While shopping at Rustan’s Supermarket recently, I saw some beef skewers on the meat counter. Threaded with onions and bright red and green bell peppers, the kebabs looked very appetizing. Even better, they were ready to cook, which meant less effort in the kitchen. I quickly bought some and cooked them the other night for dinner.

With a little more effort, you can make your own beef kebabs at home. They’re not only easy to serve on weeknights, but are also great for family get-togethers, such as this Easter Sunday or the coming summer weekends.

Just be sure to use a tender cut of beef such as tenderloin or sirloin. Use red, green and even orange bell peppers to add a lively color to the kebabs. To round off the meal, serve the kebabs with some steak sauce or a fruit chutney, and side dishes such as corn on the cob, rice pilaf, potato salad or macaroni salad.

Beef kebabs

1 kilo beef tenderloin
1 whole head of garlic, crushed
½ cup olive oil
3-4 green bell peppers
3-4 red bell peppers
1-2 shallots
Barbecue skewers
Salt and pepper
Cooking oil, for brushing grill

To serve:
Barbecue sauce or a fruit chutney
Side dishes such as grilled corn on the cob, rice pilaf, macaroni salad, potato salad

Slice the beef into cubes about 1” x 1” thick. Combine the garlic and the olive oil and marinate the beef in the mixture for at least one hour.

Dice the bell peppers and the shallots. Thread the beef cubes, peppers and shallots on to barbecue skewers. Use about four to five beef cubes per skewer and alternate them with the peppers and onions. Season with salt and pepper.

Brush a grill with cooking oil so the kebabs don’t stick. Preheat the grill to medium. Grill the kebabs over medium heat, turning frequently, until the beef is of desired doneness: one to two minutes for medium rare, two to three minutes for medium, and three to four minutes for well-done (Note: Well-done is not advisable as this dries out the beef).

Serve with barbecue sauce or a fruit chutney, and your desired side dishes.