Cumin-Spiced Beef Kebabs with Hummus and Pita
Hummus and pita are not just snacks. In my household, they are often the foundations for a larger meal. I typically cook up some protein – tofu, chicken, lamb, or beef – and make a quick hummus pita wrap. Lunch or dinner, it’s easy and fuss-free (and likely to be less expensive than your local gyro joint).
If I’m feeling a bit fancy, as we all do in the kitchen from time to time, I’ll bring out the skewers because all foods are more fun on a stick, right? Beef takes a lot less time to cook than chicken, which makes it a good weeknight choice. On my grill pan it takes just a few minutes on each side. I finish with a sprinkle of cumin, and it’s like I’ve been transported to the Middle East in under 10 minutes.
Definitely give this simple weeknight dinner a try! I think it’d also be fun for entertaining. You could make a whole platter of grilled (or oven-baked) skewered proteins and have people assemble their own mini wraps. Maybe an idea for your upcoming holiday party, eh?
How would you jazz up hummus and pita for a full dinner? Let me know in the comments below.
Smarts:
We think meat tastes better and gets more tender if you spend just 1 minute doing this first:
A grill pan like this one cleans up easily and is perfect for when your summer grill is on vacation. Plus it’s plenty big.
- Ingredients
- NY Strip Steak – 1 1/2 lb.
- Soy sauce – 2 tbs.
- Cooking oil – 1 tbs. + 2 tbs.
- Cumin – 1/2 tsp. + 2/3 tsp.
- Skewers – 8 to 12
- Cucumber – 1/2 lb.
- Roma tomatoes – 2
- Dill – 1 sprig, chopped
- Lemon – 1/2, juice of
- Sour cream – 1 tbs.
- Coriander – 1/2 tsp.
- Salt – 1/4 tsp.
- Pita or flatbread – 4
- Hummus – for serving
- Steak – Chop into 1″ cubes. Marinate in soy sauce, 1 tbs. cooking oil, and 1/2 tsp. cumin and tenderize. (Ideally done 1 day ahead)
- Skewers – Soak in water.
- Skewer beef, ~5 cubes / kebab. I typically use 2 skewers per kebab. This makes it easier to flip the kebabs while cooking. You can check out this video to see what I mean (even though it’s done with salmon).
- Heat up a grill pan or griddle over medium-high heat. Add 2 tbs. cooking oil and then kebabs to heated oil. Grill on each side for about 1 1/2 to 2 minutes, rotating through all 4 sides. Remove from heat and let rest for ~5 minutes. For more well-done meat, cover with 2 layers of foil when you remove kebabs from the grill pan. They’ll cook some more (this is called carryover cooking).
- While meat is resting, chop cucumbers, tomatoes, and dill. Toss with lemon juice, sour cream, and some salt and pepper.
- Mix together 2/3 tsp. cumin, 1/2 tsp. coriander, and 1/4 tsp. salt. Sprinkle cooked kebabs with seasoning. Toast pita. You can take the meat off the skewers and make wraps with the hummus and vegetables or just enjoy as is!
