basic recipe for keftedes as a base recipe for the ground lamb mixture, with cumin part of the wonderful spice mix. Instead of the usual soaked bread acting as a binder  – bulgur does the job here. I do however still add one egg into the mix.

This dish is served on a warm or grilled pita bread which gets a a good smear of strained Greek yogurt and then finally topped with the Semit kebab. A side of roasted hot or sweet banana peppers are added, a couple of tomato halves and a mound of onion and parsley salad in the middle.

The final garnish is a light sprinkle of Sumac over the entire dish- offering some colour and a little bit of tang (which Sumac) has.

Here in Toronto, both Greek House and Kostas Meat Market sell Bulgur but ask them for Pligouri!

Simit Kebab (σημίτ κεμπάπ)

(serves 4)

1 lb. of ground lamb

1 large onion, passed through the large holes of y0ur box grater

3 cloves of garlic, minced

1 egg

1 Tbsp. dried Greek oregano

1/2 cup of chopped fresh parsley

1 tsp. of ground cumin

2/3 cup of small bulgur wheat

2/3 cup hot water

2 tsp sea salt and ground black pepper to taste

long metal skewers

OR wooden skewers soaked in water overnight

Garnish/accompaniments

4 pita breads

strained Greek yogurt

roasted banana peppers

ripe tomatoes

Onion and Parsley Salad

1 medium onion, halved and thinly sliced

1/2 cup of chopped fresh parsley

sea salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

1. Mix all of your ingredients for the Onion and Parsley salad in a bowl and after adjusting seasoning to your tastes, cover and reserve.
2. Add 2/3 cup of boiling water into a bowl that contains your bulgur wheat. Cover with plastic wrap and wait a few minutes or until all the water is absorbed by the bulgur. Place the bulgur in a strainer and rinse under cold water. Squeeze any excess water out of the bulgur.
3. In another large bowl, add the ingredients for your Semit Kebab: the ground lamb, grated onion, garlic, egg, oregano, cumin, bulgur and finally seasoned with salt and pepper. Mix with your hands until amalgamated and fry-off a small meatball to taste-test and adjust seasoning according to your tastes.
4. Using your hands, form long sausages around the metal skewers and press the ground lamb mixture around the skewers to adhere. Place on a platte, cover and refrigerate for at least a couple of hours before grilling.
5. When you’re ready to grill your Simit Kebabs, take them out of the fridge to return to room temperature and preheat your gas grill. You may at this time char-grill your peppers. When blackened all around, remove from the grill and place in a paper bag or a bowl covered with plastic wrap so that they may sweat. When the peppers are cool enough to handle, remove the charred peels and place the peppers on a plate. Season with sea salt and drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil. Reserve.
6. Brush your grill surface to remove any residue left on the grill. We’re looking for a medium-high heat and just before grilling, wipe the surface with a towel soaked in vegetable oil. This will lubricate your grilling surface and prevent sticking.
7. Place your Simit Kebabs on the grill and rotate the kebabs every 2-3 minutes so that all 4 sides of the meat get grilled. Just before your kebabs are done, you may also place your pita bread on the grill to just warm through.
8. For each serving, place a warm pita on the plate, smear some strained Greek yogurt on an then place a kebab (or two) on each plate. Place a roasted banana pepper and a halved tomato on each side and a good mound of Onion and Parsley Salad on the kebabs (middle).
9. Sprinkle some Sumac over the entire dish and serve.

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© 2007-2009 Peter Minakis