Grilled meat on a skewer is a very common form of preparation, particularly in the area stretching from North Africa, across the Middle East to Central Asia and up into Armenia, Georgia and Russia. I have taken a number of ingredients commonly used in the areas around the Black Sea and combined them for an intense marinade for the beef and an equally intense sauce to accompany the grilled morsels.

This dish was inspired by the shashlik at a restaurant in San Diego called Pomegranate. This is a Russian/Georgian restaurant that is one of my favorite places to eat, the food, the atmosphere and the people who run it are all wonderful. This dish is my tribute to Marco, Elvira, John and all the rest that make that restaurant a special place for me.

Fiery Beef Kabobs with Walnut and Yogurt Sauces

Marinade:

• 2 cups unsweetened sour cherry juice
• 1 oz. dried wild mushrooms
• 3 Tbsp. sherry vinegar
• 10-15 whole small hot dried red chilies (arbol or piri piri or bird chilies)
• 5 cloves garlic
• 10-12 juniper berries
• 2 tsp. kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp. fresh ground black pepper
• 2 Tbsp. walnut oil

Meat:

• 3 lbs. beef chuck cut into 1-1/2 inch cubes

NOTE:Depending on how hot you want this dish to be, you can either grind the red chilies or leave them whole. If you use the amount above and grind them, this recipe will be quite spicy. Leaving them whole tones things down quite a bit.

Mix all of the marinade ingredients together in a non-reactive bowl. Place the meat cubes in the marinade and stir to coat. Refrigerate the meat in the marinade at least overnight or for up to three days, (it will be more intensely flavored the longer you leave it).

Prepare your charcoal grill and put the meat cubes on skewers. Brush the meat on the skewers with some more walnut oil. Grill to desired doneness (I think this is best at about medium rare). Let rest a few minutes before serving with a drizzle of pomegranate molasses, some thinly sliced red onion, the walnut and yogurt sauces from below and some hot pita bread. Grilled vegetables (especially small grilled eggplant) and pilaf also make good sides for this dish.

Walnut sauce:

• 1/2 lb. shelled walnuts
• Marinade from above
• 1 cup chicken broth or water
• 2 Tbsp. walnut oil
• Salt to taste
• Fresh ground black pepper to taste

After removing the meat from the marinade to grill it, strain the marinade so you can remove the juniper berries (and whole chilies if desired). Save the mushrooms and garlic from the marinade. Put the marinade liquid, the mushrooms, garlic, chicken broth and walnuts in a sauce pan. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Cook about 20 minutes and then puree the sauce in a blender.

Put the pureed sauce back in the pot and continue cooking for about 15 to 20 minutes over low heat, stir often. Add the walnut oil and adjust seasoning. Stir well to combine.

Yogurt sauce:

• 1 cup plain yogurt
• 1 tsp. ground sumac
• 1 tsp. ground cumin
• Salt to taste

Mix all of the yogurt sauce ingredients together in a bowl, refrigerate and allow to sit a minimum of 30 minutes before serving.

Page Last modified: March 31 2006 14:27:18.