What is new on our Menu

We also had something new on our menu this week: chicken and vegetable shaslik on Friday. Typical summer dishes, lightly seasoned, fresh, and nutritious. The traditional shaslik is made from lamb, but there are so many variations that recipes exist for almost any kind of meat and vegetables.  

The secret of the shaslik is in the marinade, which makes them delicious and crumbly. You can use kefir or yoghurt-based marinade and try different kinds of vinegar for the marinade, but the main secret of shaslik is the abundance of onions. 

The skewers are either threaded with meat only, or with alternating pieces of meat, fat, and vegetables, such as bell pepper, mushroom, zucchini, tomato, garlic, etc. 

The meat is marinated overnight in a high-acidity marinade like vinegar, dry wine or sour fruit/vegetable juice with the addition of onions, herbs and spices.   

Ingredients for Meat Kebabs (Shashlik) 

Serving: 4 people 

800gram good quality meat of your choice, cut into small pieces 
2 Bell peppers, any color, sliced into small pieces 
1 large Purple Onion, sliced into small pieces 
15 medium bamboo or wood skewers 

Ingredients for Beef Kebabs Marinade: 

1 cup mild olive oil 
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice (from 2 medium lemons) 
1 tsp salt (we love fine sea salt) 
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper 
4 garlic cloves, pressed 
3 Tbsp fresh or frozen dill, chopped (or 1 Tbsp dry dill weed) 
2 dry bay leaves 

1. Combine all of your marinade ingredients in a large bowl (do not use aluminum) and stir to combine. 

2. Slice meat and transfer it into the marinade bowl, stirring well to coat. Marinate the meat in the refrigerator for 4 to 6 hours, stirring a few times while marinating to make sure meat is evenly marinated. 

Sometimes after long periods of refrigeration, the oil in the marinade can firm up a bit; it will liquify again if you let the marinated meat sit at room temp 30 minutes before skewering. 

3. Soak bamboo or wooden skewers at least 30 min before skewering. After the meat is done marinating, slice veggies and skewer them with meat onto Bamboo skewers. Brush/ pour remaining marinade over skewers. 

4. Grill steak shaslik over med/high heat for about 8-10 minutes or until you’ve reached the desired doneness, rotating every 2-3 minutes for even grilling. Remove shashliks from grill and let them rest at least 5 minutes before eating. If you cut them into right away, they will juice out and end up dry.