As we were paying for some freshly baked barbari bread at our local Persian bakery last weekend, the owner gestured towards the refridgerated cases along the wall. “We have fresh sour cherries this week. Do you want?” I peered through the doors and saw a row of glistening ruby cherries stacked neatly into 1-lb containers. I didn’t hesitate a second – into the bag they went! On the way home we tried a few. And let me tell you, they are truth in advertising. Highly acidic, more tart than sour and quite refreshing. They reminded me of unsweetened cranberries, but with an unmistakable cherry undercurrent.
I’ve been on the hunt for these tart treats for a few years now. I have no experience with cherries other than the sweet juicy varieties used in classic summer desserts: cherry pie, cherry cobbler, clafoutis, etc. But in my exploration of Eastern European and Middle Eastern cooking, I often run across recipes calling for sour cherries. But not know where to find them, I could only dream about the concoctions detailed in the pages of my cookbooks: sour cherry meringue tarts, sour cherry cream cake, syrups and preserves, and most intriguingly, savory-tart sauces for meats and game.
The dish I’m sharing with you here is an adapted mashup of several recipes for meats with sour cherry sauce from two of my favorite cookbooks; Anissa Helou’s Feast and Caroline Eden and Eleanore Ford’s Samarkand. The cover shot on Feast depicts one of these, a Syrian dish (kebab karaz) featuring tender lamb meatballs cooked in a sour cherry sauce, served on triangle of pita bread to soak up the mingling meat and fruit juices. In Samarkand, there is a recipe for grilled lamb chops with a sour cherry sauce served alongside. I will almost always choose fattier, juicy minced lamb over chops, and I wanted to take advantage of prime grilling season, so I split the difference and made chapli-style grilled lamb patties to enjoy with the sour cherry sauce.
To make the patties I used a fairly fatty ground lamb because the extra fat makes for a very rich finish and the dripping fat encourages the fire to briefly flare and create those tasty seared char-marks. Because they are on the smaller side,I also found that briefly freezing the patties before grilling (1/2 hour should do) helps keep them intact and makes turning easier. I’ve grilled eggplant alongside to make more of a balanced meal, but any veggie that can stand up to grilling would be a good accompaniment (zucchini, halved firm tomatoes, onions, large mushrooms, etc).
The sour cherries work so well with meat because the tart sharpness can cut through and balance the unctuousness and umami of fatty cuts. If you really can’t find them where you live, you can still try making the sauce with a less-sweet variety such as Ranier, or slightly underripe cherries, and omit the sugar. I can see this sauce working equally well with beef burgers, lamb shanks, or even rich poultry like duck or goose for a cozy autumn feast – so many possibilities. The remainder of my sour stash is safely tucked away in the freezer, ready for our next culinary adventure.
Grilled Lamb Chapli Kebabs & Eggplant with Sour Cherry Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground lamb (fattier is tastier, but 85/15 will work too)
- 1 medium onion, roughly chopped
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1/2 tsp cumin
- 1/4 tsp turmeric
- 1/4 cup chopped parsley, plus more to garnish
- 1/2-3/4 tsp kosher salt
- 1 heaping cup sour cherries, pitted & chopped*
- juice of 1/2 large lemon
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1/8 tsp ground cloves
- 1/2 Tbsp sugar**
- 1 large eggplant
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- Pita or other flatbread to serve
Directions
- Make the lamb chapli mixture. Place the onion and garlic in the bowl of a food processor and pulse until a paste forms. Add cumin, turmeric, cloves, pepper, and salt and pulse a few more times until incorporated. Add lamb and parsley and pulse until well combined. Transfer to a bowl, cover and refridgerate for 1/2 hour to firm.
- Meanwhile, make the sour cherry sauce. Place cherries, lemon juice, cinnamon, cloves, and sugar in a small saucier over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until the cherries break down and release their juices. Remove from heat and cover until ready to use.
- Make the lamb chapli: Line a baking sheet that will fit in your freezer with parchment or wax paper. Using wet hands, form the lamb into small patties, 4-5 inches in diameter. Place on the prepared baking tray; if you need to make two layers, just place another sheet of wax paper between the 1st and 2nd layers to prevent sticking. Place the raw chaplis in the freezer to firm up for 1/2 hour.
- Oil your grill and preheat to medium.
- Slice the eggplant into rounds. Brush with the olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
- Grill chapli and eggplant; they should be finished around the same time. Chapli should reach an internal temperature of 145F.
- Spread a single layer of flatbread or pita on a large serving platter and arrange the chapli and eggplant over it. Spoon the cherry sauce over the top and serve the remainder alongside.
- To easily pit cherries, use a straw! Hold cherry in one hand or on the table, stem side up, and press straw opening directly over the indentation where the stem once was. The pit will stay in the straw and the cherry will remain whole. If you use paper straws, plan to use 2 or 3 as they will eventually soften from the cherry juices.
- If you can’t find sour cherries, you can use Ranier or another less sweet variety and omit the sugar.
