As a kid, I only knew shish kebab as a threat or danger.  When my brother threw a pitchfork at me, the running joke was that he would make me into a shish kebab.  Kids don't really think about what they're saying (or really anything at all), so it never occurred to me there was a great food attached to that lingering joke.  Shish kebab was really nothing more than a cool word we learned from Johnny Quest.

Turns out kebabs are to most of the cooking world what backyard BBQs are to the US.  The urge that makes someone buy a $2000 stainless steel backyard behemoth is the same urge that drives a griller in Greece to obsess about his marinade.  I can imagine a kebab chef in Istanbul maniacally protecting his marinade recipe like the treasure that it is...

This is a very simple recipe and very close in make up and process to Chicken Tikka.  In fact, I usually make them at the same time.  Once the grill is hot its worth the trouble to go ahead and cook it all at once.  Its ok to marinate the meat longer than 2 hours, but be prepared for a bit more kick.

Shish kebab

1 tsp coriander seeds

1 tsp black pepper seeds

1/2 tsp cumin seeds

3 gloves garlic

1 inch ginger

3 Tbsp olive oil

1 Tbsp tomato paste

1/2 tsp red chili pepper

1/2 tsp paprika

1/2 tsp garam masala

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1 1/2 tsp salt

1 1/2 tsp Thyme

2 pounds sirloin or lamb

Directions

1. In a preheated cast iron pan, toast the coriander, black pepper and cumin until they are cooked but not burned.  Usually no more than a couple minutes.  Immediately grind in a spice grinder.


2. Blend the toasted spices and the rest of the marinade (except the Thyme) into a puree.


3. Cut the meat into bite size pieces.  Sprinkle with the Thyme.


4. Add the marinade to the meat and mix well.


5. Marinate meat for at least 2 hours


6. If using bamboo skewers, soak the skewers for 30 minutes.


7. Grill the skewers on your preferred grill.

The invasion of Austin by mobile food vendors continues unabated.  The most creative menu item I have seen (so far) is the spicy brisket crepe.  While I'm not quite ready to tackle that one, it got me thinking about one of my favorite bar foods….

There is an ice house in north Austin that is fairly hard to find.  For starters its on a road that exists in 5 different parts of the city, none of them connected and this one only 1/4 mile long.  Its listed in the directory under "deer processing".  Compared to the din  of non-stop twitter marketing, this seems like a healthy and welcome ploy to keep customers from finding you.  Customers sit under decades old vines that have overrun a chain-link fence  carport.  Cars pull up next to the tables, so this is one of those places where its much more interesting to have a 1963 Buick Riviera than a brand new Prius.  The staff brings out buckets of beer on ice and everyone enjoys the Texas heat.

After a couple hours, a guy with a badly damaged eye will walk over to your table with a couple bags he dug out of his truck.  He will ask, way too softly, if you want to buy some tamales.  Spicy brisket tamales.  The correct answer, and I always use the correct answer, is yes.

One thing I am very much cheating on with this recipe is the brisket.  I have the advantage of living in a place where I can buy a whole brisket that has been fantastically smoked within a day of purchase.  An unfair advantage, perhaps, but it would be silly not to take advantage of it.  

This recipe makes far too many tamales.  You can cut the recipe in half, but you'll notice that if you do, you'll have half a brisket.  Not an entirely bad situation to be in, but be prepared.  When you start cutting down the filling, you have to start thinking about using canned enchilada sauce.  That's where I draw the line.  So I end up making batches of masa paste until I am done.  Since it takes all of 2 minutes to make the paste, and not everyone can make 60 tamales at once, it’s a reasonable way to go.  The filling will freeze.  I highly recommend you make the full 60 and share them with your friends.

Spicy Brisket Tamales

Corn husks

Filling:

1 1/2 cups chicken stock

 4 dried Ancho chilies, stem and seeds removed, cut into small pieces

2 cloves garlic, very finely minced

1 can Chipotle Peppers in Adobo Sauce

2 Tbsp oil

1 onion

1 tsp cumin

2-3 lb smoked brisket, diced

1 can fire roasted tomatoes

1 Tbsp honey

Masa:

2 cups masa harina

2 cups warm water

6 Tbsp butter, melted

1 tsp baking powder

2 tsp salt

Directions

1. Rinse the corn husks and keep them wet.


2. In a small saucepan, bring the stock to a boil.


3. Reduce heat, add the chili pepper, onion and garlic.


4. Cook for 15 minutes, remove from heat


5. In a blender, puree the chipotle peppers with the stock mixture.


6. In a cast iron skillet, heat the oil and cook the onion and cumin until translucent, about 5 minutes.


7. Add the beef and cook for 3 minutes.


8. Add the pepper mixture, bring to a boil and simmer for 5 minutes.


9. Add the tomatoes and honey; cook gently for 10 minutes. Set aside.


10. Mix the masa harina, water, butter, baking powder and salt into a thick paste.


11. Spread the masa to near the edge of the husk.  Make it about 1/4" thick.


12. Put about 2 tablespoons in the middle of the paste.


13. Roll the tamale up, and fold the end over by about 2"


14. Steam the tamales in a covered pot with a rack for 60 minutes.

 photo by Xosé Castro

There's a saying - the only thing better than owning a boat is having a friend that owns a boat.  The same goes for hunting.  Having friends that hunt, and hunt well (or hunt on stocked ranches) means the occasional gift basket in an Igloo cooler.   When it comes to venison, at least in Texas, its inevitable you'll get some sausage.

The concept of meat pies is common and worldwide.  The most common are the British and Australian sort.  Both are great, but the Australian meat pie is more common in my locale.  In fact, there is a company selling Aussie meat pies, including the Guinness meat pie that I want to eventually make.

Personally, I am not much of a sausage eater and don't have much in the way of sausage recipes (other than Chorizo).  I've used this recipe for sausage I had left over after a crawfish boil and made the same recipe with venison for a crawfish boil.  It may seem like a long time cooking time, but it works with sausage.  I make these into empanadas, but they would be good as meat pies also.  The empanadas seem the right size.  Although I have yet to make them, they would probably be very good with the masa harina based dough.

Venison Empanadas

Filling:

1/2 sweet potato

2 Tbsp canola oil

1 onion

4 ribs celery

3 cloves garlic

1 lb venison sausage, diced

1 1/2 tsp sea salt

1 1/2 tsp paprika

1 tsp red pepper (I use a hot Indian chili)

1 tsp black pepper

1/2 tsp white pepper

1 1/2 tsp thyme

1 1/2 tsp basil

1 cup frozen peas

1 1/2 cup chicken stock

Directions

1. Dice the potatoes, boil for 25 minutes, strain and set aside.


2. At the same time, cook the onion, celery and garlic with the oil over medium heat for 10 minutes.


3. Lower the heat, add the sausage and seasonings and cook for 15 minutes.


4. Turn the heat up and cook for 5 minutes more, until the meat is well done.


5. Add the stock and peas, scrape the bottom of the pan, cook for 5 minutes.


6. Add the potato, cook for 5 minutes more.


7. Finish using the Making Empandas recipe.
   

photo by riebschlager

A few weeks back we made it to a local food event - the Fiery Foods Festival.  The festival was small, with a decidedly Asian theme.  A half dozen local restaurants set up tents and served simple menus.  A Thai café had the longest lines and the most extensive menu.  There were kababs, green Thai curry, samosas, bento boxes.  Other than the green Thai curry, nothing I had could be considered "fiery", but the food was good and it was a great way to spend an afternoon.

Somewhere along the way my son ended up with a Chinese food takeaway box of Serrano peppers.   Each one had a ribbon tied to it, so my guess is that they were meant as some sort of gift.  In the paws of a four-year-old they became little more than projectiles and a potential fit if he bit into one.  Still, we carted them home, and I needed a way to use them.

I was looking for something off one of the menus, and samosas fit the bill.  Samosas are a great snack, and these really use up the peppers.  I have served these at parties in a large bowl with a cloth covering, and the bowl always ends up empty.  These were too spicy for the kid, but wonderful for everyone else.  I served them with the same thai garlic chili I use with Vada Pavs.