Recipes by Zola - Kabobs with Thai Sauce and Grilled Pineapple

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Kabobs with Thai Sauce and Grilled Pineapple

Zola Gorgon

America's Melting Pot...

Note: Zola is off on another vacation this week. A little less exotic this time but we're sure she'll have some news when she returns next week; along with a new recipe! Please enjoy this previously published favorite.

America is often called a melting pot. The reference is for how our population is made up from immigrants from all over the world.

It's easy to see how it's true. Take your own family. Maybe it went something like this. An Irish family of hearty stock gets off the boat in the 1850s: a father, mother and three kids. Those three kids grow and marry. One marries a Scandinavian, one marries a German and one marries someone from France. Already you have a family of blended heritage. Fast forward to now. No wonder the family reunion isn't just made up of redheads with fair skin! Generations have been added to this family and it's become a mix or a melting pot--even just in one family.

Cooking in America has morphed into a melting pot of its own. The West Coast came up with Pan-Asian cuisine. That's a mix of Asian cuisine and American ingredients and methods melded together. Then there's Tex-Mex.

The recipe I'm going to give you today is one of my new favorites for the grill. It mixes kabobs (which are of Indian or Turkish origin, depending on whose story you want to believe) and Thai. India and Thailand are nowhere near each other, yet these two cuisines combined produce a very tasty result!

You might just be in charge of the family reunion this year, so I'm going to make this recipe for a larger group. If you're not in charge of the family reunion but want to have a big grill party this summer, this would come in handy for that too. It's so easy! You'll spend lots of time with family, not slaving over dinner with this recipe!

The Turkish chicken kabobs with a Thai sauce will be a real treat for your party. The spicy sauce is straightforward but doesn't fry your tongue. Your guests will be surprised to have grilled pineapple at dinner. If you want to round out the menu a little more, serve with a simple green salad with a Tahini Green Goddess dressing and simple green peas cooked and drizzled with butter. Then stir tiny pieces of fresh mint into the peas.

Kabobs with Thai Sauce and Grilled Pineapple

Serves 12 (Can be doubled for a larger crowd or cut in half for a smaller one.)

12 chicken kabobs from your butcher (That's the easiest way, but you can make them yourself using chicken breast chunks, red and green peppers sliced into hunks and red onion slices. Thread on skewers. You can even change the veggies and switch the meat to beef or shrimp if you like.)

Olive oil spray
Butter spray
12 wedges of fresh pineapple (You can get these already prepared in the fruit section, or make your own wedges by coring, peeling and cutting fresh pineapple. If necessary, you can use rings from the can.)

Prepare Thai Sauce (recipe below).

To prepare the kabobs, spray them with olive oil. Preheat the grill for 10 to 15 minutes so the grill is ready and hot when you begin to cook.

To prepare the pineapple for grilling, spray it lightly with butter spray--just enough butter spray to keep it from sticking to the grill. Make sure the grill is brushed very clean. You don't want your pineapple to taste like last week's bratwurst!

Put the kabobs on one side of the grill and the pineapple on the other. Close the lid and cook on Medium for 5 minutes. Turn over. If the grill is too hot, the chicken will cook faster and the pineapple might burn, so keep an eye out. You are getting grill marks on your food, but the intention is to really roast it on the grill, not to have a flaming mess. Turn both over and cook 2 to 3 minutes longer.

Check the chicken for doneness by testing one kabob. Cut open the chicken at the fattest part and make sure it's no longer pink. If necessary, cook a bit more. The pineapple should have grill marks on both sides and be warm. Remove the pineapple to a platter. The pineapple can be served warm or room temperature so, if the chicken is not ready, the pineapple won't mind waiting.

When the kabobs are cooked, put them on a platter or the plates and spoon on the sauce. Most people would baste them with the sauce while grilling, but this can also cause a barbecuing flaming mess, so just wait until the chicken kabobs are cooked. You'll be much happier with this simpler version. Serve the pineapple on the side.

Thai Sauce for 12
3 jars sweet and sour sauce (2-1/2 to 3 cups total)
6 Tbl snipped fresh basil (This is big in Thai cooking.)
5 tsp wasabi powder (Check out your gourmet stores for this, or go to the sushi counter and get fresh wasabi.)
5 tsp minced garlic (Jar or fresh garlic will both work.)

Mix all ingredients in a bowl. This can be made 24 hours ahead to make your party even easier! Cover and chill.

Enjoy!

This news arrived on: 06/26/2006

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