Skewers are one of those things that speaks to the primal part of who we are: There is little more primal than eating cooked foods off a stick. For those on the paleo diet, this is almost one of the perks. They are one of those things that can make an excellent meal or appetizer, all depending on how many are served and how big they are. You can also have some fun with the presentation, as well as experiment with tastes. You can also make them on the fly, as they require little cooking time and can be made with almost any kind of non-liquid ingredient. It takes a little additional prep, but they are so worth it.
Ingredients are basically divided into three categories: Proteins, vegetables, and fruits. Because there are no starches in this meal, you may want to serve with fries, tortillas, or some kind of flatbread, such as pitas. You can provide chunks of potatoes or yams, but they may not feel right depending on the kind of crowd you are dealing with. If you can, fry them off before skewering them, preferably with a lot of seasoning such as pepper and salt.
Proteins are pretty much limited to meats and tofu as they can be cut into the chunks needed to be skewered. The chunks need to be at least an inch in their smallest dimension, but the bigger the better. Strips work just as well as chunks, provided that they are long enough. Make sure that the meat or tofu is well cooked before skewering it.
With vegetables, again, the chunkier the better. Almost any vegetable works but only if it can be skewered. This includes small wedges of lettuce and cabbage, as well as carrots and broccoli. However, there are any number of different vegetables that can work, with almost any pepper or tomato working rather well, providing it is the right size either naturally or after cutting it down a bit. Mushrooms can also work, with stems removed and larger mushrooms, such as portobellos, quartered.
Not all fruits will work, so there are some special notes. The more sour the fruit the better, especially as they should sweeten a little when cooked. The best fruits to use are those that aren't quite ripe as they have just enough sourness to make them interesting. Pineapples and oranges are the best fruits to skewer, as well apples and persimmons. Kiwis also work, provided that they have been skinned.
Some options worth considering are marinating or at least dipping the items in some sort of marinate. You can also baste the sauces on while cooking. The best are sweet and sour sauce, teriyaki, sweet chile sauce, or even barbecue sauce. When you do skewer them you want to mix up flavors as much as possible, as well as textures. You can either do it ahead of time, or do it just before cooking; the latter option allows others to make the skewers they want and adds an extra social factor to it.
As for cooking, once skewered you have basically three choices: baked, grilled, or fire. For baking, put the skewers on a foiled cookie sheet in the oven at 400 degrees for thirty minutes. This is probably the safest option, but lacks a lot of flavor that the other options have. You can also grill it on a barbecue, which adds a certain roasted flavor to it, as well as a slight crunch. If you're in the woods you can also put the skewers on a spit and turn them ever so slowly until they are done, making it a great option for those in the woods. Regardless of how you decide to cook it, this always makes an excellent option in order for a meal, and satisfies the inner cavemen underneath the veneer of humanity, and allowing us a taste that our prehistoric ancestors no doubt enjoyed as well.
Ingredients are basically divided into three categories: Proteins, vegetables, and fruits. Because there are no starches in this meal, you may want to serve with fries, tortillas, or some kind of flatbread, such as pitas. You can provide chunks of potatoes or yams, but they may not feel right depending on the kind of crowd you are dealing with. If you can, fry them off before skewering them, preferably with a lot of seasoning such as pepper and salt.
Proteins are pretty much limited to meats and tofu as they can be cut into the chunks needed to be skewered. The chunks need to be at least an inch in their smallest dimension, but the bigger the better. Strips work just as well as chunks, provided that they are long enough. Make sure that the meat or tofu is well cooked before skewering it.
With vegetables, again, the chunkier the better. Almost any vegetable works but only if it can be skewered. This includes small wedges of lettuce and cabbage, as well as carrots and broccoli. However, there are any number of different vegetables that can work, with almost any pepper or tomato working rather well, providing it is the right size either naturally or after cutting it down a bit. Mushrooms can also work, with stems removed and larger mushrooms, such as portobellos, quartered.
Not all fruits will work, so there are some special notes. The more sour the fruit the better, especially as they should sweeten a little when cooked. The best fruits to use are those that aren't quite ripe as they have just enough sourness to make them interesting. Pineapples and oranges are the best fruits to skewer, as well apples and persimmons. Kiwis also work, provided that they have been skinned.
Some options worth considering are marinating or at least dipping the items in some sort of marinate. You can also baste the sauces on while cooking. The best are sweet and sour sauce, teriyaki, sweet chile sauce, or even barbecue sauce. When you do skewer them you want to mix up flavors as much as possible, as well as textures. You can either do it ahead of time, or do it just before cooking; the latter option allows others to make the skewers they want and adds an extra social factor to it.
As for cooking, once skewered you have basically three choices: baked, grilled, or fire. For baking, put the skewers on a foiled cookie sheet in the oven at 400 degrees for thirty minutes. This is probably the safest option, but lacks a lot of flavor that the other options have. You can also grill it on a barbecue, which adds a certain roasted flavor to it, as well as a slight crunch. If you're in the woods you can also put the skewers on a spit and turn them ever so slowly until they are done, making it a great option for those in the woods. Regardless of how you decide to cook it, this always makes an excellent option in order for a meal, and satisfies the inner cavemen underneath the veneer of humanity, and allowing us a taste that our prehistoric ancestors no doubt enjoyed as well.
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