Iskender Kebab

One of the most famous Turkish meat dishes, this style of kebab is named after its 19th-century inventor, Iskender Efendi. As a food, kebabs, in general, have their origins in Middle Eastern, Turkish, and Indian cultures. But while we tend to think of hunks of meat on a skewer, often alternating with pieces of vegetable when we hear the word kebab, it's actually a broader term that covers many grilled meat dishes.

Iskender is essentially a doner-style kebab, which is a traditional Turkish dish of seasoned meat that's stacked in the shape of an inverted cone and turned on a vertical rotisserie to slowly roast. The recipe and method date back to the 19th century Ottoman Empire and is also the basis for Greek gyros and Middle Eastern shawarma dishes.

The different applications are served with different accompaniments, but all are common street sandwich fast-foods that are stuffed into a form of flatbread such as pita, naan or lavash and may contain vegetables such as tomato, lettuce, cabbage, onions, cucumbers or pickles. They're covered in a sauce which might be yogurt based, such as tzatziki or sesame-based such as tahini.

As the meat cooks, the outer layers are sliced or shaved off and served in a variety of ways. In the case of the Iskender, the thinly sliced lamb is served over some type of bread or pita along with a hot tomato sauce, melted butter, and whipped yogurt.

It's obviously difficult to replicate the doner-style cooking at home unless you have a spit. But you can replicate the idea by using a cooked lamb shank or other roasted pieces of lamb such as a leg. Since we want to slice the meat thinly, it's best to start with a cooked and refrigerated piece of lamb. The cold meat will allow for easier slicing and, once sliced, the lamb gets reheated in butter and then topped with the traditional warm tomato sauce of the Iskender.