Kick off the summer with grilled kebabs

The technique of charring meat, poultry and fish on skewers is believed to have been invented by medieval Persian soldiers, who used their swords as skewers to suspend the meats over fires started in the war fields.

Memorial Day weekend signals the unofficial start of grilling season, so grab those skewers and find some new ways to create popular kebabs for the family.

“There is no limitation to what you can do with a grill, and it allows you to use your imagination,” said Shari Sarawi, a native of Iran who owns Baci Cafe & Wine Bar in Healdsburg.

A rich cuisine descended from the food of the great Persian dynasties, Iran’s cooking makes abundant use of butter and oil as well as ingredients that are high in acid, and it’s traditional to serve skewers of grilled tomatoes alongside the grilled meats. Kebabs have become a beloved national dish.

“We have a lot of acid in our food,” Sarabi said. “For us, it’s the lemon juice, the dried lime, the verjus (unripe grape juice), and the tomatoes.”

The word kebab has roots in the Persian word kabap, meaning to “fry” or by extension, to “burn.”

“Cooking kebabs means there is an open fire, and you cook the meat over it with some kind of apparatus,” Sarabi said. “The meat skewers are designed to transfer the heat to the middle of the meat.”

Sarabi owns all kinds of metal skewers that are custom made for ease of grilling. Many them have a twist at the top, which stops the heat from going to the handle.

“Every region in Iran has different kebabs,” he said of his native land. “And there’s some level of skewering or grilling in every culture - the Italians, the Argentinians and all of Asia.”

At his Italian restaurant in Healdsburg, the chef does a lot of his grilling in the pizza oven, but at home, he uses a Weber gas grill.

“The key to grilling is high heat,” he said. “You want mesquite or fruit wood that intensifies and maintains the heat. With a gas grill, make sure the grates are very, very hot.”

Unlike most Americans, the Iranians never allow their marinated kebabs to touch the grates.

“You want them suspended in the air, but not touching,” said Sarabi, who uses an angle iron (long piece of steel or iron bent at a right angle) at the front and the back of his grill to slightly elevate the skewers. A couple of bricks would also do the job.

In Iran, the meats for kebabs are always marinated, and the marinades for chicken, beef and lamb kebabs vary only slightly. One of the tricks, however, is to apply the marinade over a period of time.

According to Sarabi, you should add the salt and pepper first, wait about 10 minutes, then add the acid (lemon or lime), and wait again. Add the spice, such as saffron or the lemony sumac, then let the meat sit some more, and add the olive oil last.

“You need to add each ingredient gradually, to layer the distinctive flavors,” he said. “That adds the depth.”

While grilling the meat, Sarabi generally keeps the lid down on his gas grill, but he constantly brushes the kebabs with extra marinade, to keep them moist and give them a bit of color.

The Persian method for making rice also requires a bit of technique. It involves a multi-step process of soaking, parboiling, rinsing, and steaming the Basmati rice. The key ingredient is butter, which creates the crisp and delicious “tahdig” crust at the bottom of the pan.

“To tell you the truth, people just want to eat the rice,” Sarabi said of the light, flaky end result. In Iran, the rice and kebab accompaniments are often served first, immediately followed by the kebabs. A skewer is placed directly on the rice, and the kebab is held steady with some Persian naan flatbread as the skewer is pulled out.

When he’s entertaining at home, Sarabi likes to serve the kebab dishes family-style, with different platters of meat, vegetables, rice and a raita (yogurt and cucumber) dip passed around the table.

“When you serve the kebabs, put a piece of bread underneath,” he said. “All the juices from the meat marry with the bread and the tomatoes and the garlic dip.”

As a side dish, Sarabi often grills fresh corn in season, cooling it off with salt water, then tossing it in a bowl with butter, Aleppo pepper, Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper.

Sarabi, who grew up in Tehran, got interested in cooking after his father got a job managing Abali, a ski resort that opened in 1953 near the Alborz Mountains of Iran.

During his childhood, he often cooked with his grandmother, testing his culinary skill with simple dishes like clay pot stews or grilled corn.

“There were always a lot of people gathering around food,” he said. “We show affection by giving food.”

The following recipes are from Shari Sarabi, chef/owner of Baci Cafe & Wine Bar in Healdsburg. The marinades for three kinds of meat are listed first, then the directions for grilling all three. Sumac can be found at local spice shops or at Whole Foods markets.

Beef Kebabs with Marinade

Serves 4 to 6

2 pounds of beef tenderloin

½ onion, pureed

½ tablespoon of kosher or sea salt

¼ tablespoon of pepper

1 tablespoon sumac

½ cup extra virgin olive oil

¼ cup liquid saffron (see recipe below)

To prepare the beef, make sure to trim the fat and cut into equal 2-inch pieces. It is important that you follow these steps in order and allow about 5-7 minutes between each step. First salt and pepper the beef. Next add the onion, liquid saffron, sumac, and mix well. Last add the extra virgin olive oil and cover. The beef should marinate for at least a few hours; however can also be allowed to marinate overnight.

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Lamb Kebabs with Marinade

Serves 4 to 6

2 pounds of boneless lamb loin

½ cup of chopped Italian parsley

½ cup extra virgin olive oil

Juice of 2 limes

½ onion, pureed

4 cloves garlic, crushed

½ tablespoon kosher or sea salt

¼ tablespoon of fresh ground pepper

To marinate the lamb, first cut the loin into 2-inch pieces and place in a large bowl. It is important that you follow these steps in order and allow about 5-7 minutes between each step. First salt and pepper the lamb. Next add the onion, lime juice, parsley, and crushed garlic and mix well. Last add the extra virgin olive oil and cover. The lamb should marinate for at least a few hours; however can also be allowed to marinate overnight.

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Chicken Kebabs with Marinade

Serves 4 to 6

2 pounds of boneless chicken thighs and breasts cut into even pieces

Juice of 1 lemon

½ tablespoon of kosher salt

½ onion, pureed

¼ tablespoon of pepper

¼ cup liquid saffron (see recipe below)

½ cup extra virgin olive oil

To marinate the chicken. cut the breasts and thighs into 2-inch pieces and place in a large bowl. It is very important to follow the steps in this exact order, and also allow each layer of the marinade to sit for a few minutes before moving on to the next step. First salt and pepper the chicken. Next add the lemon juice, then followed by the liquid saffron. Add the onion. The final step is to add the extra virgin olive oil. You can let the marinade sit for a few hours or as long as over night.

Grilling the meats: We use the same technique for each of the different types of meat that you have marinated. First you will need to divide the meat up and skewer them onto metal kebab rods evenly. Look for a good, heavy duty kebab rod that is made out of stainless steel. We usually grill the kebabs on our barbecue; however we do not place the skewers directly onto the grates. Instead, it is important to suspend the meat 2 inches above the actual grates so to allow cooking of the kebabs to occur evenly and without burning or charring the surface. To achieve this, we use angle irons that are covered in aluminum foil and placed on the grill. You can also use bricks covered in foil to rest the skewers on. The kebabs should be turned every couple of minutes during the cooking process and approximate cooking times are: 10-12 minutes for the chicken, and 8-10 minutes for the beef and the lamb. However, the time will depend on the heat of your grill and the temperature that you prefer your meat to be. We recommend that the beef and lamb both be served between rare and medium rare. It is very important to allow the kebabs to rest for 10 minutes before serving.

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Grilled Corn

Serves 4 to 6

6 ears of cleaned,fresh sweet white corn

2 tablespoons of Aleppo pepper

2 tablespoon of butter

¼ cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese

¼ cup chopped Italian parsley

Kosher salt

Fresh ground black pepper

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

First, heat the grill and remove the husk from the corn. Cook the corn directly on the grates and make sure to consistently turn it while cooking. You want to get some charring on the corn; however be careful not to overcook it. Once the corn is cooked, remove from the grill and cut each ear into 3 equal pieces. In a large bowl, place the butter and oil first. Add the hot corn and toss. Then add the Parmesan cheese while tossing, then in the Aleppo pepper, and lastly the parsley. Season with salt and pepper to taste, then plate and serve hot.

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Roasted Tomatoes

Serves 4 to 6

6 firm ripe Roma tomatoes

¼ cup extra virgin olive oil

Kosher salt

Pepper

Wash and dry the tomatoes, and place them on the skewers whole. Brush them with olive oil and liberal amounts of salt and pepper. Grill using the same technique as the kebabs.

While they are cooking. make sure to keep turning them and also keep brushing with olive oil. You want a bit of char on the skin of the tomatoes and the entire process should take 10-14 minutes. We serve one tomato per person alongside kebabs and rice.

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Cucumber Dill Yogurt Dip

Makes 5 to 6 cups

2 cups of peeled and seeded hot-house cucumber, diced

½ cup of white onion, diced very fine

1 tablespoon kosher salt

1 bunch of dill chopped rough

½ teaspoon of pepper

24 ounces of good Greek yogurt

First peel and remove the seeds of the cucumbers, then dice into small even pieces. Next dice the onion very fine and mix together with the cucumber in a bowl. Next remove the stems on the dill and give it a rough chop. Put the yogurt in a large bowl, but make sure to drain any excess liquid that is in the container first. Mix the onion, cucumber, yogurt and dill together in the large mixing bowl. Season with the salt and pepper.

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Persian Style Basmati Rice with Tahdig

Serves 4 to 6

1 pound high quality basmati rice

½ stick of unsalted butter

3 tablespoon of olive oil

½ cup kosher salt

2 tablespoon liquid saffron (see recipe below)

3? cup of water

First, it is important to wash the rice several times until the water from the runoff is clear. After washing, put the rice in the bowl and cover with water until it is an inch above the rice. Add the salt and let it soak for at least a few hours, but can soak overnight.

Cooking rice in this fashion is very similar to cooking pasta.

In a large pot, add 3 quarts water bring to a boil. Next dump the rice in with the salt water that it was soaking in. Cook the rice for about 7-9 minutes until it doubles in size but is still al dente. Once the 7 – 9 minutes is done, drain the rice in a colander and rinse with cold water. Let the rice cool to room temperature before moving to the next step. Once the rice is room temperature and dry, in a large, nonstick Teflon pot add ½ stick of butter, ¾ cup of water and 3 tablespoons of olive oil. When the butter has melted, remove half of the liquid from the pot and save for later use. At this point you can add 2 tablespoons of liquid saffron to the pot. Add the cooled and dried rice to the pot and cook covered, over medium high heat. After 15 minutes, when the rice is steaming, add the rest of the liquid that you saved from the beginning to the top of the rice. At this point, place a kitchen towel, or paper towel under the lid of the pot and lower the heat to medium. After 35 to 40 minutes, the rice should be ready. Place a large plate upside down on the top of the pot and flip the pot over carefully in one motion, so the rice is caught on the plate. The rice should have a crispy, golden yellow top which is called tahdig. Let the rice cool for a few minutes, then serve along side kebabs.

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Liquid Saffron

Makes 1½ cups

2 grams of good quality Spanish saffron

½ teaspoon granulated sugar

2 tablespoon hot water

1 cup cold water

Place the saffron in a fine mortar and pestle with the granulated sugar. Grind to a very fine powder. Next place in a squeeze bottle and add the hot water. Mix well for a few minutes until very aromatic, then add the cold water. You can leave this in the refrigerator for future use. You can add a small amount of the liquid saffron to your favorite dishes, which will add to the aroma of the food.

Staff writer Diane Peterson can be reached at 521-5287 or diane.peterson@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @dianepete56.