Kağıt kebabı

Cubes of lamb sealed in a parcel of greaseproof paper with onion, tomato, pepper, garlic and herbs, and baked slowly in a wood oven until the meat is tender and the parcel has swollen with its own steam: kağıt kebabı, paper kebab, is the kebab that is never grilled. It belongs to Antakya and the Hatay kitchen, with a strong claim from Gaziantep and a long history in the Ottoman palace cookbooks under the broader family of kebabs cooked in a closed vessel, which includes the clay-pot testi kebabı of Cappadocia and the tray-baked tepsi kebabı. The paper does what the clay does: it holds in moisture, so the lamb braises in its own juices and the vegetables melt into a sauce with no added water. It comes to the table still wrapped, and the parcel is cut open in front of the diner so the steam escapes there and not in the kitchen.