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.