When Natasha asked me to guest blog here at 5 Star Foodie I was very honored. When she told me she wanted me to do one of her 5 Star makeovers and I got to choose whatever I wanted to make over, well I was downright giddy!
It’s summer, so I have decided to choose kabobs as my makeover dish. Only I have decided to warp the rules a little bit too. That’s just the way I am.
You see I immediately knew I wanted to do a makeover to the ubiquitous backyard shish kabob. They are great for seasonal grilling because the prep can be done in advance. The cooking is so simple even the non-cooks amongst can handle the culinary task. Leaving you time to throw your magic behind some other aspect of the meal.
Kabobs just lend themselves to makeovers. Because just about anything can grace the skewer and still be considered a kabob, as long as it’s grilled. Meat, shellfish, fruit and vegetables all make terrific kabobs.
So if they are so easy and so versatile how come so many of today’s backyard kabobs are just plain inedible?
I think I know the answer. You see I was recently invited to a BBQ. It was one of those “bring whatever you want to eat and we’ll throw it on the grill when you get here” BBQs. Which is a very sensible game plan in the food phobic world we live in. Gone are the days when a couple of popular choices could make everybody happy. Shish, don’t get me started on that (“shish”, get it??).
Anyway, I was busy or lazy or something that day so I decided to stop by the grocery store to grab something to bring. Well I got to the meat counter I saw packets of pre-made shish kabobs. It seemed like a great idea to me. This way no matter what side dishes are provided by the host, these skewers meant that I would be assured of getting some meat and some veggies on my plate. Done deal. I picked up a couple of packages. I chose beef. It was the standard kabob of backyard fame: Beef cubes, Onion Wedges, Cherry Tomatoes, Green Bell Pepper Slices and some kind of paprika looking powder shaken onto to them.
That odd red powder sounded an alarm bell in my head, but I ignored it foul as it was. Besides that powder turned out to be the least of these kabobs’ problems.
Later that evening, while gathered round the picnic table with my friends I remembered why shish kabobs are in such a need of a makeover. They have morphed into a jumble of disjointed ingredients skewered onto a stick next to each other, regardless of their compatibility or cooking times!
So no matter how good you are with the grill it’s impossible to get all those ingredients cooked properly at the same time. Medium-rare meat means raw crunchy onions. Properly cooked onion means tomatoes that have dissolved into the flame in a molten mush.
Today’s standard shish kabob is a complete disaster of foods that cannot possibly be cooked together and remain at their best.
So I did some research. I came up with many possible candidates for my makeover version. Way too many candidates to discuss here, so I am using this guest post to announce that I will be having a Kabob Party at Sippity Sup. That’s right starting today and lasting until July 4th I will feature a completely made over kabob every day, I hope you’ll join this Kabob Party and visit me this week at Sippity Sup.
Which leaves me with Natasha and her makeover challenge, and this is where I am bending the rules just a tad… You see I have decided the most essential makeover the modern shish kabob needs is to go back to its roots. Back before too many things were stabbed onto the stick.
So I got online and began reading about our grilled little friend and found out that shish kabobs are probably Turkish in origin. Turkish lore says that soldiers who grilled meat over wood fires during the long campaigns of the Ottoman Empire were probably the first to make kabobs. They may have even called them kebab or kebap, which is Turkish for roast meat.
So for my makeover kabob I am turning to a Turkish recipe by Greg and Lucy Malouf from their cookbook, Turquoise. I have adapted it only slightly and I am calling it Turkish Lamb Kabobs with Pistachios and Soft Herb Salad.
I am serving mine on a bed of couscous, which is hardly authentic. But it is a good combination of textures in my mind. There should also be warm flat bread because it’s very nice to wrap the kabob in the bread and mingle the meat with the greens in the salad.
Turkish Lamb Kabobs with pistachios and Soft Herb Salad
Serves 4
* 1 lb boneless lamb leg or shoulder
* 1 small red onion, diced
* 1 T sea salt
* 1 t ground cumin
* 1 t sweet paprika
* 1⁄2 t hot paprika
* 1⁄2 t ground nutmeg
* 1⁄4 t fennel pollen
* 1⁄2 t freshly ground black pepper
* 1⁄2 c unsalted shelled pistachios, coarsely chopped
* 1⁄4 c shredded flat-leaf parsley leaves, divided
* 1 c mint leaves
* 1 small red onion, sliced in very thin rings
* juice of 1/2 lemon
* drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil
* salt and black pepper to taste
* 1⁄2 t ground sumac
* warmed flat bread to serve
Instructions
Trim the lamb of any connective tissue or sinew, but leave the fat. Cut the meat into manageable chunks and grind it twice. Knead the ground lamb with the diced onion; 1-tablespoon sea salt, cumin, both kinds of paprika, nutmeg, fennel pollen, and ground pepper for 2 or 3 minutes to combine thoroughly. Cover and refrigerate for 20 minutes to allow the flavors to develop. Then add the pistachios and 1/4-cup parsley and knead briefly to combine evenly.
With wet hands, divide the seasoned ground lamb into four equal portions and mold each one around a flat metal skewer into a long sausage shape about 1-inch in diameter. Set aside, covered up to one hour to come to room temperature.
To make the soft herb salad, toss the remaining parsley, mint and onion slices in a bowl. Whisk together lemon juice, oil salt, pepper, and sumac in another small bowl to make the dressing and set them both aside.
Prepare a charcoal grill until the coals are white but are still glowing red and quite hot. Spread the coals into a single layer and cook the kabobs, for 3 or 4 minutes per side, until cooked through.
Toss the reserved salad with the dressing. Serve the kabobs on warmed flat bread with some of the salad mingled with the meat.
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This guest post is part of the 5 Star Makeover Summer'10 Special:
Ten special bloggers have been invited to recreate different classic dishes of their choice and share them on the 5 Star Foodie Culinary Adventures blog. These guest posts will be featured every Monday from June 28 to August 30. This event is sponsored by MarxFoods, an online store that offers fantastic high quality gourmet products. In September, a final roundup of these makeovers will be posted and readers will be able to vote for their favorite recipe to receive a fabulous prize.
Ten special bloggers have been invited to recreate different classic dishes of their choice and share them on the 5 Star Foodie Culinary Adventures blog. These guest posts will be featured every Monday from June 28 to August 30. This event is sponsored by MarxFoods, an online store that offers fantastic high quality gourmet products. In September, a final roundup of these makeovers will be posted and readers will be able to vote for their favorite recipe to receive a fabulous prize.
