Persian Shishlik (Kebab)

Ingredients:

1 lb. beef sirloin, top sirloin, or filet
juice of 1/2 lemon
1 tsp liquid saffron (soak a few threads of saffron in a few tsp. of water)
4 tbsp. olive oil
1 tsp ground sumac
1 large red bell pepper
1 onion
2 Roma tomatoes
salt & pepper to taste

Trim any fat from the meat then cut into 2 1/2 cm (1 in.) cubes. Marinade the meat in the mixture of lemon juice, liquid saffron, olive oil, sumac and salt and pepper for at least 3 hours, preferably overnight. Cut and seed the green bell peppers, and the tomatoes into 2 1/2cm (1 in.) squares. Cut the onion into quarters. Pierce the meat, pepper, onions and tomatoes alternately onto a fine skewer and then grill over hot coals, turning frequently.

When cooked, push the kebabs off the skewers onto a warmed dish and serve immediately. This is great with couscous or rice pilaf, and a side salad.

Cook's note: For this recipe, I substituted lamb, which is the common meat used in making Persian shishlik, with beef. You can follow the traditional rack of lamb if you prefer.