SURF & TURF KABOBS

If you are a "Foodie", today's post will most definitely blow you away......

My Nephew Jon is passionate about food. Well...actually that is an understatement. He doesn't view his meals as merely "sustenance". He views most every meal as a multi-sensory "experience".

When Jon finds a recipe that looks appealing to him, he will take it, and put his own personal twists on it, to even make it better! This recipe is an example of his gastronomic talent. Just in time for grilling season!!

SURF & TURF KABOBS

Ingredients:
1.5 lbs of ground meat of your choice (Jon chose to use a mixture of ground turkey and ground Chorizo sausage meat)
2 tsp. kosher salt
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup coarsely grated red onion
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
1 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
2 lbs med/large shrimp, peeled, deveined, and cooked (tails off)
Vegetable oil (for brushing)
Wooden or metal Kabob skewers

Directions:
Place ground meat into large bowl. Add salt, garlic, red onion, cilantro, cumin, red pepper flakes, & black pepper. Mix all ingredients together very well, using your hands. (Hint: wear disposable latex gloves or make sure your hands are freshly washed!)

Look, it's beautiful already!! Next, skewer four or five shrimp per kabob. Then, also using your hands, mold enough of the meat mixture around the skewered shrimp so that the shrimp are mostly covered (see photo below)

Place kabobs on cookie sheet, and chill in your freezer for about 20 minutes. This firms up the meat so that your kabobs stay intact while grilling. All of the above can be done up to 6 hours ahead of time. Just cover and chill until you are ready.

Brush kabobs with oil and grill, turning occasionally until nicely charred and cooked through, 6-8 minutes per side.

We enjoyed these magnificent Kabobs with Rice & Tzaziki Sauce. The spicy meat mingled perfectly with the taste of the shrimp, and we found that one kabob per person was quite filling. He made them again for us with just the ground turkey (no chorizo) and it was just as delicious! Maybe just a little less spicy-hot.

It's already been several days since we ate these. But if I close my eyes, I can still imagine the authentic Mediterranean flavors in my mouth. Mmm....

I think I am guilty of being passionate about food as well.

Please! Leave a comment letting us know what you think about this recipe!!! Thanks :-)

Mediterranean Deliciousness!

Mediterranean food is a definite favorite in our household! Our good friends the Yilmaz's have tought us a lot about the fabulous "eats" there are to choose from, and one of our best loved dishes is Kofta. "Kofta" is a turkish meatball made with beef or lamb, (or both). It can be grilled, baked or pan fried.

So after many years of enjoying the way my friend Elvin makes it, I finally decided to give it a try myself.  Last night we enjoyed Kofta with a fresh Middle Eastern Chopped Salad, Tzatziki sauce (gotta love that stuff), some rice, and warm pita bread. It was an easy meal to make, and it tasted stupendous!

A wine reccomendation would be our favorite turkish red, YAKUT Kavaklidere http://internationalcellar.com/r/products/kavaklidere-yakut-2007/ . Its perfect with this meal.

If you have a hankering for dessert, how splendid would some homemade (or store bought) baklava be?!

Yummy yummy.... Here are the recipes for both the Kofta and the Chopped Salad. They serve 6...with a little leftover (or maybe not) ;-)

TURKISH KOFTA

3 cups fine breadcrumbs
3 lbs lean ground lamb                                    
1.5 tsp salt
1.5 tsp pepper
3 tsp ground cumin
1.5 tsp allspice
2 tsp dried mint or dill
6 cloves garlic, chopped
one onion, chopped
6 tablespoons fresh parsley
3 eggs
3 Tbsp. olive oil

Using a food processor (or using plastic gloves and your hands like I did) Combine the breadcrumbs, lamb, and the eggs until mixed well. Then add the spices, garlic, onion, and parsley. Mix very thoroughly. Form into longish meatballs (see photo).

Then pan fry them in the olive oil until they are fully cooked, turning occasionally. You can also try grilling them or cooking them in the oven, if you prefer. Just be sure they are fully cooked on all sides. Then they are ready to serve!

MIDDLE EASTERN CHOPPED SALAD

(this recipe is taken from the book Eating Well For Optimum Health by Dr. Andrew Weil)

2 cucumbers, peeled and diced

4 fresh tomatoes, seeded and diced

4 scallions, trimmed and chopped                                   

1 sweet yellow or green pepper, seeded and chopped

6 Tbsp pitted and chopped Kalamata Olives

4 Tbsp fresh parsley, chopped

6 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

salt and black pepper to taste

1/2 cup (or more) of feta cheese, crumbled

Combine all ingredients. Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve.