VEGETABLE AND BEEF KABOBS WITH CHIMICHURRI

This is my week to host The Food Matters Project. It has been 21 weeks of cooking together with 50 food lovers using Mark Bittman's philosophy and recipes as inspiration for our meal. This week I chose Mixed Grill with Chimichurri. Chimichurri is amazing, it's a very easy Argentinian herb sauce made with parsley and used to top grilled food. Mark's recipe uses parsley but you can substitute other herbs such as cilantro or basil. I followed his recipe using parsley.

When I chose this recipe months ago I had no idea that most of the veggies I would be using to grill would be picked from my garden. How exciting is that???

This was the first year we have grown potatoes. I always thought it was a waste of time since they are so inexpensive to buy.

I was SO wrong.....what a thrill it was to dig this up. They were delicious.

I decided to grill beef and vegetable kabobs.

The potatoes were cooked until almost soft and then finished on the grill. We have been thinning  our tomatoes and ended up with some green tomatoes and learned something new. They were great when grilled. They are on the middle skewer. 

Ron basted the beef and vegetable kabobs with the chimichurri sauce while they grilled.

We served the kabobs family style and passed the sauce.

To see the other members creatives takes on Mark's recipe stop on over at the Food Matters Project by clicking here.

Below is the original recipe as written from Mark Bittman's cookbook The Food Matters Cookbook.

MIXED GRILL WITH CHIMICHURRI

Makes 4 servings    Time  45 minutes

1 or 2 eggplants, cut into thick slices
2 cups fresh parsley (mostly leaves, but thin stems are okay)
Salt and black pepper
3 garlic cloves
1/2 cup olive oil, plus more for grilling
2 TBSP. sherry vinegar or lemon juice
1 tsp. red chile flakes
2 portobello mushrooms
2 summer squash, cut lengthwise into thick slices
4 ripe tomatoes, cored but left whole
12 ounces boneless, skinless chicken breast or pork tenderloin, cut in half crosswise and pounded to about 1/2 inch thick
1 bunch scallions

Prepare a grill or turn on the broiler; the heat should be medium-high and the rack about 4 inches from the fire. If time allows, sprinkle the eggplant liberally with salt, let rest in a colander for at least 20 minutes or up to an hour, rinse, and pat dry.

Combine the parsley with a sprinkle of salt and pepper, the garlic, and about 1/4 cup of the oil in a food processor or blender. Process, stopping to scrape down the sides of the container once or twice. With the machine running, add the remaining 1/4 cup oil gradually, then add the vinegar and chile flakes. Add a little bit of water if you want a thinner mixture. Taste and adjust the seasoning.

Brush the eggplant, portobellos, and squash with oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Working in batches, grill or broil the pieces, turning occasionally, until browned and tender, 15 to 20 minutes. When the mushrooms are done, slice them. As all the vegetables finish, transfer them to a large serving platter.

Brush the tomatoes and chicken with oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Again, working in batches, grill or broil the pieces, turning once, until the tomatoes are charred and collapsed and the chicken or pork is white or very slightly pink on the inside, 5 to 10 minutes total. Transfer to the serving platter and cut the meat up a bit if you like. Finally, cook the scallions (no need to brush them with oil), turning once or twice, until they are lightly charred, just a minute or 2. Drizzle some of the chimichurri over the meat and vegetables and pass the rest at the table.

Recipe by Mark Bittman from The Food Matters Cookbook