Kabobs are one of those foods that are easy to make and fun to eat. As I was thinking about this recipe, my first thought went to chicken or beef for the protein, but then I asked myself, “Why do you always limit your choices between chicken or beef? What about pork?” And I realized I had never made a pork kabob before!
This recipe was all about flavor experimentation, so I decided on boneless country style pork ribs because they cook up juicy and tender in a short period of time. For the flavor profile, I went all in Brazilian, and instead of threading the vegetables on the skewer with the meat, I decided to serve them as a finely diced sauté with some nutty quinoa and brown rice.
Ingredients:
Spice Pack for the Ribs:
1 tablespoon ground fennel
1 tablespoon ground coriander
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon ground allspice
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon hot paprika
Remaining Ingredients:
6 cloves garlic, minced
6 boneless country-style pork ribs, cut into 1-inch pieces
4 cups prepared quinoa and brown rice
1 leek, thinly sliced
1 serrano pepper, seeded and finely chopped
1 zucchini finely chopped
1 red bell pepper finely chopped
1 carrot finely chopped
1 cup red onion finely chopped
1 cup asparagus finely chopped
1 cup mushrooms finely chopped
1/4 cup olive oil, plus 2 tablespoons
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Zest of one lemon
8 wooden skewers soaked in water for 1 hour
Directions:
1) Combine the spice pack ingredients in a small bowl. Add the garlic, the lemon zest, and 1/4 cup of the olive oil.
2) Place the pork rib chunks in a large rectangular pan, and pour the marinade over the pork. Cover the pan with plastic wrap and marinate the pork in the refrigerator for 2 hours, stirring the meat every 30 minutes.
3) Pre-heat your grill to medium heat.
4) Thread the pork onto wooden skewers and season with salt and pepper. Place the kabobs on the grill, and cook them for 3 to 5 minutes per side until you have a nice char on the pork and the meat is cooked through.
5) Remove the kabobs from the grill, tent them with aluminum foil and let them rest for 5 minutes.
6) In large sauté pan, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat until shimmering. Add the vegetables and sauté until the veggies are crisp-tender, about 5 to 8 minutes.
7) Stir the prepared quinoa and brown rice into the pan to warm them back up, and season the dish with salt, pepper, lemon zest, and lemon juice to taste.
8) To serve, spoon some of the vegetable mixture on a plate followed by one of the kabobs. Sprinkle with the fresh parsley.
