The health police tell us to eat less red meat and I’ve generally followed their advice. But every once in awhile I crave a tender hunk of steak, and here’s a solution that will satisfy even the peskiest food cop — grilled steak kebabs. Not only does a little beef go a long way per serving, each kebab is loaded with fruits and vegetables, which tips them over onto the plus side of the health scale.
While Juji, pictured above, and my hungry poodles Julia and William may not give a lick about the healthfulness of their chow, steak served this way can actually be good for you. Beef! It’s what every hungry poodle, and human, wants for dinner.
I adapted this recipe from Cooks Illustrated.
Marinade:
1/4 cup olive oil 3 medium garlic cloves, minced 3/4 t. salt 1/2 t. pepper 2 pounds top sirloin beef, trimmed of fat and cut into 2″ chunks
Fruit and Vegetables
1 pineapple, peeled, cored, halved lengthwise, and each piece cut into six chunks 1 medium red bell pepper, halved, cored and each half cut into 9 chunks 1 medium yellow bell pepper, halved, cored and each half cut into 9 chunks 1 red onion, peeled, halved lengthwise, core discarded, each half cut into four pieces, and each piece cut into thirds 2 T. olive oil Lemon or lime wedges for serving (optional)
For the marinade, combine the olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Add the steak and toss to combine. Cover and refrigerate at least one hour or up to 24 hours.
Toss the fruit and bell peppers with 1 1/2 T. of the olive oil in a medium bowl and season with salt and pepper. (Yes, the pineapple too.) Brush onions with the remaining oil and season with salt and pepper.
Using eight 12″ metal skewers, thread each skewer with a pineapple piece, a stack of onion, a cube of meat and one piece of each kind of pepper, and then repeat this sequence two more times. Brush any remaining oil from the bowl onto the skewers. Since I am not a skewer pro, I had extra pieces of everything, so I soaked bamboo skewers in water and made extra kebabs.
Grill kebabs on a hot grill, covered, until meat is well browned and grill-marked, about 8 to 9 minutes for medium-rare, turning each kebab every two minutes to brown all sides.
Transfer kebabs to a serving platter, squeeze with lemon or lime juice (optional but really brightens the flavors) and enjoy!
Makes 8 kebabs