According to a description from Jamrah Middle Eastern Cuisine, “Kebab, (also kebap, kabob, kebob, or kabab) is an Iranian, Afghan, Middle Eastern, Eastern Mediterranean, and South Asian dish of pieces of meat, fish, or vegetables roasted or grilled on a skewer or spit originating either in the Eastern Mediterranean, or the Middle East, before spreading worldwide.”  However you spell it, skewer it, cook it, or devour it, grilling meats and vegetables makes for an impressive-looking and delicious meal. In honor of July 9th being #KebabDay, we’re sharing one of our favorite ways to make it.

Save these tips and recipes for making kebabs to Pinterest. Photo by RealFoodTraveler.com.

5 Tips for Making Easy Kebabs:

1. Choose items that are approximately the same size.
2. Consider how long certain items will cook – a big chunk of beef is going to take longer to cook than shrimp. And a big piece of potato is going to take longer than a slice of bell pepper. So either cut larger items into smaller pieces or make a separate kebab of that longer-cooking item and start it early.
3. If you’re thinking of adding potato, which can be delicious, depending on the type and size of potato, par-boil/par-microwave it first so it isn’t rock hard, but is still firm. Cut into sizes consistent with the other items on your kebab.
4. Brush on or marinate your items in a mixture of olive oil, salt and pepper and seasonings of your choice to help with browning, flavor, and to keep the items from drying out.
5. Although it looks impressive to serve kebabs that have a variety of items on them (which worked great the way we did it), it can make more sense to put all of one kind of ingredient per skewer like all-chicken, all-shrimp, all-tomatoes, etc. and add them to the grill according to how long they cook. Then slide each item off its skewer on a bed of Rosamarina Rice (recipe below), on a platter, so people can scoop up a variety.

Hungry for more? This Albanian Olive Salad would go nicely with this meal.

Easy Kebab Recipe with Rosamarina Rice

Kebab Ingredients:
Proteins of choice including: Sausage links, chicken (tenderloin works well), lamb, beef, shrimp, and scallops

Vegetables of choice including: Onion, bell peppers (green, yellow, red, or orange), yellow squash, zucchini squash, baby eggplant, Yukon Gold potatoes, etc.

Olive oil and herbs of choice including rosemary, oregano, basil, tarragon, etc.

I used chunks of Italian sausage in its casing and chicken tenderloin for the proteins, along with a variety of vegetables. Here are our kabobs before cooking them.

Hungry for more? We used Mulay’s Sausage for our kabobs. Learn about the company in this podcast.

Kebab Method:
If you’re using metal skewers, there’s no need to do anything to them in advance but do handle them with an oven mitt as they cook because the metal conducts heat.

If you’re using bamboo skewers, soak them at least 20 minutes prior in a pan of water so they don’t catch fire.

Assemble the items on the skewers based on size and length of time it take to cut (see our tips above).

Cook on a grill that’s at about 350-375 degrees, turning periodically for even roasting. Don’t overcook the kebabs or they’ll be somewhere between too dry and too burned.

Serve over a bed of rice (recipe below), quinoa, farro, or salad greens, accompanied by thick, plain yogurt to dollop, and lightly olive-oiled and grilled pita bread.

The finished product was delicious and tender. Photo by RealFoodTraveler.com.

Rosamarina Rice Recipe

I grew up having rice this way and it was so delicious while also being really easy.

Makes approximately four cups of rice.

Ingredients: 
1/4 cup rosamarina, also called Orzo, a small pasta shaped like a grain of rice, but larger

1 3/4 cups of short grain white rice

4 cups of water or chicken broth

4 chicken bouillon cubes for the water if NOT using broth (although more processed, I prefer the more intense flavor from bouillon cubes over broth)

1 TBS or so unsalted butter

Pinch of salt if using chicken broth that isn’t salty (Don’t make overly salty rice! You can always add salt to the final product)

Hungry for more? Here’s another rice dish to try.

Method: 
In a large pot, melt the butter over medium-high heat, watching to make sure it doesn’t burn.

Add the rosamarina (orzo) and stir almost constantly to make sure it browns but doesn’t burn. You’re going after a warm, golden color, not a dark one.

Once it starts to turn golden, immediately add the rice and stir. This stops the rosamarina from cooking while also toasting the rice a little, and coating it with any residual butter.

Slowly add the chicken broth or water-bouillon and stir.

Let it come to a boil, then turn the fire down to low. Cover the pot with a tight lid. If you feel like it’s not tight enough, wrap the lid in a cotton dish towel, knotting it at the top so that there’s no overhang. This helps absorb moisture while ensuring a better seal over the rice as it absorbs the moisture and cooks through.

Check on it after about 10-15 minutes, tasting a few grains to make sure they are cooked. If it needs more moisture, add just 1/4 of a cup of HOT water at a time, stirring. Don’t over-water it or it’ll turn to mush (delicious mush but still mush).

Remove from heat when it’s done. When you’re ready to serve it (when the kebabs are done), spoon the rice over a decorative platter and then place the kebabs on it. The juices from the meats and vegetables will flavor the rice. Drizzle with a little olive oil for added flavor and gloss.

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