According to the calendar,
the season of spring began on March 19th this year, a day earlier
than usual, and in a leap year as well.
Overall, the year 2020 has been a challenge for its first four months,
and we’re all wondering where the reset button is. Weather wise, many states, including Utah,
were still seeing cold temperatures, snow and hail.
Then May 1st
came, Beltane, the midpoint between the beginning of spring and summer. The ancient Celtic meaning is “bright fire”,
so what better way to celebrate then to barbecue! With the pandemic continuing, rules of engagement
constantly changing, and challenging; it can be difficult to cope in a positive
way.
Go outside! Yes, you can still be safe, at home, but
outside in your own backyard, or on the front lawn, on the balcony or
patio. But, go outside! Look up, see the clouds, what forms can you
imagine? Look at the plant life,
flowering buds on the trees, small leaves unfolding to capture dew drops and
shafts of sunlight.
This is personal mental
and emotional nourishment; food for the mind and soul. With the body itself, time to fire up the
grill and imagine the culinary possibilities.
Of cooking food…not your body!
Come on now, no one can possibly be at the point of cannibalism yet!?!
Let’s take it to the
Greeks, and grill up kabobs, or what they refer to as Souvlaki.
Souvlaki (plural is
Souvlakia) is a diminutive of the Greek souvla (spit), and there is evidence
that cooking with skewers originated in Greece.
One excavation of the archaeological site Akrotiri, on the Greek island
of Santorini, revealed stone sets of
barbecues for skewers (Greek: krateutai) used before the 17th century BCE. Alright kiddies, quiz time, Akrotiri was a
Minoan Bronze Age settlement on the volcanic Greek island of Santorini (Thera). What mythological creature lived in a maze,
underneath the king’s palace? (Insert
Jeopardy theme music) Time is up! The Minotaur.
Back to Souvlaki, small
pieces of meat or poultry, sometimes vegetables are included, which are grilled
on a skewer. The grilled food can be
eaten right off the skewer or pulled off onto a warm pita bread to make a
sandwich. If you are looking more for a
dinner entree, place the souvlaki over rice or orzo (pasta shaped like
rice). The warm pita bread, broken into
pieces, can act as a utensil.
This is a simple and easy meal
that can be prepared for sports oriented children (once it begins again). Get them home after their event and while
they are cleaning up, you can be getting together this healthy meal for them. Chicken, firm cuts of seafood, and pork can be
used instead of beef. Vegetarians can
indulge by substituting tofu, or chunks of beefy tasting, Portobella (also
spelled Portabella or Portobello) mushrooms, for the protein, plus adding a
larger variety of vegetables.
The marinade for the
Souvlakia is simply lemon juice, olive oil, salt, pepper, parsley and garlic.
The lemon juice helps to break down the connective tissue in the proteins;
tenderness is assured after grilling or oven roasting. For my recipe, I added capers for a little twang
on the tongue.
Beef and Vegetable Souvlaki
Ingredients:
1 lb. beef cubes, trimmed
of fat
1 lb. mini sweet peppers,
cut in half and seeded
1 large onion, chopped
½ lb. small button
mushrooms
¼ cup lemon juice
½ cup olive oil
2 Tbsp. minced garlic
½ tsp. each of fine sea
salt and ground black pepper
2 Tbsp. minced parsley
1 tsp. capers
Preparation:
In a large plastic
container, combine all ingredients thoroughly; seal and refrigerate overnight.
If grilling, alternate
beef cubes and vegetables on skewers. Soak wooden skewers in water for 30
minutes first to avoid burning. Place on
medium-high preheated grill; cook for 6 minutes before turning skewers; cook
another 6 minutes before serving.
If roasting, preheat oven
to 450F. Place beef, vegetables and remaining marinade into a large roasting
pan, or onto a large jelly roll pan, in a single layer. Cook for 3 minutes, turn beef; repeat; on 3rd
turn of beef, also turn vegetables (this will allow for beef and vegetables to
caramelize); turn beef a 4th time, cook for 3 minutes.
Makes 4 – 6 servings.
Mary Cokenour
By the way, we had this on May 12, 2020, and here are a few photos of that delicious meal.
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| Kabobs ready for the grill, Greek marinade for basting. |
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| After Grilling |
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| Kabobs, Squash cooked with salt, cracked black pepper and butter, Naan Bread, Feta Cheese |
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| Roy's dinner plate is full. |
