Kebabs and Tabbouleh

In preparation for a Father's Day tailgate party at a polo match out on the North Shore, I decided to try these beef kebabs that sounded so easy to make and so delicious! And yes, they were delicious! We usually have pasta, pork chops, chicken for dinner, so I thought this would add to our dining repertoire. 

I could not find Aleppo pepper, but was advised by a nice gal in the gourmet food section that it was similar to either sweet paprika or chili powder. I had a bottle of regular paprika at home, so used one tablespoon of that and one tablespoon of chili powder. I also used fresh mint, tripling the portion.

Kafta (Lebanese Beef Kebabs) (Saveur)

Makes 22 Skewers (soaked in water for 1/2 hour)

8 oz. ground beef chuck (I used ground hamburger)

2 tbsp. finely chopped parsley

2 tbsp. finely chopped sun-dried tomatoes

2 tbsp. Aleppo pepper (I used paprika and chili powder)

1/4 tsp. ground allspice

3/4 tsp. dried mint

1/2 tsp. ground cumin

1/2 tsp. ground coriander

1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/2 medium yellow onion, grated, drained in a strainer

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Build a hot charcoal fire in a grill. In a large bowl, stir together beef, parsley, tomatoes, Aleppo, allspice, mint, cumin, coriander, cinnamon, onions, salt, and pepper. Form 1 tbsp. beef mixture each around the end of 22 skewers; grill, turning, until lightly charred, about 4 minutes.

As an accompaniment to the kebabs, I searched for a recipe that would allow me to use up all of the sun dried tomatoes, parsley, and mint that I bought to make the kebabs. I did a Google search and came up with the quinoa tabbouleh recipe below. It was a perfectly delicious marriage.

Sun-dried Tomato Quinoa Tabbouleh

Serves 4

Ingredients

Quinoa

1 cup quinoa, rinsed

2 cups water

1/2 teaspoon salt

Salad

1/3 cup olive oil

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

3/4 teaspoon allspice

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

2 cloves garlic, minced

8 – 10 sun-dried tomatoes, re-hydrated (if oil-packed, remove excess oil), finely chopped

1 cup fresh curly leaf parsley, finely chopped

1/2 cup red onion, finely diced

2 to 3 tablespoons fresh mint, finely chopped

1/2 cucumber, diced small, optional

Method

1. Rinse quinoa and drain. In a medium stock pot over high heat, bring quinoa, water and salt to boil; reduce to simmer until quinoa grains become fluffy with germs separated and water is absorbed (about 15 – 20 minutes). Drain off excess water and set aside to cool.
2. In a large bowl, combine olive oil, lemon juice, allspice, salt, pepper and garlic; whisk well. Add, cooled quinoa, chopped sun-dried tomatoes, parsley, onion, mint and cucumber. Mix well.
3. Serve room temperature or chilled with Romaine lettuce leaves, pita bread triangles and/or hummus.

Summer Burgers

Yesterday, my husband Nilo and I spent a nice summer day at Kahala Beach Park having a picnic. We had roasted chicken pasta salad, fresh pineapple slices, chips, and soda. To carry through with the summer theme, I decided to make burgers for dinner. I'm not good with the grill, so I made the burgers on the stove with a grill pan. I researched a few recipes and came across one from Ina Garten. According to my husband, it was, "OMG!!"

1 1/2 pounds ground hamburger

2 tablespoons good quality dijon mustard (I used a blue cheese dijon mustard by Vineyard Pantry)

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon freshly grated pepper

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil and some to grill burgers

Mix all ingredients and loosely mix with a fork. Form five 3-inch patties. Brush grill pan with olive oil and grill burgers 3-4 minutes each side for medium to medium well. I used warmed naan bread as buns, and topped burgers with red onion, tomatoes, lettuce, and favorite condiments.

Enjoy!

Sunday Dinner

Tonight's dinner was, I think, one of the best ways I've prepared pork so far! I usually prepare pork cutlets with the usual egg-flour-bread crumb mixture and it usually comes out tasty, but sometimes dry. I was watching "America's Test Kitchen" yesterday and they had a recipe for Sauteed Pork Cutlets with a Mustard-Cider Sauce. The pork wasn't prepared with a breadcrumb coating, so I wanted to give it a try. It seemed easy enough, and lately I've been looking for meals that I can prepare rather quickly. My husband, Nilo, and I currently live in a studio so preparing fancy meals in our small kitchen can be rather daunting. The simpler, the better.

Sautéed Pork Cutlets with Mustard-Cider Sauce

INGREDIENTS

Pork

• 2tablespoons kosher salt (or 1 tablespoon table salt)
• 1 1/2teaspoons sugar
• 1 1/2pounds boneless country-style pork spare ribs , trimmed of excess fat (see note)
•  Ground black pepper
• 1tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2tablespoon unsalted butter , cut into 2 pieces

Mustard-Cider Sauce

• 1tablespoon unsalted butter
• 1small shallot , minced (about 2 tablespoons) (I didn't have shallot so I used chopped onion)
• 1teaspoon unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1teaspoon dry mustard (I didn't have dry mustard on hand, so skipped this altogether and it was fine)
• 1/2cup low-sodium beef or chicken broth (I used chicken stock)
• 1/4cup apple cider (I used regular white vinegar)
• 1/2teaspoon minced fresh sage leaves (I did not have fresh sage leaves)
• 2teaspoons whole-grain mustard
•  Table salt (I used kosher) and ground black pepper

INSTRUCTIONS

• 1. FOR THE PORK: Dissolve salt and sugar in 2 cups water in medium container or bowl. Set aside. Cut each rib lengthwise to create 2 or 3 cutlets about 3/8 inch wide. Place cutlets between 2 layers of plastic wrap and gently pound to ¼-inch thickness. Submerge cutlets in brine, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate 30 minutes.
• 2. FOR THE SAUCE: While pork brines, melt ½ tablespoon butter in small saucepan over medium heat; add shallot and cook, stirring frequently, until softened, about 1½ minutes. Add flour and dry mustard; cook, stirring constantly, 30 seconds. Slowly add broth, whisking constantly to avoid forming lumps. Add cider and sage and bring to boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer 5 minutes. Remove pan from heat, cover, and set aside. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 200 degrees.
• 3. TO COOK PORK: Remove pork from brine, dry thoroughly with paper towels, and season with pepper. Heat oil in 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat until just beginning to smoke. Add 1 piece butter, allow to melt, and quickly add half of pork cutlets. Cook cutlets until browned, about 1 to 2 minutes. Using tongs, flip cutlets and continue to cook until browned on second side, 1 to 2 minutes longer. Transfer cutlets to large plate and transfer plate to warm oven. Repeat with remaining cutlets and remaining butter.
• 4. After second batch of cutlets is cooked, reduce skillet heat to medium, add reserved sauce, and bring to simmer. Cook, scraping pan bottom to loosen browned bits, until slightly thickened and reduced to about ½ cup, about 2 minutes. Stir in any accumulated pork juices; return to simmer and cook 30 seconds. Off heat, whisk in whole-grain mustard and remaining ½ tablespoon butter; season with salt and pepper to taste. Spoon sauce over pork and serve immediately.
  This recipe was very easy and it was delicious! The longest part was cooking the cutlets. They browned nicely and were so very tender, which I attribute to the brining process. I don't think I'll be using the egg-flour-breadcrumb technique on pork anymore! The vinegar flavor goes fantastically with the pork.  We served this dish with white rice and corn on the cob, which I nuked in the microwave for 2 1/2 minutes each. To prep the corn, I removed the blonde strands while still maintaining the husks. I re-covered each ear with their husks then covered each with a paper towel. I cooked them in the microwave and when done, brushed some unsalted butter and added salt to taste. Enjoy!