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As I’ve mentioned before, I love shish kebabs. This is an other tasty variation, with a northern african flavor: Paprika and Cumin. There is something special about these spices, they combine into such an enticing flavor, and create an unforgettable experience.

This recipe would be traditionally served with Harissa, but if you can’t find any, you can make this simple relish with tomatoes, shallots and hot Paprika.

Ingredients for the Beef Kebabs

– 1 1/2 lbs of some lean beef, about 1 inch think, cut into 1 inch cubes (I like to use London Broil, or eye of round, but many variations will do)
– 1 medium onion, grated
– 1/3 cup fresh parsley, finely chopped (or 1 TBPS dry parsley)
– 1 tsp cumin
– 1.5 tsp paprika
– 2 fresh laurel leaves
– 1 tsp salt
– 1 tsp fresh ground black pepper
– 2 TBSP olive oil
– more salt and cumin for serving

Ingredients for the relish

– 2 ripe tomatoes, grated
– 2-3 shallots, grated as well
– 3 TBSP fresh parsley, chopped finely
– 1 TBSP hot paprika
– 1/2 tsp paprika
– 2 TBSP olive oil
– 2 TBSP lemon juice (the juice of a fairly juicy half lemon)
– salt to taste
– fresh ground black pepper to taste

Preparation for the beef

– cut the beef into 1 inch cube, removing any unsightly pieces of fat.
– mix the oninon, parsley, cumin, paprika, laurel leaves, salt, pepper and olive oil into a non reactive bowl
– add the meat and mix thoroughly
– refrigerate overnight (yes, you can do it for only a few hours, but overnight will bring out more flavor!)

Preparation for the relish

– cut the tomatoes, seed them and grate them into a small bowl (using the coarser grate will work just fine)
– peel the shallots and grate them as well and mix with the tomatoes
– mix in the chopped parsley, add the hot paprika, cayenne pepper, olive oil, salt,pepper and lemon juice

This can be prepared ahead of time, even the day before if you refrigerate right away, but serve at room temperature.

Final steps

– place the meat on the skewer (flat metal one preferably, you’ll thank me later)
– preheat your grill to high for direct grilling (about 10 minutes)
– when the grill is hot, clean it with a metal brush, oil it with olive oil on a paper towel
– place the skewers on the grill and cook for about 3 minutes per side, for a total of about 10-12 minutes
– Serve right away with the sauce and I hope you enjoy!

Inspired from the Barbecue! Bible by Steven Raichlen, except I like to cut the meat into bigger chunks, and ad in some laurel leaves.