Figments & Fragments

Terry - Aki Kabobs

Terry - aki Kabobs

Introduction

There’s nothing better than a grilled steak with mushrooms, baked potato, and a side of vegetables. But that classic meal is difficult to pull off with paper plates balanced on laps in the backyard. Kabobs are our favorite offering for casual outdoor summer gatherings. The same steak dinner ingredients, presented in a tasty ‘meat on a stick’ format, make a great summer dining experience.

My wife, Debbie, is a fine cook and an excellent baker. She prepares about 98% of the meals at our house and she loves to cook for guests as well. There are only a few dishes that I can cook, and they mostly involve the outdoor grill. Terry - aki Kabobs are arguably the best of my limited repertoire. The ingredients shown will make about a dozen kabobs and serve 4 to 6 people.

Ingredients

1 ½ lbs. petite sirloin steak
3 bell peppers (red/yellow/green)
2 medium onions
2 zucchinis (1 ½ inch diameter)
1 lb. medium to large cremini mushrooms
1 fresh pineapple
zesty Italian salad dressing

Marinade

½ cup soy sauce
¼ cup olive oil
1 tsp brown sugar
¼ tsp black pepper
2 cloves garlic (minced)
1 tbsp ginger root (grated)

Prepare

Have your spouse mix up the marinade in a glass bowl while you cut the steak into bite size chunks (I try for 1 ½ inch cubes). Then combine the meat and marinade in a gallon-size food storage bag. Remove the air and seal up the bag. Squish and flip the bag until the steak pieces are evenly coated. Put the meat in the refrigerator to marinate for 2 hours. Caution: Don’t overdo it. Soy sauce tenderizes the meat but marinating for too long can make it overly soft.

Clean and chunk up the vegetables into manageable sized pieces. I usually cut the peppers and onions into sections like an orange, then cut the sections in half. The result is pieces that are roughly triangular. Separate the onion chunks into pieces that are two or three layers thick. A single layer tends to overcook, and thicker pieces can be undercooked. The center part of the onion will be too small to skewer, so save that for another dish. The zucchini can be sliced into 1/4 inch-thick rounds, and medium size mushrooms can be used as is. Large mushrooms may need to be cut in half.

Put all of the vegetables into a salad bowl and drizzle them with the zesty Italian salad dressing. Gently mix and add dressing until the pieces are evenly coated. Be sure to look for the zesty dressing, it's more flavorful than the regular Italian dressing.

The pineapple, finally, should be cleaned and cut into bite-size chunks. Do not put the salad dressing on the pineapple.

Assemble:

We use 12-inch metal skewers to assemble our Kabobs. If wooden skewers are used, then make sure to soak them in water first to prevent them from catching on fire! Arrange the pieces in an aesthetically pleasing pattern that includes 3 or 4 pieces of meat separated by various vegetable and pineapple chunks. Leave a bit of space between the pieces to keep the flavors separate and to allow for even cooking. One reason that these Kabobs are special is that the vegetables have their own marinade which complements the taste of the teriyaki steak. And the fresh roasted pineapple adds a deliciously sweet third flavor.

Skewers can be customized for picky eaters by leaving the mushroom off some or the onion off others. Or, in a family setting, you can make it a group project with each child making their own. The meat can even be left off for those of vegetarian persuasion. And you can always adjust the quantity of ingredients to match your specific tastes.

Cook

I use a Weber gas grill set to low heat with the skewers placed directly on a clean grill top. Cook them for 10 minutes with the lid closed, then turn and cook for another 10 minutes. Be sure to use tongs or a fireproof oven mitt when turning the metal skewers! You can place a ceramic platter atop the grill lid to prepare a warm serving dish.

Serve

These Kabobs are best when served hot from the grill, so remind your guests not to burn their fingers! The skewers cool quickly, however, and the Kabobs can easily be eaten from a paper plate without needing utensils. They go well with lemonade, wine coolers, or wheat beer. And what about the potato that I mentioned earlier? Well, the Kabobs must be served with Debbie’s potato salad as the side dish! Those without a Debbie will have to make do with whatever else is available.

Conclusion: Good!

We get a lot of compliments on these Kabobs and they’re often requested by returning guests. They can also provide entertainment and topics for discussion when preferred morsels are traded back and forth.

“Who wants these mushrooms?”

“I’ll trade my green pepper for a piece of pineapple!”

"Is there any more steak?"

Author's note: ▼

Winner of the July 2022 round of The Bard's Hall Contest



Prompt: Share your favorite BBQ recipe.

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