Labor Day pays tribute to the contributions and achievements of American workers*, and an all-American cookout is traditionally on the menu?

But what if you decided instead to observe the cuisine of laborers elsewhere?

Most of us have a Labor Day grilling routine. We decided to try a different grilling menu, focusing on a sure-to-delight theme: skewers.

The word kebab† refers to fish, meat or vegetables that are roasted or grilled on a skewer or spit. In the U.S., “skewers” has become the term used outside of Mediterranean restaurants.

This Labor Day we’re going kebab crazy, with grilled skewers and Greek and Middle Eastern sides, the latter called mezze in Greek.

Scroll down to see all the mezze. The hardest part for us is deciding what to make (or buy). We want them all!
 
 
SKEWERS, A.K.A. KEBABS, KABOBS & OTHER SPELLINGS

Instead of an American buffet with grilled whole foods like brats, burgers, chicken, fish, franks or steaks, we’re grilling skewers of some of the same meats:

 
(Personally, we’ve decided on chicken, scallops and shrimp.)
 

MEZZE TO SERVE WITH YOUR SKEWERS

We decided to bypass the corn on the cob and potato salad for Mediterranean sides, like Israeli salad and basmati rice pilaf with dried fruits and almonds.

We’ve also chosen three Mediterranean spreads, to enjoy on their own or dip with pita triangles.

Because hummus, baba ganoush and tabbouleh are everyday foods at our house, we chose three other: tzatziki/cacik seasoned yogurt, which is a great side to the grilled meats; skordalia, garlicky potato purée; and melitzanosalata, a chunky eggplant dip.

Mediterranean Dips/Spreads

In Greek these are called mezze (MEH-zay), meze in Arabic. They are a selection of small dishes that originally accompanied drinks, either as a snack or as a first course to a meal.

Mezze can include the dips and spreads on this list, served with pita; plus dolmades (stuffed grape leaves), falafel, feta, halloumi cheese, kibbeh, olives and other Mediterranean delights. Check out this list for a “full menu.”

Depending on country—Greece versus any of the countries in what was formerly called the Levant*—there may be different names for the same or similar dishes. For example, Greek tzatziki is Turkish cacik.

Here are a dozen favorites. Note that spellings may differ because the names are transliterated into the Latin alphabet from the Arabic or Greek alphabets.

Babaganoush: Smoky roasted eggplant and tahini combine in a dip that can be smooth or chunky. Baba ghannouj is another spelling. Here’s a recipe.

Cacik: The Turkish name for tzatiki, a yogurt and cucumber dip. It is pronounced kah-SEEK.

Ezme: Similar to Israeli salad, ezme is a Turkish salad of finely chopped tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, mild peppers, parsley and olive oil.

Hummus: A paste of chickpeas, olive oil, garlic and spices. There surge in popularity has resulted in dozens of blend-ins, from the traditional Mediterranean flavors (olive, red pepper) to the trendy (chipotle, edamame hummus, everything bagel topping). Here’s a recipe to make your own.

Labneh: Labneh is thick, strained yogurt with a consistency similar to spreadable cheese like cream cheese. It is spread onto pita. Here’s more about it, and a recipe.

Htipiti: Htipiti (tee-PEE-tee) is a spicy spread of roasted red pepper and feta, mixed with olive oil, thyme, shallots and garlic. It can be smooth or chunky, and is closely related to kopanisti and tirokafteri (see below).

Melitzanosalata: This traditional Greek Eggplant dip is difference from baba ghanoush in that the latter is Levantine‡ and uses tahini. Melitzanosalata is Greek and doesn’t have tahini. Common ingredients are eggplant, olive oil, garlic, lemon, salt, pepper. Some melitzanosalata recipes add onion. Chopped parsley is a traditional garnish.

Muhammara: A Syrian dish of roasted red peppers, walnuts and pomegranate molasses.

Skordalia: A Greek potato and garlic dip (purée).

Tabbouleh: A salad of bulgur, chopped parsley, mint, onion and tomatoes, seasoned with olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper.

Taramasalata: A spread made from tarama, cured carp (or other fish) roe, whipped with lemon juice and olive oil.

Tirokafteri: Feta cheese dip, similar to htipiti. It includes feta, olive oil, red wine vinegar, chopped chilies or red pepper flakes, oregano, and often roasted red peppers (not hot) and yogurt. Kopanisti, another spicy feta dip, includes olive oil, lemon juice, mint, pepperoncini, garlic and red pepper flakes.

Tzatziki: A yogurt and cucumber dip. It is very similar to Indian raita, and like the latter, it is also served with grilled meats. Here are recipes for both.

[1] We can’t wait for this assortment of kebabs, a.k.a. skewers (photo © Victoria Shes | Unsplash).

[2] The classic shish kebab: lamb skewers, served with tabbouleh (photo © Stix Restaurant | NYC).

[3] Mixed vegetable skewers, always popular. You can also make skewers of cherry tomatoes (photo © Pixabay | Unsplash)).

[4] How about grilled, halved beefsteak tomatoes? (photo © Tolga Ahmetler | Unsplash).

[5] Shrimp skewers (photo © Seasoned Skewers).

Spell it kebap, kabab, It appears in Turkish texts as early as the 14th century, meaning roasted meat.

It may be broiled or grilled on skewers, but also the word also refers to meatballs, stews and other formats.

In English, the word has come to mean food on a skewer, be it small chunks of meat, seafood, vegetables, seitan, tofu, etc.

The word kebab likely came to English in the late 17th century from the Arabic kabāb, which has roots in the Persian, Turkish, Urdu and other old tongues, including Aramaic and its predecessor, Akkadian.

The skewered form has spread around the world, from Europe and the U.S. to the satays of Southeast Asia.

________________

*Labor Day is observed on the first Monday in September. It was created by the labor movement in the late 19th century and became a federal holiday in 1894. Here’s more about it.

†The word kebab came to the English language in the late 17th century, from the Arabic word kabāb. Kabāb, in turn, derived from kabab, from the Persian, Turkish and Urdu languages. Transliterated from the Arabic alphabet, there are various spellings including kabob and kebap.

‡The Levant was a large area in southwest Asia: south of the Taurus Mountains, with the Mediterranean Sea as the western boundary, and the north Arabian Desert and Mesopotamia in the east. “Levant” is an English term that first appeared in 1497. It originally referred to the “Mediterranean lands east of Italy.” The historical area comprises modern-day Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine and Syria. Among other popular foods, Levantine cuisine gave birth to baklava, falafel, kebabs, mezze (including tabbouleh, hummus and baba ghanoush), pita and za’atar, among other dishes that are enjoyed in the U.S. and around the world.

[1] Delicious, nutritious chickpea toast (photo © Betsy Haley For Salt & Honey Catering).

[2] Dried chickpeas will expand to twice their weight. These are from America’s leading provider of artisan beans, Rancho Gordo (photo © Rancho Gordo).

[3] Green chickpeas in the pod (photo © Hannah Kaminsky | Bittersweet Blog).

Move over, avocado toast—one more time. We previously wrote about mushroom toast, and it was delicious.

But now, there’s something more nutritious and less expensive than both of those toasts combined!

Bay Area Catering Company Salt & Honey Catering in Oakland, California has shared their popular Garlicky Chickpea Toast recipe with us.

In addition to a delicious change, there are benefits to chickpeas over avocados:

 
 
RECIPE: GARLICKY CHICKPEA TOAST WITH LEMON YOGURT

Make extra chickpea mixture if you wish; it’s delicious hot or cold and can be served as a side with eggs, vegetables, etc.

Ingredients

 
Preparation

1. COMBINE combine yogurt, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, zest from one lemon and a pinch of salt and pepper in a small bowl. Set aside.

2. HEAT the olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat; add the garlic and cook for one minute until fragrant.

3. ADD the chickpeas and the asparagus and cook, stirring occasionally, until the asparagus is just cooked through. Stir in remaining lemon juice, zest, red pepper flakes and fresh herbs.

3. SPREAD a dollop of yogurt onto a piece of toasted bread. Top with a heaping spoonful of the chickpea mixture. Finish with a pinch of salt and pepper.

________________

*Rehydrated dry chickpeas have a better texture than canned; and also aren’t packed with sodium. There are, however, low-salt and salt-free versions.

†If asparagus is out of season, you can substitute frozen asparagus; or broccoli (cut the cooked stems into strips and save the florets for another purpose), broccoli rabe, green beans or hearts of palm.

Including:

 
Check it out here.
 
 
ABOUT SALT & HONEY CATERERS

Founded by Dominican-American Olivia Colt, Salt & Honey believes in using locally sourced and sustainably raised-and-caught produce, meat and seafood.

The dishes are driven by the bounty of Northern California, finding inspiration in Caribbean, French, Italian and Mexican flavors.

The Bay Area catering and events company has created memorable weddings, parties and corporate events for Facebook, Google, One Kings Lane and smaller clients.

Need a caterer? For starters, head to the website.
 
  

The mini waffles recipe below. (photo #4).
 
 
RIM GARNISHES

We’d long wanted a set of wide-rim bowls (photo #1) that the better restaurants we patronize use to serve pasta, soup, and other foods.

The presentation never ceases to delight—especially when garnishes or decorations are set atop the wide rim.

We listened to all the reasons why these bowls were not a wise purchase: no more storage space in our small apartment, questionable number of uses per year, etc.

To those who questioned our judgment in buying a set of wide rim bowls (you know who you are!):
 
 
WHAT TO PUT ON THE RIM

We use our wide-rim bowls largely for entertaining, as opposed to daily use; but there’s no reason why you can’t do both.

No matter what’s in the bowl (cereal, chili, fish en brodo, grain bowls, green salads, ice cream, pasta and pasta salad, pudding, salad, soup, etc.), you can plate other foods on the rim.

Go wherever your imagination takes you, but here are some ways in which we “rim garnish” conventional foods:

 
Whatever garnish you might have put on a plate, place it on the rim and add some other compatible garnishes.

Truly, we have so much fun with this!
 
 
MAKING THE MINI WAFFLES

For August 24th, National Waffle Day, we copied this idea for mini waffles with two dipping sauces.

While in theory a breakfast dish, it was a great lunch!

In this recipe (photo #4), the ingredients have reversed places: The main food is plated on the rim, and the garnishes are in the bowl.

We didn’t have a mini waffle maker, so we made regular-size waffles and cut them into four smaller squares.

As for the dip, we used strawberry and vanilla yogurt; and garnished everything with blueberries and raspberries.

There are other waffle applications, too; for example:

[1] Soup with a rim garnish of halved cherry tomatoes, herb sprigs, and for a touch of luxury, lump crabmeat (photo © Seviche Restaurant | Louisville).

[2] A heaping bowl of pasta with an artistic rim garnish of minced herbs and breadcrumbs (photo © Explore Cuisine).

[3] Mac & Cheese with minced herbs (photo © Barilla Food Service).

[4] Mini waffles with dipping sauces (photo © Taisiia Shestopal | Unsplash).

[1] Caramel pecan waffle sundae (photo © St. Pierre Bakery).

[2] Deluxe dessert waffle plate (photo © Screme Gelato).

[3] Fudge waffles; the recipe is below (photo © King Arthur Flour).

[4] Chocolate sauce for the fudge waffles; the recipe is below (photo © King Arthur Flour).

[5] You can use the chocolate sauce to make s’mores waffles (photo © Posie Harwood | King Arthur Flour).

[6] Or, just use a simple chocolate drizzle (photo © Linus Mimietz | Unsplash).

[7] Or, make a banana split waffle sundae. Here’s the recipe (photo © Krusteaz).

August 24th is National Waffle Day.

With roots dating to the Neolithic Age (ca. 6000 B.C.E. to ca. 2000 B.C.E.), waffles, along with pancakes and bread, began as a rustic hotcake made of cereal pulps, cooked on heated stones.

As is still done thousands of years later, the cake was “flipped,” so that both sides could be cooked by the heat.

But these were bland sustenance foods: no syrup, no whipped cream and no chocolate sauce, of course; and likely, no salt and pepper.

Check out the history of waffles.

Before we jump into dessert waffles, check out How To Make Better Waffles, which includes cooking tips plus an introduction to savory waffles for lunch and dinner.

Also, the different types of waffles.
 
 
RECIPE #1: FUDGE WAFFLES (Photo #3)

Think of dessert waffles as waffle sundaes: the same ingredients as a sundae, with a waffle added.

This recipe, from King Arthur Flour, is like a hot fudge sundae on a waffle.

Prep time is 10 minutes, cook time is 30 minutes.

There are more dessert waffle recipes below, plus a template to customize your own dessert waffle recipes.
 
Ingredients

 
Preparation

1. COMBINE the eggs, butter and vanilla in a large mixing bowl and beat until light, about 2 minutes. Blend in buttermilk, then flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, salt and nutmeg. Gently fold in nuts and chocolate chips.

2. COOK the waffles in a preheated, well-greased waffle iron until done, following manufacturer’s directions.

3. SERVE with the ice cream of your choice and fudge sauce (recipe follows). The waffles can be served immediately, or wrapped in plastic wrap and served the next day. Warm them in a toaster oven if you wish.
 
Variation: S’mores Waffles

Top with toasted marshmallows and graham cracker streusel. Here’s the recipe.
 
 
RECIPE #2: FUDGE SAUCE/CHOCOLATE SAUCE (Photo #4)

People interchangeably use the terms chocolate sauce, fudge sauce, hot fudge and chocolate fudge sauce. The difference is in the details.

The main difference between hot fudge and chocolate sauce is the texture. Hot fudge tends is thicker and richer from the cream and butter used, while chocolate sauce is thinner, less rich and more pourable, due to corn syrup for added for pourability.

Ingredients For 1 Cup

 
Preparation

1. COMBINE the sugar, cocoa powder, corn syrup and milk half & half in a small saucepan. Stir to blend.

2. COOK over medium heat until mixture comes to a full boil; then reduce the heat to medium-low. Simmer, stirring occasionally, for 3 minutes.

3. REMOVE the sauce from the heat and add the butter and vanilla, stirring until the butter melts. Cool to room temperature, then store in the refrigerator.

4. SERVE warm or at room temperature. The sauce reheats easily in a glass cup in your microwave.
 

MORE SWEET DESSERT WAFFLE RECIPES

 
 
SWEET WAFFLE TOPPINGS

 
 
MORE DESSERT WAFFLE RECIPES

August 22nd is National BLT Day; April is National BLT Month.

We’ve applied the BLT concept to foods beyond sandwiches—from cocktails to guacamole. See the recipes below.

Thanks to DeLallo, we’ve now tried it with a bowl of fusilli col buco*. We’ve had it both as hot pasta and as a room temperature BLT Fusilli Salad.

There’s no mayonnaise; but rather, lots of Italian flavors.
 
 
RECIPE: BLT PASTA WITH FUSILLI COL BUCO

Ingredients For 4 Servings

 
Preparation

1. BRING a large pot of water to a boil. Carefully add enough water to make the water salty enough to taste like sea water (usually 2-3 tablespoons of kosher salt; add two tablespoons and check to see if it’s salty enough).

2. PLACE the pasta in the water and cook to al dente. Drain the pasta, reserving about 2 cups of pasta water. Set both aside.

3. PLACE a large skillet over medium heat and add the olive oil. Add the pancetta and cook until well browned and sizzling on all sides. Add the minced garlic to the pan and toss for 1 minute more.

4. ADD the sliced tomatoes to the pan and stir until softened, about 4 minutes. Reduce the heat to low and add the kale or spinach, and the antipasto mix. Toss to combine; the greens will begin to wilt in the heat. Add a good pinch of both salt and pepper.

5. ADD the pasta and about 1 cup of the pasta water. Toss to combine and warm through. The pasta water will help thicken the mixture, but if you’d like the mixture a bit saucier, add more of the reserved pasta water. Cook for about 3 minutes more on the stovetop. Taste and season as necessary.

6. ADD to a large bowl or individual plates. Garnish with the torn basil leaves, parmesan cheese and crushed red pepper flakes.
 

BLT RECIPES THAT ARE NOT A SANDWICH

 
And Sandwich Variations

 
 
> The History Of The BLT
 
> The History Of Pasta

[1] Here’s the BLT topping for the pasta (all photos © DeLallo).

[2] The ingredients for BLT Pasta.

[3] Fusilli pasta is a hollow, long-strand (ribbon) pasta. If you can’t find it locally, buy it online.

*Fusilli col buco is fusilli (corkscrew pasta), with a hole (col buco). That is to say, the strands are hollow. They’re long strand fusilli, not the more familiar short-cut. The hollow center makes it fun to eat. Numerous artisan brands make it; and you can buy it online from DeLallo. If you can’t find it, substitute spaghetti.

†DeLallo Antipasto Delight is a giardiniera-style mix of pickled vegetables, featuring crispy carrots, celery, cauliflower florets, sweet red peppers, Spanish stuffed green olives and mild pepperoncini, with tangy vinegar bite. Buy it online from DeLallo. Here’s a recipe to make your own.