Kowboy Kebabs! ....(as in cowboys)...it's all Greek to me!

I have a habit of repeating myself,  it may drive you nuts but sometimes it is a good thing as it can save you MONEY! just as it saves me. As I have said before, I buy pretty much the same sort of groceries every week and stick like a limpet to my shopping budget. I am never swayed by the supermarket speak of 'reduced price' this and 'special offer' that because they rarely end up being bargains! especially if you know exactly what you pay for that item per kilo or per litre on a normal day. But I'm not slamming the supermarkets completely, occasionally you will get a genuine bargain, but it is the exception rather than the rule........and as the Godfather would say.it's not personal, it's business...and they are in the business to make money.

Each week there will be minced pork on my shopping list, in comparison to the price of beef or fish or even chicken, it is cheaper per kilo, it's lean, healthy so of course I will buy it. I see it as a weekly challenge then to come up with something interesting and different to do with it.

Using a simple and reliable meatloaf recipe can yield things other than a meatloaf.  Although meatloaf is scrumptious, especially mine, it is nice to jazz it up and even present it in a different manner.
These 'Kowboy Kebabs' are a meatloaf recipe shaped like a mini Greek style kebabs, They are cooked individually on wooden skewers and can be cooked on the bar-be-que....that's if we ever see a summer in Ireland!.......or roasted in the oven, cooked on an electric griddle or cooked under a gentle grill....the choice is yours. For this recipe I did them in the oven.

I served them up American style with some baked potato wedges, chipotle mayonnaise, and as it's Sunday some honey roasted root vegetables on the side....simple, effective....delicious! you might like to serve them with some nice mixed leaves, some coleslaw & potato salad at a BBQ.

You will need: to feed 4 people

500 g lean minced pork
1 small white onion
1 small chill or 1 teaspoon chilli powder
half red pepper
50 g porridge oats
2 teaspoons smoked paprika
2 cloves garlic
olive oil
sea salt, black pepper
some wooden or bamboo skewers or metal ones if you have them

How to:

• steep your wooden skewers in water while you prepare the meat....this will stop the wood burning during cooking!
• place the minced pork in a mixing bowl....make sure it's big
• peel and chop the onion as fine as you can and add to the meat
• cut the chilli in half and remove the seeds, keep them in if you like it hot, then chop the chilli very fine ( or just use chilli powder) add to the meat
• add the porridge, crush the garlic and add, season with salt and pepper, add the smoked paprika
• get in with your hands and give everything a good mix around, be sure to scrub you hands very well after to get rid of any chilli! you could always use a food mixer with a spade attachment if
  
  you like....that's what I do...so no chilli danger there!....or wear rubber gloves!
• divide the meat into 4 equal amounts and roll each into a smooth ball, then begin to shape each ball into a long sausage shape
• place each sausage on a non stick roasting tray and pierce with a skewer, repeat with the remaining meat
• brush will olive oil before cooking.....I roast these at 180oC for 30 - 40 minutes but check the centers just to make sure they are cooked

If cooking them on the BBQ it might be a good idea to make them thinner and maybe give 2 per person rather than one really thick one.......remember. food safety first when BBQ'ing.