Recipe # 7, Steak Kebabs

The cooking experiment continues.  I think I am almost caught up with the recipe per week thing.  And, I am now known as the cooking expert by my stepdauhter!  Just add another jewel to my crown of coolness! (slightly inside joke, sorry about that).  I am starting to really like these recipes from a card, because you can take it with you to the store for shopping and you don't have to have a book out on the counter while you are cooking.  The only thing is that I tend to lose the recipe about 4-5 times while cooking, or it gets wet and then is all wrinkly.  At least the recipes I am trying are getting recorded on here so in case I really do lose or ruin them I will have this wonderful blog for all eternity right?

So, down to business. 

Steak Kebabs
Perparation time:20 minutes plus marinating (1-2 hours) Funny how they think marinating time doesn't count, it is not like you can find this recipe, think great, we can eat in 20 minutes and then all of a sudden try to put your family off for 1-2 hours while the meat just sits there.
Cooking time: 10 minutes
Clean up time 4.5 hours! One hour to wash the dishes (ok that is a little generous) and then 3.5 hours to put your oven through a self clean cycle as you try to rectify the damage done from the drippings!  My tip, use the grill, even though it is ungodly hot outside.

Ingredients:
2 Tbsp Reduced- sodium soy sauce
2 Tbsp honey (I really did have honey this time!)
1 Tbsp grated fresh ginger or 1 tsp ground ginger
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 tsp grated lemon peel
1/4 tsp crushed hot red pepper flakes
12 oz boneless sirloin steak, trimmed and cut into 1-inch cubes (we just went with some of the stew meat we had in the freezer, it was a little tougher but good)
8 cherry tomatoes
4 large mushrooms, cut in half
1 green bell pepper, core, seeded, and cut into 8 squares

If your family eats like my family, double this recipe.  We tripled it and were still only left with 3 skewers, just enough for my lunch the next day.

1. In a shallow glass dish, combine say sauce, honey, ginger, garlic, lemon peel, and red pepper flakes.  Mix well.  Add beef; stir to coat.  Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 to 2 hours, stirring occasionally.

2. Preheat broiler.  Remove beef from the marinade. Discard marinade.  Using four 10-inch metal skewers, alternately thread beef, tomatoes, mushrooms, and bell pepper.  Place on Broiler pan.

3. Broil 2 inches from heat, turning 2 or 3 times, until meat is medium-rare and vegetables are lightly browned, about 10  minutes.  Place on serving plates and serve immediately.

The Verdict

I think this recipe is mostly about the marinade, and that got great reviews.  I may add some meat tenderizer to the marinade if I make it with stew meat again so the meat will not be so tough.  Also, I added some onions since there are some people in my family who don't like tomatoes or mushrooms (imagine! sheesh, I am working on that) and they did not cook well with the other ingredients so they wound up under-done. 

I do like the marinade and may find some other uses for it.  I might make this again with just the meat, I think that call that tandori?