Moorish Skewers
(Pinchitos Morunos)
These skewers are best cooked over a charcoal grill
Recipe Posted on 10th September, 2004
Recipe Source: This recipe comes from one of my favorite cookbooks called MORO The Cookbook by Sam and Sam Clark. 'Pinchitos morunos' is an extremely popular tapa in Andalucía. As the name suggests, skewers of meat (originally lamb, but nowadays mostly pork) are marinated in a mixture of Moorish spices and grilled over charcoal. You will need four wooden or metal skewers about 25cm long, or eight of 15cm long.
Serves 4
Ingredients
500g meat, either pork fillet or lamb, trimmed of fat and sinew and diced into 2cm cubes
Marinade
½ heaped teaspoon each of coriander seeds, cumin seeds and fennel seeds, all roughly ground
1 teaspoon sweet smoked Spanish paprika
2 garlic cloves, crushed to a paste with 1 teaspoon salt
a good pinch of saffron (about 60 strands), infused in 2 tablespoons boiling water
½ small bunch fresh oregano, roughly chopped, or 1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 bay leaf, preferably fresh, crumbled or chopped very finely
1 dessert spoon red wine vinegar
1 dessertspoon olive oil
Method
Place the meat in a large mixing bowl and add the marinade dry spices, garlic, saffron-infused water, oregano, bay and vinegar and mix thoroughly. Then add the olive oil, toss again and leave in the fridge for 2 hours so the flavours of the marinade get into the meat.
Grilling pork over charcoal produces the best flavour, so light the barbecue well before cooking. If cooking inside, turn the grill on to a high setting or use a smoking hot griddle pan. Thread the pork on to the skewers. Grill over a high heat for about 2 minutes each side or until slightly charred on the outside but still juicy inside. Check for seasoning and serve hot.
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