What's Cookin, Chicago?: Foodbuzz 24x24: Mediterranean Kabob Party!

Tue, 08-02-2011
By: Joelen Tan

The summer is prime grilling season and rather than throwing the usual cookout with burgers, brats and hot dogs, we decided to host a summer cookout with a bit of ethnic flair. Some of our foodie friends joined us for some grilling fun at our Mediterranean Kabob Party! We prepared some Mediterranean inspired dishes and for fun, we had a Mediterranean kabob bar for our guests to be creative with.

To make our event even more special, FoodBuzz is featuring our Mediterranean Kabob Party for their July 24x24 Food Event. The FoodBuzz's 24x24 Food Event showcases food blog posts from 24 Foodbuzz Featured Publisher bloggers of 24 unique meals occurring around the globe during a 24-hour period. I was thrilled to be featured this month!

 
We originally wanted to host our Mediterranean Kabob Party outdoors, but due to the intense heat and humidity, not to mention the heavy rain down pour the night before, we decided it would be best to have the party indoors with air conditioning. So despite the change in venue, everyone was much more comfortable. 


For our table setting, I came across this idea on other blogs and websites where round, individual menus were printed for each guest. They fit perfectly inside the plates and chargers, so not to clutter up the table. We had stacks of freshly baked pita bread (plain and whole wheat) I picked up from the Middle Eastern bakery a couple blocks from our house and placed them on both ends of the table. To add some color and freshness, I also had platters of green grapes and strawberries for guests to snack on before, during and after our meal.


Before the guests arrived, we fired up out grill outside while I set up the kabob bar. There was an assortment of various ingredients for guests to create their custom kabobs. We had honey marinated lamb, curry yogurt marinated lamb, marinated chicken, marinated portobella mushrooms, white button mushrooms, bell peppers, red sweet onions, garlic cloves, grape tomatoes and fresh oregano and rosemary, straight out of the pot....

Everyone had a lot of fun making different kabobs. They were all so colorful and fragrant from the use of fresh meats, vegetables and herbs. They even looked good before they cooked and while on the grill... we couldn't wait to dig in!
While the kabobs were grilling outside (a special thanks to our dear friend Howard and my husband Louis for manning the grill out in the blazing heat), the rest of our guests hung out in our living room and enjoyed the appetizers I made. I had a nice spread of Sun Dried Tomato Hummus, Baba Ganoush, pita bread, crudités, an Olive, Dates & Greek Feta Cheese Platter, and a Pomegranate Lime Cooler.

Finally, the kabobs were ready and it was time to eat! At first glance, we thought that maybe we made too many kabobs for our party of 10, seeing the large platter of kabobs that seemed to be stacked up pretty high. Interestingly enough, we ate a whole platter full with the exception of 3 kabobs. I guess we were hungry! Here's the rest of the menu that we prepared and the rest of our guests enjoyed...



Sun Dried Tomato Hummus
with Pita Bread, Cucumber Slices & Baby Carrots

Baba Ganoush
with Pita Bread, Cucumber Slices & Baby Carrots

Olive, Dates & Greek Feta Cheese Platter

Tabbouleh Salad

Fattoush
(Lebanese "Crumbled Bread" salad)

Dilled Rice Pilaf
(unpictured)

Assorted Kabobs, Chicken Kabobs & Lamb Kabobs
with Tzatziki Sauce
Grilled Fruit 
with Greek Yogurt, Honey & Nuts


Cherry Tarragon Sorbet

Pomegranate Cocktails/Mocktails
A variety of wines


So the next time you plan on hosting a cook out and are ready to fire up your grill, try switching things up from the usual burgers and hot dogs. An ethnic spin is always a lot of fun and full of new flavors! Stay tuned all this week for recipes from our Mediterranean Kabob Party!

 

Source:  What's Cookin, Chicago?