Portuguese Marinated Surf and Turf on Rosemary Skewers

This year, I want to plant some Rosemary bushes in the back yard. I love the smell of Rosemary. It will be a few years until I can “harvest” clipping for skewers. In the meantime an early morning stroll through the farmer’s markets is always a joy.

I’ve been cooking with fresh Rosemary for years. (Who hasn’t?) I’ve even used the smaller Rosemary “twigs” to thread appetizers or dress up plates – especially during the holidays (gives that “Christmas” pine tree feel to a variety of pretty plates). It wasn’t until last summer that I used Rosemary (the larger stalks) as a “skewer” for some yummy marinated “turf”. The flavor of the Rosemary inside the meat is unbelievable!  Oh my goodness – this was so delicious.

The first time I made this Surf and Turf combination, I had planned to saute the shrimp as an accompaniment to the meat. But I had some Rosemary stalks left over after threading the marinated meats – it seemed a shame to toss them. Since then, I simply planned to thread everything onto the Rosemary skewers. By threading the shrimp early on, it took a step out of the grilling process (for better timing) and allowed the Rosemary to better flavor the shrimp.

Portuguese Marinated Surf and Turf on Rosemary Skewers
Marinated “Turf”
2 teaspoons coarse salt or to taste
4 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
3 bay leaves plus extra for grilling (need fresh bay leaves, not dried)
½ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 pounds beef sirloin, rib-eye, or beef tenderloin, cut in 2 inch cubes
Fresh Rosemary stalks for skewers

Lime-Rosemary “Surf”
1 lb large shrimp, peeled, tails intact
Juice of 2 limes
1/4 Cup Fresh Rosemary, chopped

Stand Rosemary stalk one at a time on a plate, tip up. Grasp top firmly and strip bottom 2/3 of Rosemary needles to create skewers. Set skewers aside. Gather needles to use for this recipe and for future use.

Using a mortar and pestle, combine the salt and garlic, mashing the two until the garlic becomes a paste. Mix in the bay leaves, pepper, wine vinegar and lastly, the olive oil.

Put the meat cubes in a shallow non-reactive bowl and dump the seasoning paste over the meat.

With clean hands, turn the meat to coat thoroughly on all sides. Let stand for 2 to 4 hours or even overnight in the refrigerator. While meat is marinating, soak skewers at least 30 minutes.

In the meantime, prepare shrimp. Slice limes in half, squeeze juice over raw, peeled shrimp. Sprinkle with fresh Rosemary and toss to coat well. Thread shrimp onto Rosemary skewers, wrap and keep in refrigerator until ready to grill.

When ready to cook, thread the cubes of meat alternating with a bay leaf, onto the skewers. Grill over medium-heat (beef tenderloin requires less cooking, 5-6 minutes for medium-rare, sirloin or rib eye will require a little more grilling time). Grill meat approximately 5 inches above the flames. Adjust cooking time as needed for desired doneness. Transfer meat to large serving platter, tent with foil to keep warm.

Grill shrimp skewers for about 2-3 minutes, turning as needed. Plate shrimp skewers along side meat and serve.

Enjoy the perfect “Surf & Turf” combo on a warm summer night supper.

Dad’s Kabobs & Summers Long Ago

As summer draws to a close, I thought I’d share once more the first recipe posted to Rosemarie’s Kitchen. My Dad’s awesome Kabobs. This is one of the best marinades, delicious on chicken or beef. Here’s to you Dad!

Rosemarie's Kitchen

Running in the sprinklers.  Catching butterflies.  Anxiously awaiting the ice cream truck.  These are all parts of summer’s long ago.  Simply times.  No worries. Growing up, Dad’s awesome kabobs were without a doubt a summertime favorite of mine. It seems only fitting that my first “blog” would be this recipe and all the memories it holds.

Dad would marinade chunks of steak the night before, and then put the kabobs on the spit to slowly barbecue over a bed of hot coals in his trusty Webber. It seemed to take forever, the savory scented ghostly-gray smoke floating through the backyard, causing our mouths to water. Dad made us wait until the first piece of meat fell from the skewer. Only then was it considered “done”. My brother and I would dance about in the smoke, excitedly waiting and watching for that first morsel to fall and sizzle madly on the red-hot…

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Dad’s Kabobs & Summers Long Ago

Running in the sprinklers.  Catching butterflies.  Anxiously awaiting the ice cream truck.  These are all parts of summer’s long ago.  Simply times.  No worries. Growing up, Dad’s awesome kabobs were without a doubt a summertime favorite of mine. It seems only fitting that my first “blog” would be this recipe and all the memories it holds.

Dad would marinade chunks of steak the night before, and then put the kabobs on the spit to slowly barbecue over a bed of hot coals in his trusty Webber. It seemed to take forever, the savory scented ghostly-gray smoke floating through the backyard, causing our mouths to water. Dad made us wait until the first piece of meat fell from the skewer. Only then was it considered “done”. My brother and I would dance about in the smoke, excitedly waiting and watching for that first morsel to fall and sizzle madly on the red-hot coals.

On special occasions, dinner was always followed by a summertime favorite – Marie Callender’s fresh strawberry pie topped with a mountain of fresh whipped cream. Barbecue and strawberry pie – summer was officially in full swing.

Ingredients – Farley’s Secret Marinade

2 Cups Salad Oil
1 Cup Soy Sauce
¼ Cup Worcestershire Sauce
2 Tablespoons Dry Mustard
2 ½ Teaspoons Salt
1 Tablespoon Coarse, freshly ground Black Pepper
¾ Cup Red Wine Vinegar
1 ½ Teaspoons dried Parsley Flakes
2-3 Cloves Garlic, pressed
½ Cup Lemon Juice

Ingredients – Beef Kabobs

2 lbs Beef Tenderloin (½ lb per person, add more as needed)
1 Recipe Farley’s Secret Marinade (above)
1 Bag Pear Onions, outer layer peeled
1 Basket Cherry Tomatoes, washed
2 Red Bell Peppers, seeded and cut into chunks
2 Green Bell Peppers, seeded and cut into chunks
20 bamboo Skewers or 10 long metal skewers for threading

Cut tenderloin into 2” cubes. Whisk together ingredients for Marinade. Place sirloin in a Tupperware Marinating container or in a large re-sealable bag that is placed in a casserole dish. Pour marinade over meat and place in refrigerator overnight. Flip container occasionally to turn meat and better saturate with marinade.

If using bamboo skewers, soak in water for 30 minutes to prevent burning. Remove meat from refrigerator and allow it to come to room temperature, about 20-30 minutes.

If using a zip-lock bag for marinating, pour meat with marinade into the casserole dish. Prep the vegetables and have them at the ready.

Thread 1 pear onion, 1 chunk of sirloin, 1 red pepper, 1 cherry tomato and 1 green pepper onto skewer. Repeat until skewer is filled. DO NOT thread too tight or meat will not cook properly. Repeat same with remaining skewers until all the ingredients are used.

Build a hot bed of coals. Grill Kabobs 5 inches from coals for 3-5 minutes per side, giving a quarter turn each time for even grilling. Meat should be medium-rare for best results.

If you have a motorized spit for your trusty Webber, by all means use it.  Although the meat will take longer to reach perfection, it is well worth the wait.