The Teen Gourmet: Ordinary Fare With Flair

posted May 5, 2008
  by Christine Gable, Kiddie Chow

Time for the Wednesday Teen Gourmet again. The neat thing about this menu is that I’m the one who gets to decide what the teenage chef is going to be cooking. Just in time for Mother’s Day too. Not to mention that I even get to provide guidance as to what step comes next.

As you may remember, my son expressed an interest in cooking some “more gourmet-ish” foods recently. And when our schedule (and his homework load) allows, he cooks dinner for us one night a week. This particular week I perused a few cookbooks to find some foods that would provide a bit more flair to our ordinary fare.

That’s when I happened to think about the grill that we use occasionally when we’re in the mood to grill—indoors. With a non-stick griddle on one side and a ridged grill on the other, we’ve actually been able to place it over the gas stove for (almost) barbecued flavor from turkey burger, regular ole burger, boneless chicken—even marinated tofu and veggies. While it doesn’t impart that true barbecue grilled smoky flavor, it does give that hot sizzled flavor that only cooking on a hot grilling surface can.

So, this could be perfect for our next foray into gourmet cooking. This whole gourmet endeavor strikes me as a bit unusual (and rather funny) because I’ve never considered myself to be a gourmet cook, much less to be knowledgeable in it. The times that we’ve eaten in such restaurants, they’ve seemed too fussy, a bit too over done with the food ultimately disappointing. While the flavor was fine, it was the presentation and the fancy, no-kids-here attitude that I just don’t go for. I would much rather have a laid-back family dinner with laughter, conversation and good ol' home-cooked food (be it vegetarian or meat-lovers') to truly hit the spot.

So when I refer to our gourmet dinners, please know that it is tongue-in-cheek, per se. It’s a step up in preparation and skill level, for sure—but considered true gourmet fare by a gourmand? Don’t know.

Back to our dinner.

After a day at school, my son loves to be out of doors, so he usually takes a long bike ride. And on this day, as I was thinking what we could make together, I decided to prep the veggies so that when he got back from riding, he could do the final steps and the actual cooking. And hey, isn’t that the best part—and the most fun part?!

So in preparation for grilling some indoor shish-kebabs, I washed and chopped the veggies, soaked the skewers and cut the meat into 1-inch cubes. And by the time he blew in the door, it was time to slide everything onto skewers and preheat the grill. The great thing about making shish-kebabs for a meal is that you can alternate the ingredients and personalize the skewers to each family member’s preferences. So if you have vegetarians, use tofu, tempeh or Boca burger cubes interspersed with the veggies.

Shish-kebabs also make it fairly easy (and tasty) to get your kids eating vegetables. As finger food, it’s fun and informal to have everyone sitting around sliding those goodies right into their mouth. We’ve had zucchini, onion, red and green pepper and cherry tomatoes all pass with flying colors.

So how about having your kids try their hand at some shish-kebabs at your house soon—perhaps you could even hint that it would make a nice Mother’s Day gift. One thing’s for sure: I wouldn’t mind any meal—much less this one—that my kids are willing to cook for me. And who knows, you might even get to enter the gourmet zone too.

Next week: Aprons Deux


Shish-Kebabs with Peanut Dipping Sauce Recipe
http://www.cdkitchen.com/


Serves/Makes: 4
Ready in: < 30 minutes

* 1 pound boneless chicken, cut into 1-inch pieces
* 1/2 pound tofu, cut into 1-inch pieces (optional for the vegetarians)
* 1/2 pound mushrooms, cut in half
* 8 cherry tomatoes
* 12 pearl onions
* 1 red pepper, cut into 1-inch pieces
* 1 green pepper, cut into 1-inch pieces

***Dressing***

* 1 tablespoon Italian dressing
* 1 tablespoon soy sauce
* 1 teaspoon minced garlic
* 12 (10-inch size) wooden skewers, soaked in water 10 minutes

***Peanut Sauce***

* 1/4 cup peanut butter
* 1 cup water
* 1/2 teaspoon soy sauce
* several flakes of red pepper

In a small bowl, stir together the dressing ingredients: Italian dressing, soy sauce and garlic. Pour half over the chicken (and tofu, if using), and let set while prepping the remaining veggies (about 5-10 minutes). After vegetables are chopped, place them in bowls and drizzle with remaining dressing.

Now for the fun: Slide alternating chicken chunks and veggies onto skewers.

Preheat grill over medium heat and spray with vegetable spray. Place filled skewers on grill, turning after 3-4 minutes per side. Cook for a total of 12-15 minutes, until chicken is firm and juices run clear from center. Serve over rice with peanut sauce, if desired.

Peanut Sauce: Blend all ingredients for 10-15 seconds until creamy. Pour into small saucepan and heat over low heat until thickened, stirring often. Serve in small bowls or on the side for dipping.

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For more info and updates on Christine Gable, visit her personal website at:
http://www.christinegable.com/

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