Question of the day: Do we spell these skewers – kabobs or kebabs?

Answer: The USA uses kabob but the rest of the world uses kebab.

However, nothing says summer like grilling delicious kebabs. There’s no mistaking the aroma of fresh ingredients sizzling over a smoky grill. Best of all, whether you choose steak, chicken, pork, lamb or vegetables, kebabs are easy to prepare and cook.

The following tips for using skewers will help you with the kebab-making process.

• Soak wooden skewers in water for 30 minutes before using them, so they won’t burn during cooking.
• If you prefer metal skewers, which have a long life, use square or twisted types, which will hold the food better than round ones.
• To keep food from slipping off during cooking and turning, use two parallel skewers rather than a single skewer.
• If you’re using a wooden skewer, as you thread the food move the pieces close together, with no space showing. If the skewer is metal, you can leave small spaces between the pieces.
• When using foods with different cooking times (such as shrimp and beef), don’t combine them on the same skewer. Instead, make skewers of just shrimp and just beef, start cooking the beef first and then the shrimp. Combine them on a serving platter.

Skewer recipes are also great for appetizers. You can cook an army’s worth of these space savers at once. Grill skewers over medium-high heat. The following appetizer recipes make four skewers each.

Artichoke + Crusty Bread: Skewer two 15-ounce cans artichoke hearts (drained and dried on paper towels) and 2 1/2 cups torn crusty bread. Generously drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill, turning, until lightly charred, 2 to 3 minutes.

Eggplant + Bell Pepper: Skewer 1 cubed eggplant and 1 cubed bell pepper. Generously drizzle with olive oil and season with salt. Grill, turning, until tender and lightly charred, 8 to 9 minutes. Sprinkle with red-chili flakes.

Potato + Celery + Onion: Skewer 8 ounces boiled and halved small potatoes, 2 stalks celery (peeled and cut into chunks) and 1 red onion (cut into wedges). Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt. Grill, turning, until tender and lightly charred, 7 to 8 minutes. Sprinkle with minced fresh chives.

Tomato + Bocconcini: Skewer 1 1/2 pounds cherry or grape tomatoes. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt. Grill, turning, until bursting and charred, 4 to 5 minutes. Add 1 to 2 bocconcini to the skewer ends and grill, 30 seconds more. Sprinkle with fresh oregano.

Scallion + Mushroom: Skewer 5 ounces trimmed mixed mushrooms and 4 scallions (cut into 3-inch pieces). Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill, turning, until tender and lightly charred, 3 to 4 minutes.

Pesto Shrimp Kebabs

4 (serving size: 2 skewers)

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons basil pesto
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 32 large shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 16 (1-inch) squares red bell pepper
• 16 (1-inch) squares yellow bell pepper
• 8 (8-inch) skewers
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• Olive oil cooking spray

Directions

Combine pesto, lemon juice and shrimp; toss. Let stand 5 minutes.

Thread shrimp and red and yellow bell peppers alternately onto skewers. Spray the skewer ingredients with olive oil cooking spray. Sprinkle evenly with salt. Place skewers on a grill rack coated with oil.

Grill 7 minutes, turning skewers occasionally for an even char.

Note: If using wooden skewers, soak them in water for 20 minutes before grilling.

Grilled Chicken Panzanella Kebabs

Serves 8

Ingredients

• 4 tablespoons white-wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh thyme
• 8 oz. boneless skinless chicken breast halves, cut into 1-inch cubes
• 24 pearl onions, peeled
• 1 pound small zucchini, cut crosswise into 1/2-inch rounds
• 2 orange or yellow bell peppers, seeded and cut into 1-inch squares
• 24 cherry tomatoes
• 10 ounces unsliced day-old hearty country bread, crusts removed, cut into 1-inch cubes

Directions

In a plastic container with a tight-fitting lid, combine the vinegar, oil, honey, 1/2 teaspoon salt, pepper and chopped herbs. Shake well to combine and set the marinade aside.

Heat a grill or grill pan over medium heat and oil the grates. Skewer the ingredients, pairing the chicken and onion together, the zucchini and pepper together and the tomatoes and bread together. Brush the kebabs with the reserved marinade.

Grill the chicken-and-onion skewers until the chicken is cooked through and onions are tender, turning often, about 10 minutes. Cook zucchini-and-pepper skewers until vegetables are tender, turning often, about 7 minutes. Cook tomato-and-bread skewers until bread is toasted and tomatoes soften, turning often, about 5 minutes.

Serve skewers at room temperature. Season with remaining salt.

Pineapple Pork Kebabs

4 servings

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil, plus more for the grill
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1/4 cup pineapple juice
• 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 1 pork tenderloin (1 pound), cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes
• 2 medium red bell peppers, cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
• 2 scallions, thinly sliced
• 1 lime, cut into wedges, for serving

Directions

Heat grill to medium; lightly oil the grates.

In a small bowl, whisk honey, ginger and pineapple juice together; season with salt and pepper.

Alternately thread pork and bell peppers onto skewers; season with salt and pepper.

Grill, brushing occasionally with the honey mixture, until pork is cooked through and the peppers begin to char, 10 to 15 minutes.

Serve the kebabs with the remaining honey mixture and lime wedges.

Marinated Swordfish Kebabs

Serves 4

Ingredients

• One pound 1-inch-thick swordfish steaks, rinsed and patted dry, cut into 24 cubes
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• One 8-ounce container plain nonfat Greek yogurt; 4 tablespoons reserved
• 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
• 8 metal skewers
• 8 red cherry tomatoes
• 4 yellow cherry tomatoes
• 4 scallions, halved, then sliced

Directions

Season the fish with salt and pepper.

Combine the yogurt and 1 tablespoon parsley in a shallow baking dish and add the fish, turning to coat. Marinate the fish for 15 minutes at room temperature or for 1 hour in the refrigerator.

Meanwhile, combine the reserved yogurt, ¼ teaspoon salt and the remaining parsley in a small bowl and mix well.

Thread the skewers, alternating the fish, tomatoes and scallions.

Prepare a stove-top griddle or outdoor grill and oil the grates. Grill the kebabs 3 to 4 minutes per side or until the fish is cooked. Serve with the yogurt sauce on the side.

Grilled Fruit Kebabs with Chocolate Sauce

Ingredients

Fruit

• Pineapple, cut into large cubes
• Strawberries, hulled
• Bananas, quartered

Sauce

• 3/4 cup/180 mL semisweet chocolate chips
• 1 5-ounce can evaporated milk (2/3 cup/160 mL)
• 2/3 cup/160 mL sugar
• 1/4 cup/60 mL butter

Directions

Preheat a gas or charcoal grill to medium-high. Oil the grill grates.

To prepare the sauce: Melt chocolate chips and butter over low heat in a small saucepan. Add in the sugar and slowly whisk in the evaporated milk. Bring mixture to a boil, reduce heat and stir for 8 minutes. Remove and set aside.

Thread pieces of fruit onto skewers. Place on the grill and cook for 4 to 6 minutes, turning once halfway through cooking.

To serve: Push contents from skewers onto dessert plates and serve with warm chocolate sauce.

Posted by Jovina Coughlin in banana, Basil pesto, Bread, Chicken, chocolate, Fruit, Grilling, Herbs, Honey, pineapple, Pork, shrimp, strawberries, swordfish, Vegetables, yogurt Tags: grilling kebabs, tips on using skewers on the grill