Shish Kebabs

Shish kebabs.

Sharing a meal with family and friends feeds the soul.

But when we cook a meal together, well, our cup overfloweth.

Part of my mission is to get people back to sharing life around the table.  Communing with one another and slowing down from our busy days. With the world turned off and unplugged – no distractions.

Easy, Tasty, and Personal

Cooking and sharing a meal doesn’t need to be a chore, but rather a time to relish.  One way to engage your family and friends in a no-cell-phone-unhurried-pace-zone is to come up with a meal that everyone can prepare together and customize to their tastebuds.

Say hello to the shish kebab.

As kebabs cross geographical borders and cultures, people customized their local flavors to this delectable, simple meal.

You can provide that same opportunity for your dinner guests by offering a variety of meats, vegetables, and marinade ingredients.

Invite everyone to concoct their own marinade.

The goal of any marinade is flavor.

Create Your Own Marinade for Your Shish Kebab

A fun way to recall how to create a marinade is the acronym SOFA.  S for salt. O for oil. F for flavor. A for acid. A great marinade is comprised of these four elements.

Change up the flavors with herbs, seasonings, and other flavors like basil, chipotle, or red pepper.  Change up the acid with a variety of vinegars, fresh lemons, and limes.

Whatever your tastebuds desire is the key to success.

Include The Veggies You Love

Once it’s time to thread the skewers, include a variety of vegetables like onions, tomatoes, and bell peppers.

My personal favorite is okra – it makes a divine and rather unexpected addition to a shish kebab.

Grill or Broil, Voila!

Now cook away on the grill, under the broiler, or on the stove top with a cast iron grill pan.

Cesar Chavez once said, “If you really want to make a friend, go to someone’s house and eat with him…the people who give you their food give you their heart.”

Curious about the history of the shish kebab?  Read about it here.

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Shish Kebabs

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Cooking over an open flame is as old as mankind. Whether you cook shish kebab on the grill, stovetop, or in the oven, they are fun to make and satisfying to eat.

• Author: Life At The Table
• Prep Time: 30 minutes
• Cook Time: 10 minutes
• Total Time: 40 minutes
• Yield: 8 skewers 1x

Ingredients

Skewers

• 1 1/2 pounds sirloin, cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes
• 1 red onion, cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes
• 1 bell pepper cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes

Marinade

• 8 garlic cloves, chopped
• 2 tablespoons oregano
• 1/3 cup red wine vinegar
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

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Instructions

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the garlic, oregano, red wine vinegar, olive oil, and kosher salt.
2. Place the sirloin in a bowl or a gallon-sized baggy and pour the marinade over the sirloin. Set it aside to marinate. Marinate the sirloin 8-6 hours prior to cooking.
3. Thread the skewers with alternate pieces of sirloin, red onion, and bell pepper.
4. Season the skewers with kosher salt.
5. Arrange the assembled skewers on a hot grill, heated grill pan, or under a broiler.
6. Cook until the protein has reached a minimum temperature of 145˚ F, turning as needed to ensure even cooking.

Notes

• Thread your skewers with any additional vegetables that will make your tastebuds dance, e.g., mushrooms, okra, jalapeños, zucchini, etc.
• Soak bamboo skewers in water until you’re ready to thread them. This will help prevent them from burning up during the cooking time.

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