Lazy Man's 10-mins Beef Shashlik

I am probably the laziest cook in the world. While I do enjoy cooking, I am constantly looking for new ways to be ‘lazy’ in the kitchen. I often plan ahead of time, so that I can be ‘lazy’ on some days; last night was one of those days. 

These are some of the things I do so that I can be ‘lazy’:

1.  I cook a large amount of rice, divide it into single serving size, wrap it up, and freeze them. (This is a lifesaver for me because I don’t have a rice cooker, and rice always take longer to cook)
2. I cut, blanch and freeze vegetables. (My mom probably disapproves of this, but I think this is a money-saver for me because the vegetables don’t go bad)
3. I make a large bowl of salad on Sunday and divide it between 5 takeaway containers; this will be my lunch for the week. (This saves me lots of time in the morning)
4.  I pre-cut vegetables that I will be using for the coming  week on Sunday nights.
5.  I marinade some of the meats that I will be using for the coming week on Sunday nights.
6.  I look for recipes that uses only 1-pot/pan because I hate washing a whole load of dishes. (Maybe that explains why I never really liked baking as much)

These lazy tactics are really time-savers; dinner last night only took me 10 minutes and it was awfully delicious! I call it the Lazy Man’s Beef Shashlik! A few days back, James and I were talking about how much we enjoy skewers, and our friend Rowena showed us this recipe from her cookbook. I decided to give it a try last night and it was so simple, yet was a wonderful way to kick start the week.  I marinated the meat on Sunday, and precut the capsicum, mushroom and onion too! All I had to do yesterday was to skewer the beef and vegetable before grilling it.

Lazy Man’s Beef Shashlik 

Adapted from Meat: How to Choose, Cook & Eat it by Adrian Richardson 

Ingredients

• 1kg beef rump, cut into 3 cm cubes 
• 2 medium onions, cut into 3 cm dice 
• 2 red peppers, cut into 3 cm dice 
• 1 box cherry tomatoes
• 100g button mushrooms
• 200g thick-cut rashers smoky bacon, cut into 3 cm dice
• salt & freshly ground pepper

Marinade 

• 1 cup red wine 
• 3 garlic cloves, chopped 
• 2 bay leaves
• 3 springs thyme 
• 1 medium onion, roughly chopped
• 2 tbsp olive oil 
• 1.5 tsp freshly ground pepper

Directions

1. Place the cubed beef in a shallow container. Add the marinade ingredients and use your hands to toss well so the beef is evenly coated. Cover the plastic wrap and leave the marinade to refrigerate overnight.
2. When ready to cook, preheat your barbecue to high. Drain the marinated beef and pat it dry on kitchen paper.Thread the beef, onion, pepper, mushrooms, bacon, tomatoes onto skewers, alternating to your liking.
3. Season the shashliks lightly then grill for 8 mins, turning them frequently so they colour and cook evenly.
4. Remove the shashliks from the heat and serve.

Serves 4