There are over 30 varieties of Turkish kebabs which locals call “siskebabi,” “sis kebaps,” or “kebabi. Fish, vegetables, pork, beef, fruit, or fowl, are all put on wood or metal skewers and grilled over open flame or coals. Note: If you want to grill vegetables along with fish, chicken or small cubes of meat it’s best to parboil vegetables such as bell peppers, zucchini, carrots and other dense foods before skewering. Baby new potatoes can be scrubbed and par-boiled in skins or use canned whole potatoes. This recipe is courtesy of Rick Browne. Read more about favorite Superbowl Party dishes from chefs on the Burn! Blog here.

Ingredients

1 pound ground beef, or lamb
1 onion, chopped
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon ground red pepper
1 teaspoon cumin
1 tablespoon oregano
4 large tomatoes, cut in half from top to bottom
4 green bell peppers, seeded, cut in half lengthwise
2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup chopped, fresh parsley
Turkish type pita bread
Olive oil

Instructions

In a large mixing bowl combine the beef, onion, pepper flakes, ground pepper, cumin, and oregano, and mix well. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator overnight.
Preheat charcoal or gas barbecue to 375˚F.
Shape the meat mixture into 8 to10 sausage-shaped pieces, about an inch thick and 4-inches long, then let cool in the refrigerator for 20 minutes.
Place the meat lengthwise on the pre-greased skewers. Cook until you reach your desired degree of doneness, 4 to 5 minutes a side for medium rare.
Place the skewers on the grill. Cut both the tomatoes and the green peppers in half, brush with olive oil, season, and line the vegetables up next to the meat on the grill. Grill until both the peppers and tomatoes start to get char marks and are bubbling, turning once.
Warm the pitas by placing them on a cooler side of the grill and turning them frequently, do not burn them.
Remove the grilled meat from the skewers, sprinkle with parsley, and serve with the warmed pita bread as an appetizer.

Sambal is becoming more common, a spicy Malaysian chile paste that is widely used for a lot of Asian cuisine. You can find it in the Asian food aisle of any well-stocked grocery store. A generally straightforward mix of chiles, salt and vinegar (some have garlic and/or sugar), sambal can best be described as an Asian harrissa. It’s different from Sriracha in that it is nice and chunky with lots of seeds and bits of chile. It makes for a great shortcut to Arrabbiata and here’s the simple way to do it.

Read more about spicy pasta in Dave Mau’s article here.

Ingredients

1 1-pound box of Penne pasta
2 tbsp. Sambal Oelek
10 oz. of your favorite pasta sauce
Grated Parmesan, Pecorino Romano or Asiago cheese.
2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
Kosher salt

Instructions

Boil Penne in water with salt and olive oil until al dente.

Drain and return to pot, toss with Sambal, then pasta sauce.

Top with your favorite cheese and enjoy!