The shish kebab is one of many perfectly wonderful dishes now associated with the 1950s that hoity-toity folks like to make fun of. "Sheesh!" they'll say. "Not kebabs!" But keep your eye on those same people at a grill-out, and watch them be the first to devour the skewered meats and vegetables.
The kebab (as it's come to be called, shish being dropped for heaven knows what reason) was not invented in the 1950s. In the Middle East, specifically Turkey and Armenia, it's been around at least as long as the story of Ali Baba.
Here's what a shish kebab looked like when I was a kid growing up in Southern Indiana: meat, potato, tomato, meat, potato, tomato. That's it. Oh, and the meat was well-done. But guess what -- overcooked, boring and all, it was my favorite thing to have for dinner. I loved the metal skewers that looked like little creatures from outer space. I grooved on sliding the meat and vegetables off onto my plate. And most of all, I relished the grilled tomatoes. (But I'm one of those people who used to like to go to Blue Boar just for the stewed tomatoes. Now I have truly outted myself.)
While the classic kebab is made with lamb instead of beef, you can use just about any meat you want, including seafood. And if you really want to get elaborate you can do a combination -- say, steak and shrimp. As with most dishes I make on a weekly basis (and write about on a monthly basis), it is hard to muff up this one. Kebabs are a very forgiving little combination of elements. In fact, the only thing that can go wrong with them is if a novice cook gets too big for his apron strings and tries to outsmart the recipe I'm about to give you by skipping the step of soaking the wooden skewers. Do not skip this step or you will be serving kebabs flambe.
The thin wooden skewers are the best kind to use. This is chiefly because the hole they make in the meat and vegetables is miniscule and therefore less likely than metal skewers to cause the bits of food to fall apart. Also, you get dozens of them in a package, and they're dirt-cheap! What you need to do, even though the kebabs are going to marinate for several hours, is soak the skewers in warm water for 45 or so minutes before lancing the meat and vegetables on them.
Now let's talk about cuts of meat. Lamb is always my favorite, but since it's seldom anyone else's favorite, I'll focus on beef. The preferred beef for kebabbing is sirloin or rib-eye. Why? Because of the marbling and the density of these cuts, they work best for the length of cooking time required to grill each of the items on the skewer to the appropriate state of doneness. Flank steak tends to be too thin and requires additional marinade time. Filet (yes, I have a prejudice against this cut -- it's too far away from the bone) is too delicate. But the sirloin is ideal. Cut right from the loin and containing the bone, it's tender, juicy and prime. The strip steak, as well, is a sirloin -- it's what's left when the bone is removed. And the rib-eye, taken from (where else?) the rib area, is also a nice piece of beef. Have the butcher cut it into inch and a half cubes.
In the skewering assembly you want to aim for variety in taste, color and texture. Act like a painter when you're putting them together. You don't have to make them all in the same this-then-this-then-this order. Actually, they'll probably look more festive if you don't.
The baby-vegetable explosion has been a boon to kebabbers. There's nothing more eye-catching than patty-pan squash mixed with baby zucchini. It beats the heck out of regular old summer squash and big monster zucchini. A bonus is that the wee vegetables are considerably more flavorful. Cherry, grape or pear tomatoes work equally well, each kind being eye-pleasing in its own way.
Kebabs, like most things grilled, are going to taste even better if you do them over charcoal, but they'll be easier to deal with on a gas grill. If you do them on a charcoal grill, you'll probably want to use a grill pan so nothing slips through the wider grating. Don't keep fooling around with the skewers while they're grilling. You'll need to turn them only once. The key utensil here is a set of metal professional chef's tongs. If you don't have tongs already, go buy some now. They're indispensable for any number of things, including snapping at the dog who's trying to get to the meat.
STEAK-AND-VEGETABLE SHISH KEBABS
Wooden skewers, soaked in warm water for an hour or so
2 pounds sirloin or rib-eye steak,
cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes
12 small new potatoes, peeled and boiled
12 patty-pan squash
12 baby zucchini
16 (or more) miniature tomatoes
12 cremini mushrooms
12 pearl onions
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 large garlic clove, minced
A mixture of dried basil, tarragon and rosemary (one pinch of each)
Salt and pepper (to taste)
Using artistic license, thread the meat and vegetables on the skewers in a manner that pleases you. Make sure to use the pointed end of the skewer and it will be a cinch. Don't pile too many things onto each one -- six items per skewer should do the trick. When you have them all filled to your liking, place them in a ceramic dish or platter large enough to hold them without stacking. Whisk the rest of the ingredients together to make the marinade and pour over the kebabs. Marinate for three to four hours in the refrigerator, turning them a couple of times to make sure they're coated.
Remove the kebabs from the refrigerator about a half-hour before grilling time. If you're using a gas grill, make sure to get it extra hot, with the lid closed, before grilling. Once you start to grill, however, leave the lid open. Total grilling time should be about 10 minutes, no longer than 12. Use the leftover marinade for basting during grilling. Turn the kebabs only once. By their looks and aroma, you'll know when the kebabs are done. Serves four to six.
