Food
Stick Shtick
Cooking skewers over an open flame
is mouth-watering.
ANNABEL COHEN
Special to the Jewish News
I
love servings foods on a stick,
especially seared over open flame.
Skewered foods are also so much
more interesting to look at on your
dinner plate.
And because each piece of food gets
exposed to fire, kabobs benefit piece
by piece from the flavor of the fire.
Besides, threading different ingredients
on the same stick satisfies my need for
variety — both visually and in flavor.
Perhaps the greatest perk is that
skewered foods cook fast, so they go
from the grill to your mouth mostly in
less than 15 minutes.
My feeling is that anything that can
be roasted at a high temperature or
broiled can be cooked kabob-style.
Tender meat, boneless chicken or fish,
and just about any vegetable or fruit
fits the bill.
Even non-protein foods like bread
chunks taste amazing grilled stick-
style. Just thead your favorite bread
chunks (I like crusty baguettes or
Ciabatta) on skewers, brush with a bit
of extra-virgin olive oil (don't soak the
bread), and grill. Sprinkle with a few
fresh herbs — oregano, rosemary, dill,
basil are good — and serve (take them
off the sticks for amazing croutons).
The recipes below are for cooked
kabobs. Of course, uncooked kabobs
can also be anything — grape toma-
toes, fresh Mozzarella balls and basil,
drizzled with olive oil and vingar,
make amazing Caprese kabobs. Fresh
fruit and even Caesar salad are won-
derful threaded.
The following recipes call for water-
soaked wooden or bamboo skewers.
But I have my own collection of metal
skewers because I like that they never
burn and look great on a plate.
7/21
2005
32
LONDON BROIL KABOBS
Use either kosher London broil or reg-
ular flank steak for this recipe.
1 pound London Broil, cut across
grain into 1/2-inch strips
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup soy sauce
juice of 1 lemon
1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 Tbsp. red pepper sauce, such as
Tabasco
1 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley
Optional: prepared salsa
Season the strips lightly with salt
and pepper and place in a large zip-
per-style plastic bag. Add remaining
ingredients and close the zipper bag.
Turn the bag several times to coat
well with the marinade. Chill the
meat for 2 or more hours, up to
overnight.
Soak eight 10- to 12-inch skewers
in water for 30 minutes or more.
Thread the meat stips on the skewers
with a sewing motion. Discard the
marinade.
Preheat the grill to medium-high.
Grill the kabobs, turning occasional-
ly, for about 8 minutes for medium-
rare. Serve hot or warm with salsa, if
desired. Makes 4 servings.
SPICED. RUBBED
CHICKEN KABOBS
Rubs add intense flavor that's much
more obvious than marinades.
1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless
chicken breasts or thighs
1 Tbsp. chili powder
1 tsp. kosher salt
1 tsp. turmeric
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper, or more to
taste
2 red or yellow bell peppers
1 onion, cut into 1-inch chunks
Cut chicken into 1-inch chunks
and place in a medium bowl.
Sprinkle well with the spices, cover
and chill for 1 hour or more.
Soak eight 10- to 12-inch skewers
in water for 30 minutes or more.
Thread the chicken on the skewers,
alternating with the onion and bell
pepper pieces.
Preheat the grill to medium-high.
Grill the kabobs, turning occasional-
ly, for about 8 minutes — a little
longer for the thigh meat (do not
overcook or the chicken will be dry).
Serve hot or warm. Makes 6 servings.
JAPANESE MUSHROOM KABOBS
Mushrooms are mostly water so they
shrink quickly, giving up a lot of liq-
uid, so only cook these for a short
time or they will slip right off the
skewers.
24 large button mushrooms, stems
removed
Grilling sauce:
whisk together in a large bowl:
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1/4 cup shoyu or Japanese soy sauce
1/4 cup sake or rice wine vinegar
1/4 cup sugar
Soak eight 10- to 12-inch skewers in
water for 30 minutes or more. Thread
3 mushrooms on each of the skewers.
Preheat the grill to medium-high.
Grill the kabobs, turning occasionally,
for about 8 minutes — brushing with
the grilling sauce. Serve hot or at
room temperature. Makes 8 servings.
PARMESAN VEGETABLE
SKEWERS
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1 Tbsp. dried parsley flakes
2 medium unpeeled zucchini, cut
into 1-inch chunks
lmedium unpeeled eggplant, cut into
1-inch chunks
1 large onion, cut into 1-inch chunks
3 red or yellow bell peppers, cut into
1-inch chunks
3/4 cup lightly toasted breadcrumbs
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
fresh ground pepper to taste
Whisk together the oil, vinegar
and parlsey flakes in large bowl. Add
the vegetables and toss well. Set
aside.
Soak eight 10- to 12-inch skewers
in water for 30 minutes or more.
Thread the vegetables on the skew-
ers, alternating them as you go
along.
Preheat the grill to medium-high.
Grill the kabobs, turning occasional-
ly, for about 8 minutes. Remove the
kabobs from the grill and immedi-
ately sprinkle with the crumbs and
cheese. Sprinkle with fresh ground
pepper to taste. Serve hot or at room
temperature. Makes 8 servings.
GRILLED PINEAPPLEB KABOBS
1 ripe pineapple
vegetable oil for brushing on fruit
1/4 cup sugar
fresh chopped mint
lime wedges
1-2 cups lemon yogurt, optional
Soak twelve 10- to 12-inch skewers
in water for 30 minutes or more.
Heat grill to medium-high heat.
Cut peeled pineapple into 1-inch
chunks and thread them on the pre-
pared skewers. Brush the oil very
lightly on the pineapple skewers and
grill the kabobs for about 10 min-
utes, turning frequently to create grill
marks. Do not overcook the pineap-
ple or it will begin to fall off the
skewers.
Remove the kabobs from the grill
to a platter and sprinkle them lightly
with sugar. Allow the kabobs to cool
before sprinkling them with the
mint. Serve the skewers with lime
wedges and lemon yogurt as a sauce,
if desired. Makes 12 servings. ❑
For additional recipes,
go to JNOnline. corn.