There are a large variety of skewers available today, from simple bamboo to decorative ones -- be aware that a lot of the decorative ones cannot be placed in the oven. Rosemary makes a great natural skewer. Start with rosemary that is sturdy and coarse, not fragile and limp. You can skewer any raw foods with the rosemary. Remove about 1" of the leaves (figure A). Soak the rosemary in water about 15 minutes before using so it doesn't burn while cooking. Another way to use rosemary is with precooked food. Rosemary gives a wonderful flavor and is a fresh, vibrant garnish. Lemongrass also makes a terrific skewer. This herb is available in most Asian markets. You just peel some of the brownish leaves off the top (figure B), then cut a wedge shape off the bottom and use that for skewering. The lemongrass also needs to soak in water about 15 minutes before cooking. Lemongrass imparts a nice flavor to seafood -- shrimp or scallops are great to skewer with lemongrass and serve over a Caesar salad. Cinnamon sticks make great skewers (figure C) for roasting marshmallows and chinks of sweet potato. Long cinnamon sticks can be found in specialty stores or health-food stores. You can also use the long, thin cinnamon sticks in apples for caramel apples. (Another good skewer for apples is a hearty twig from the yard, washed thoroughly). Another great idea is to skewer banana pieces. Dip them in chocolate and then roll them in peanuts, coconut, etc., and skewer with one-third of a drinking straw. Freeze them for tasty party treats. Sugar cane is another natural skewer. You can buy it fresh or canned -- the canned is easier to find and to handle. If you do find the fresh, peel the outside layer off and cut carefully (it's very hard) into 1/4" lengths. Sugar cane imparts a wonderful, sweet flavor to whatever you are cooking. Pineapple, papaya and apricot are great to broil and coat with an apricot glaze and serve over a coconut bowl filled with tapioca (figure D) or over a bowl of ice cream. Books: Skewer It! 50 Recipes for Stylish Entertaining
By Mary Corpening Barber and Sara Corpening Whiteford
ISBN: 0811828158
Chronicle Publishing Co.
85 Second St., 6th Floor
San Francisco, CA 94105
Phone: 415-537-3730
Fax: 415-537-4440
Web site: www.chronbooks.com
Skewer Cooking: On the Grill
By Bob and Coleen Simmons
ISBN: 1558671226
Bristol Publishing Enterprises
14692 Wicks Blvd.
San Leandro, CA 94577
Phone: 800-346-4889
Fax: 510-895-4459
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