BY GWEN KENNEALLY
Skewers are usually one bite on a stick and kabobs are a meal on a stick! Both are wonderful ways to take advantage of grilling in this warm summer weather. Meat, veggies, tofu, fruit and any combination are a great place to start! Always remember that if you are using wooden skewers to soak then for at least one hour before using to prevent from burning. This is the time you get to be very creative and play with what ever ingredients you like. This is Southern California entertaining at its best!
Orange and Vegetable Kabob
1 large sweet onion
1 large orange, unpeeled
1 medium sweet red pepper, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 medium yellow bell pepper, cut into 1-inch pieces
8 medium fresh mushrooms
8 cherry tomatoes
2 small yellow summer squash, cut into 1-inch slices
MARINADE:
1/2-cup olive or vegetable oil
Juice and zest from 1 large lemon
Juice and zest from one small orange
3 cloves garlic
1 inch ginger, peeled and minced
1-teaspoon salt
1/4-teaspoon pepper
Cut the onion and orange into eight wedges; halve each wedge. Alternately thread vegetables and orange pieces onto eight metal or soaked wooden skewers. Place in a shallow oblong dish. In a bowl, whisk together the oil, lemon, ½ the orange and zest, garlic, ginger salt and pepper. Pour over skewers. Marinate for 15 minutes, turning and basting frequently. Grill, covered, over indirect heat for 10-15 minutes or until the vegetables are crisp-tender. Brush with orange juice just before serving.
Calypso Kabobs
1-pound lamb shoulder or chicken breast, cut into 1-inch cubes
4 peaches pitted and halved
4 medium bananas cut in 1-inch slices
1 package (8-ounces) pitted dates
24 cherries pitted
2 tablespoons butter melted
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1-teaspoon cinnamon
1/4-teaspoon cloves
Combine melted butter, lemon juice, cinnamon and cloves for basting sauce. Arrange lamb or chicken on first set of skewers. Arrange peach half, 3 dates, 3 banana slices and 3 cherries on each of 8 skewers. Cook the meat skewers on grill 5 to 7 minutes; turned fruit skewers; brush with basting sauce; cook 5 to 7 minutes longer turning fruit skewers once; and brush with sauce frequently.
Veggie and Tofu Kabob
1pound tofu, extra firm pressed
1 green bell pepper
1 red bell pepper
1 red onion
16 button mushrooms
Marinade Ingredients:
2 teaspoons curry powder
2-teaspoon chili powder
1 small red onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
Juice and zest of 1 lime
2 tablespoons brown sugar
Splash Soy sauce soy sauce
Combine the marinade ingredients in a shallow pan or dish. Cut the tofu in half lengthwise, then into cubes about 1” x 1” x 1”. Place the tofu into the marinade and shake gently to coat the tofu cubes. Cover and refrigerate at least one hour. Cut all green pepper, red pepper, and red onion into chunks about the same size as the tofu cubes. When the tofu has been marinated, warm up the barbeque. Thread a slice of red and green pepper onto a skewer, followed by the tofu cube, red onion, and mushroom. Repeat layering until no vegetables or tofu remain. Or, use whatever combination of vegetables and tofu you prefer. Grill kabobs over medium heat for about 10 minutes, or until tofu is crispy on the outside but soft on the inside. Slide tofu and vegetables off the skewers carefully with a fork. Careful! The skewers will be hot.
Shrimp on rosemary skewers
A very simple and amazing way to prepare shrimp. I have the biggest rosemary tree in my yard so I am always looking for ways to use it. Cutting 2 inch pieces of rosemary strip stem starting about 1″ from top of stem. Using a very sharp knife cut points at the end of the stem. You will need about 25 for this recipe.
1/4 cup finely chopped garlic, mashed to a paste with 1 teaspoon coarse
Salt
3 tablespoons minced fresh rosemary leaves plus sprigs for garnish
4 tablespoons olive oil plus oil for brushing shrimp
2 pounds jumbo shrimp, cleaned with tails on
In a large bowl stir together garlic, minced rosemary, and 3 tablespoons oil and add shrimp. Marinate shrimp, covered and chilled, at least 4 hours or overnight. Thread the shrimp with the rosemary skewer.
On an oiled grill or a stovetop grill arrange shrimp so that the rosemary skewers are away from the flame.
Grill 3 to 4 minutes on each side, or until just cooked through. Serve with lemon wedges
Swordfish and Veggie Skewer
1 large lemon
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup of Dijon Mustard
1/2-cup pinot gringo (or any light) vinegar
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1-2 inches of fresh ginger, peeled and finely chopped
1/2 a teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1-pound swordfish
1 large red onion
16 mushrooms
2 yellow or green bell pepper
8 cherry tomatoes
In a small bowl juice the lemon and add 2 teaspoons add two teaspoons zest. Combine the oil, mustard, vinegar, garlic, ginger, and black and red pepper. Cut the swordfish into 24 equal pieces.
Cut onion in half and each half into quarters. Cut the bell pepper in half and de seeds it and cut into 16 pieces. Clean the mushrooms. Dividing equally and then alternating them, thread the swordfish with all the veggies ending with the cherry tomatoes on 8- 12-inch skewers. (Don’t forget if using wood they need to be soaked in water for about one hour. Brush with half the marinating mixture and let sit in the refrigerator for one hour. Prepare your grill. When it is ready, Brush the skewers with half the remaining marinade. Grill the skewers about 5 inches from the heat for five minutes. Turn over and grill about 5 more minutes until fish is lightly colored, firm to the touch, and cooked through, about 5 minutes. Serve at once.
Salmon Kabobs
2 pounds salmon fillets cut into 1-1/2-inch cubes
1-tablespoon brown sugar
1-teaspoon salt
1-teaspoon celery seed
1-teaspoon pepper
1-teaspoon paprika
1/2-teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4-teaspoon chili powder
1/8 teaspoon fennel seed, crushed
1/8-teaspoon ground cumin
½ red onion, minced
3 cloves garlic, minced
Place the salmon in a large resalable plastic bag. Combine the remaining ingredients; sprinkle over salmon. Seal bag and toss to coat; refrigerate for 30 minutes. Thread the salmon onto six metal or soaked wooden skewers. Grill, covered, over medium heat for 4-6 minutes on each side or until fish flakes easily with a fork.
Shrimp Kabobs
1 pound shrimp
1/4-cup olive oil
1 tablespoon minced garlic
Zest and juice from one small lemon
1/4-teaspoon pepper
Pinch of parsley, finely chopped
2 hours prior to grilling, prepare the marinade. Mix olive oil, lemon juice, pepper, parsley, and garlic. Place marinade in large freezer bag. Rinse and dry thawed shrimp. Add to marinade and place bag in refrigerator until ready to grill. Remove shrimp from marinade and discard marinade. If using metal or steel skewers, lightly coat them with oil. Place shrimp on skewers (about 5 per skewer). Spray the grill lightly with cooking oil to prevent sticking. Add shrimp kebabs. Cook for about 5 minutes, or until shrimp turns pink. Do not overcook.
Serve shrimp kebabs over a bed of rice with fresh lemon wedge
Chicken Satay with Peanut Sauce
I created this sauce to go with chicken satay for cocktail parties. I am pretty adventurous when it comes to creating menus for parties. If a client says that they want something or if a certain combination of food sounds good to me, I’m always up for trying it. Most caterers would never sell something that they have never made before, but I so love the process of creating new things. It also keeps me on my toes! This sauce evolved through many parties. The thing was that people loved it, but it wasn’t quite right to me. There was even one party in Malibu (about one hour from my kitchen) where I realized that I left the sauce in my fridge. On a wing and a prayer and a client’s well-stocked kitchen I whipped up a replacement sauce. It was a huge hit and to my surprise the hostess asked me to make it again for another event! Because I added a little of this and a little of that I knew that I could not replicate it! I was a little nervous considering I had never been completely happy with my sauce. I voiced my concern to my sous chef and she said not to worry that they would say, “I can’t believe that this sauce is even better than the wonderful last one.” It was in that moment that the thought of doing it a saucepan and not in the food processor was born. I realized that it was not the flavor of the sauce that I was not happy with, but the consistency. I thought that warming the peanut butter would open it up enough to meld with the rest of he flavors and be the perfect texture. The guests and the hostess flipped at the party and it has been loved by many ever since.
Makes 48 Skewers
2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2-teaspoon curry powder
1/2-teaspoon salt
1-teaspoon cumin
1-teaspoon pepper
1/4-cup olive oil
Soak 48 6-inch bamboo skewers in cold water for one hour. In a small bowl combine curry, salt cumin, pepper and olive oil. Place each breast in between plastic wrap and pound to 1/2 inch thick. Cut breasts into 48 3×1 inch strips. Thread one skewer into each chicken strip and place in a jellyroll pan. Spoon marinade over each skewer, turning to coat well. Place in the refrigerator for one hour. (You can do this the day ahead and cover with plastic. Using a stovetop grill, arrange skewers along each side of the grill making sure that the bare ends of the skewers do not get burnt by the flame. Grill on Medium-high heat until golden brown about 3 minutes per side.
Peanut sauce
2 cups peanut butter
1/2-cup fresh limejuice
1/2-cup fresh orange juice
1/4-cup soy sauce
1/4-cup rice vinegar
1/2-cup brown sugar
3 tablespoons crushed pepper
2 inches of fresh ginger, peeled and chopped
5 cloves garlic
1 cup coarsely chopped peanuts
1/2cup fresh cilantro
Mince the garlic and ginger. Coarsely chop the peanuts. In a medium sauce pan over low heat add the peanut butter, limejuice, soy sauce, vinegar, brown sugar, garlic, ginger, peanuts and red pepper. (You can add half first if you are shy about the kick.) Taste the sauce and add more soy and peppers to your taste. Remove from heat. Add the fresh cilantro just before serving. .
Beef Sate with Horseradish Sauce
Makes 48 skewers
2 pounds New York or fillet Steak, trimmed
3/4cup olive oil
1 tablespoon dried thyme
1 tablespoon dried rosemary
Salt and pepper to taste
Soak 48 6-inch bamboo skewers in water for one hour. Cut the steak into 48 3inch x 1-inch strips. Stick a skewer into each strip lengthwise and arrange on a baking pan. Whisk together oil, thyme, rosemary, salt and pepper. Drizzle over the meat and refrigerate for at least one hour or overnight. Heat the grill or stovetop grill to medium high. Arrange the skewer of steak on the grill so that the sticks do not touch the flame. Grill until medium rare about one minute per side.
Horseradish Dipping sauce
1 16-ounce tub sour cream
6 tablespoon prepared horseradish (or to taste)
3 cloves garlic
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
Whisk together in a small bowl. Add pepper to taste.
Grilled fruit Kabobs with Chocolate Fondue
1/2 fresh pineapple, trimmed and cut into 1-inch chunks
3 medium nectarines cut into 1-inch chunks
3 medium pears cut into 1-inch chunks
3 medium fresh peaches cut into 1-inch chunks
3 to 4 medium plums cut into 1-inch chunks
10 apricots, halved
3 tablespoons honey or light corn syrup, warmed
Thread fruit alternately onto metal or soaked bamboo skewers. Grill, uncovered, over medium-hot heat until fruit is heated through, about 6 minutes, turning often. Brush with honey or corn syrup during the last minute of grilling time.
Chocolate Fondue
Combine in a medium, heavy saucepan:
1-cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons butter
Stirring constantly bring to a rolling boil. Remove the pan from the heat and immediately add:
12 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
Let stand for one minute, then whisk until smooth. Whisk in:
2 teaspoons vanilla, or a splash of brandy or orange liqueur.
Pour into a fondue pot and serve
About Karen Young
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