Kabobs can be a complete meal on a stick
By the beginning of August, my family has eaten barbecued or
grilled foods at least once a week for, oh, say, 10 or 12
weeks.
After a while the same old tri-tip, hamburgers and hotdogs, and
grilled chicken start to feel a little old. So right around now is
when we start to experiment with new recipes
– some gathered from friends, some from cookbooks, and many from
shows on Food Network.
I have to admit it
– I’m a Food Network junkie. On the days when I get home from
work early, before I am ready to start cooking my own dinner, I
often turn on the television and watch an episode of
”
Everyday Italian
”
or
”
30-Minute Meals.
”
Skewer me up a meal
By the beginning of August, my family has eaten barbecued or grilled foods at least once a week for, oh, say, 10 or 12 weeks.
After a while the same old tri-tip, hamburgers and hotdogs, and grilled chicken start to feel a little old. So right around now is when we start to experiment with new recipes – some gathered from friends, some from cookbooks, and many from shows on Food Network.
I have to admit it – I’m a Food Network junkie. On the days when I get home from work early, before I am ready to start cooking my own dinner, I often turn on the television and watch an episode of “Everyday Italian” or “30-Minute Meals.”
While many of my friends watch the shows and ooh and aah at the dishes without actually attempting any of them, some of my favorite recipes have come from the shows. Grilled fruit is a summer time dessert staple thanks to the shows, as are many other dishes.
One grilled dish that is a favorite on Food Network shows that I’ve often stayed away from is kabobs. In the past when I’ve attempted to skewer meat and veggies and grill them up, I’ve never had much luck. The veggies would turn black as the meat stayed uncooked in the center. The sliced onions would slide off the wooden skewers, as did broccoli and other thin pieces of vegetable. And when the charred food came off the grill, I almost always ended up burning my fingers on the hot pieces of meat and vegetables.
But even with my past misgivings, I thought I’d give kabobs another shot. There is one great way to avoid the problem of different cooking times with kabobs – though the kabobs won’t look as pretty – skewer meat on one stick and veggies on another. Also, keep the meat cut to similar sizes so each piece will cook evenly. Stick to thicker vegetables such as cherry tomatoes, pearl onions, mushrooms and other items that can easily be poked through the center.
Below are two recipes to try that give a little twist to the typcial steak and potatoes dish and fruit salad, courtesy of Emeril Lagasse and www.foodnetwork.com.
Steak, new potato and portobello kabobs
4 new potatoes, such as red bliss, about 3 oz. each
1 large portobello mushroom cap, about 4 oz
1- 14 to 16 oz. steak
1 1/2 tsp. sea salt
1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1/3 c. vegetable oil
1/3 c. balsamic vinegar
2 tbsp. chopped fresh rosemary leaves
2 tbsp. minced garlic
4-10 to 12 in. thick, woody, rosemary branches, or 4 soaked, 12-inch bamboo skewers
Place the potatoes in a small, 1-quart saucepan and cover with water, by 1-inch. Set over high heat and bring to a boil. Cook the potatoes at a boil for 10 minutes, or until barely fork-tender. Remove from the water and allow to cool before cutting in half. Set the potatoes aside until ready to use.
Remove the stem and the gills from the portobello with a sharp knife and cut into 8 wedges. Place the wedges in a medium bowl.
Cut the steak into 8 even pieces, about 1 3/4 to 2 oz. each, and season with 1/2 tsp. of the sea salt and the black pepper. Place in the bowl with the mushrooms. Add the vegetable oil, balsamic vinegar, rosemary and garlic to the bowl and stir to coat the mushrooms and steak well. Wrap with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator to marinate for up to 2 hours. Remove from the refrigerator and skewer a potato on the rosemary branch, followed by a piece of steak, a mushroom wedge, followed by another piece of potato, steak and mushroom. Continue in the same manner with the remaining skewers and potatoes, pieces of steak, and mushroom pieces. Reserve any marinade remaining in the bowl for basting the skewers as they cook.
Heat a grill to medium-high and lightly oil the grill grates. Grill the kabobs, basting with the remaining marinade as they cook, for about 3 minutes. Turn and cook for another 3 minutes, basting, before turning over to cook on the first side again. Continue to cook on the first side for another 2 to 3 minutes before turning over and cooking a final 2 to 3 minutes. Season the kabobs with the remaining teaspoon of salt and serve over a bed of rice.
Fruit kabobs
4-10-inch bamboo skewers soaked for 1 hour
1/4 pineapple, cored and cut into 8-1-inch cubes
1 banana, peeled and cut into 8 equal portions
1 Gala, Fugi or Red Delicious apple, cored and cut into 1-inch pieces
1 mango, pitted, skinned and cut into 8-1-inch pieces
2 tbsp. honey
1/2 tsp. lime zest
Thread each skewer with a slice of pineapple, banana, apple and mango, and repeat with the same fruit in the same sequence. Follow this procedure with the remaining 3 skewers. Combine the honey and lime zest in a small bowl and set aside until ready to use.
Preheat a grill to medium. Place the kabobs on the grill and cook, until lightly charred, about 3 minutes. Turn the kebabs over to the opposite side and cook for another 3 minutes, brushing with half the lime-honey. Turn over again and cook for 1 minute while you brush the remainder of the honey on the second side of the kabob. Turn once more and cook for 1 minute longer on the second side.
Remove the kabobs from the grill and serve immediately.
