Food on skewers can be cooked quicklyeach piece we insert is a perfect bite and we can use practically any food.

Skewers, in addition to being appetizing and very attractive preparations, are very practical. They are ideal for preparing barbecues, grilled meals and similar because we can cook many foods together in a very simple way.

Types of skewers

We have to take into account some details so that our skewers turn out great, especially if we are going to cook them.

• Wooden or bamboo skewers

We must soak wooden or bamboo skewers before using them. This is important both so that they do not break easily and so that they do not burn, important if we are going to grill, grill or barbecue them. It’s very easy, you just have to take your skewers out of the package, put them on a baking tray and cover them with cold water.

Ideally, they should soak for 30 minutes.so before starting, let them soak and prepare the ingredients.

If you have leftover skewers, drain them and store them in the freezer (in a container), and you will have them pre-soaked for next time. There is no need to defrost.

In the case of cold skewers, it is not necessary to soak them, but you do need to take a look at them and check that there are no splinters that, when inserting food, they can get stuck. To avoid it check them and give them a fine sandpaper to those that are rougher.

If you use metal skewers you have the advantage that you do not have to soak them, which they are reusable and they conduct heat very well. Of course, be careful when handling them when they are on fire because they burn.

Metal skewers won’t splinter, so also You can use them for cold skewers.

How to cook hot vegetarian skewers

To prepare hot vegetarian skewers, choose ingredients that cook and brown very well (and quickly) but without burning.

• Vegetables and mushrooms:peppers, onion, zucchini, mushrooms, cauliflower, broccoli, roasted or cooked new potatoes, cherry tomatoes, brussels sprouts, etc.
• Fruit: Watermelon and pineapple look great grilled, but also meatier ones like peaches, nectarines and plums. Use them only if the flavors combine well with the other ingredients.
• Others: tofu, seitan, tempeh, solid (and non-melting) vegan cheeses, large chunky vegetable meats, coarse textured soy (you have to hydrate and flavor it first), etc.

Tricks for cooking hot skewers:

To get great flavors when browning your skewers, you can marinate the ingredients before threading them, or the already assembled skewers, before cooking them.

Marinades can give us a lot of flavor, prevent the ingredients from drying out too much, and promote browning and caramelization.

They are very useful especially with foods that absorb well, such as tofu, tempeh, seitan, vegetable meats, cauliflower, broccoli or mushrooms.

To marinate your skewers you can use typical sauces such as yakitori or teriyaki, diluted with water, or make your own mixture of spices and sauces. For example:

1. Soy sauce, Gomasio, parsley, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, salt and water.
2. White wine, rosemary, thyme, garlic, parsley, onion, chilli and water.
3. Soy sauce, sesame oil, toasted sesame seeds, minced garlic, crushed onion, herbs de Provence, water.

It will be much better if the food marinates overnight, but the marinade can also be used to put on top of the skewers while they are being cooked.

• Skewer food and cook before serving. That is, do them as you go.
• Precook food cool, skewer and brown before serving. This is very useful if we want them to be done quickly when browning them, for example on the barbecue. You can carry them in a tupperware and make the skewers to your liking.
• Make the skewers and brown them at home (the day before for example) and then heat and serve. This way, if you go to a barbecue for example, you avoid having to cut and assemble things there.

Tofu skewers: easy recipe

istock

Ingredients:

• 600 g extra firm hard tofu
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1/8 teaspoon cumin powder
• Pinch of ground black pepper
• Pinch of grated fresh ginger (less than half a teaspoon)
• 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon brown sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 150 ml of water

Preparation:

1. Cut the tofu into large cubes or thick slices and thread it onto skewers that are not very large (less than 15 cm).
2. Mix the rest of the ingredients in a separate bowl or, if you can, beat them with the blender, adding the oil little by little at the end to create an emulsion.
3. Put the skewers on the grill and brush them from time to time with the sauce we have made. Turn them every few minutes.
4. We have to have some skewers with golden tofu, well done, but not burnt.
5. Serve them freshly made.

Vegetable skewers: recipe

istock

Ingredients:

• Red pepper
• green pepper
• purple onion
• Zucchini
• Medium size white mushrooms
• Some cherry tomatoes
• Some pitted olives
• Olive oil
• Salt

Preparation:

1. Wash the vegetables and cut them into medium pieces. Leave the tomatoes and olives whole.
2. Thread the pieces onto medium skewers and finish with a cherry tomato and an olive.
3. Pour a little olive oil over the skewers (preferably with an oil sprayer) and sprinkle with salt, and put it on the grill over high heat.
4. When they are marked, turn them over and let them do the other side as well.
5. If you prefer, you can brush the skewers with some sauce as we did with the tofu ones.
6. Serve them hot.

How to cook cold vegetarian skewers

As ingredients to prepare cold vegetarian skewersYou can use all those things that can be eaten without cooking.

• Vegetables and mushrooms: zucchini, cucumber, sweet peppers, onion, cauliflower, mushrooms, cherry tomatoes, pickles, etc.
• Fruit: all those in season, cut into pieces. For example watermelon, melon, banana, apple, pear, pineapple, strawberries, grapes, kiwi, avocado, nectarines, etc.
• Others: tofu, seitan, tempeh, solid vegan cheeses, vegetable meats in large pieces, coarse textured soybeans (you have to hydrate and flavor them first), roasted or boiled potatoes, etc.

Tricks for cooking cold skewers:

• Brown the food first, let it cool, skewer it and serve.
• You can take your already browned ingredients in a tupperware and the skewers separately and assemble them.
• Skewer raw foods (especially if they are fruits) and serve.
• The same, but with pieces of raw vegetables and fruits.

Fruit skewer: recipe

istock

Ingredients:

• Naturally sliced ​​pineapple or fresh pineapple slices
• seedless watermelon
• Cantaloupe or galia melon
• One or two bananas
• Some fresh raspberries
• Some fresh blueberries
• A couple of water pears

Preparation:

1. Wash the fruits first. You can leave them in the refrigerator so they are cooler.
2. Peel them (those that need it) and cut them into medium pieces. There is no need to cut the raspberries and blueberries, we will string them whole.
3. To better cut the watermelon and melon, first cut them more or less in half and make another parallel cut, this way we get a slice that we can put on a plate and cut into cubes.
4. Use skewers that are not very large (less than 20 cm) and thread the ingredients alternating colors and flavors.

Optional: sauce to preserve them and give them a touch of flavor

Ingredients:

• The juice of half a lemon
• Half a glass of orange juice
• A little bit of sweetener (whatever you want, it’s just to compensate for the acidity of the lemon)

You just have to mix both juices with the sweetener and brush the skewers with it. This way the fruits will not dry out or oxidize so quickly while giving them a touch of fresh flavor.