Friday, January 16, 2009

Kebab Fest 2009

Okay, bitches, this weekend we're starting a grand and noble tradition here at Casa del PenName: KebabFest!

Through my life, I have loved kebab as made by my family. Persian-style kebab, delicious lengths of ground meat and spices wrapped around flat swords and cooked on a flaming grill. It is quite possibly one of the best foods ever, and I will never get sick of it. It's good as cold leftovers, or heated in the microwave. You can make one large batch of kebab and eat on it for days and days.

But I have never made it myself. I'll admit it, up until I moved in with Mr. PenName a few years prior to our marriage, I wasn't really interested in cooking, so I didn't really pay attention to what was going on in the kitchens of my family members. But I emailed FavoriteAunt earlier this week, asking for a few recipes for kebab (I planned to make kebab meatballs in the oven) and various rice dishes, and this is what she sent back:

Kebab I know by heart, I'll have to look up the other rice and get back with you. Dill rice you just add dried dill and butter to white rice at the end, it's easy. I'll double check in my Persian cook book though. I make a lot of Kebab when I make and it is really not the same in the oven but close. Get really cheap hamburger (u like that part don't ya!), high fat content is necessary for good Kebobs. For 5lbs puree two whole onions, two table spoons of turmeric, about two or three table spoons of beef bouillon granules, 2 or 3 Table spoons of salt and a couple of eggs.

Two things are key 1. the onion has to be like a paste to really flavor all the meat and 2. You mix all that together and then you need to mash it and mash it alot until the meat changes consistency and tuns kinda white. I usually sit in the floor with the bowl between my legs and mash it with my fists for a long time, if you don't skimp on this part you will really be happy with the results. If you are cooking them in the oven cook for a little while and then broil to finish them make them in the shape of kebobs on a cookie sheet you might put a few dashes of liquid smoke in them since you are not grilling but if you do cut back on salt and do it in the mixing/mashing stage. If you don't want to cook that much at once freeze some raw after you have done all the work and just defrost and cook later.

There is a spice called sumac that goes on after but yo probably have to get that here in town. Same thing for the saffron that stuff cost more than crack!!LOL
Good luck!
FavAunt


And with that, an idea was born. LibraryOverlord makes great bread, and Hastur loves my hummus (which is mighty fine hummus if I do say so myself), and kebab tastes better on a grill. Mr. PenName is a lover of delicious food in all its forms, especially when accompanied by friends and good beer.

So Saturday, Saturday, Saturday! We are getting together with them and trying my Very First Recipe Including Actual Raw Meat. I am excited. I think I can do this.

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