Tuesday, May 13, 2008

skewer time

peach and apricot skewer with chicken and red onion

i pretty much love kabobs. i have requested or made this grilled meal more times than i can remember for birthdays, trips home, and hot summer evenings. usually, i like it classic: beef and chicken, bell peppers, onions and mushrooms. i probably ate that exact skewer combo on 15 separate occasions just last summer. this summer, we're getting married, kabobs and me. i know this because i'm sure the feelings are mutual and because rachel ray just did a feature in her june/july issue and there are three new recipes for me to try. and i know my old stand-by will be walking me down the aisle, but before we commit, i decided to try out the others first. ;)

  
oh, stop. this new format isn't THAT cool. ok, yes...it is.

this recipe actually calls for plums, but the grocery store had not a single plum (i'm feigning shock here, people). luckily i had read in the rr magazine that apricots and peaches would be great substitutions. funny story: if you stack your fruit bowls too high, an apricot might fall onto the table. that motion might cause it to roll onto the floor. it might then look like a toy ball and your dogs might take it into another room and hide it. needless to say, husband was confused as to why i had put produce under a chair in our entryway... 

  
husband said: the king of all red onions. the most beautiful i have ever seen!

ok, i'll admit it. this post is a little picture heavy. very few ingredients and i may have managed to include more photos than a number of my other, more involved recipes. well, i don't care. i have a new lens - yay me. maybe you'd like to recipe to temper this visual overload?

chicken, plum, and red onion kebabs (rachel ray magazine june/july 08)
1/2 c vegetable oil
1/3 c apricot jam
2 tbsp rice wine vinegar
1 1/2 tbsp soy sauce
1 1/2 lbs chicken tenderloins, cut into chunks (ok, rr calls for thigh meat here)
8 plums sliced (i used 2 apricots and 2 peaches)
1 red onion cut into chunks (i used half of my giant beauty)

1. whisk first 4 ingredients until combined
2. add chicken to marinade and refrigerate for at last 30 minutes and up to 4 hours
3. transfer chicken to plate and pour marinade into a saucepan, boiling for 2 minutes
4. thread plums, chicken and onion onto skewers (rr says 8, i did 9 or 10)
5. grill on medium heat, turning occasionally and basting with boiled sauce often
6. continue until chicken is cooked through and plums and onions are softened (12-15 minutes)

pre-cooking                                                                    grillin' up

the magazine suggests couscous with toasted almond slivers, so i did the same. good call. the crunch of the almond, the basic flavor of the couscous and the fruity, juicy skewers were a good combo. i don't know if i'd consider an open relationship for these guys...but, they were tasty.

summah time grilling (done indoors...) and an easy couscous side

2 comments:

Helen said...

mmm..... this looks *so* good, as do the rest of your eats, Alauna!! I'm so impressed with all of this! I posted on this one because I definitely want to make it soon- and for sure for the summer housing BBQ!!!

Thomas said...

Howie Citgo Wing