grilled southern turkish tamales & turkish pork kabobs with mediterranean orzo pilaf

How To Make grilled southern turkish tamales & turkish pork kabobs with mediterranean orzo pilaf

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  1.) Prepare Mediterranean orzo pilaf. Bring chicken broth to a boil in a large Dutch oven; stir in orzo. Reduce heat; simmer 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove from heat and cover. Melt 2 tablespoons unsalted butter in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add green bell peppers, green onions and garlic; sauté for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside. Drain any excess broth from orzo. Combine orzo and buttered sautéed vegetable mixture into a 2-quart round casserole dish, fold in diced tomatoes and sliced black olives; set aside.
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  2.) Wash out Dutch oven clean, dry inside out completely to prepare Southern Tamale leaves. Fill Dutch oven to 2-inches from rim with hot water. Bring water to a rapid boil. Turn off heat and add collard leaves. Let sit for 3 – 5 minutes. Quickly remove leaves from water and place leaves flat along side each other onto a few layers of paper towels. Place a large spoonful of Mediterranean orzo pilaf mixture in the center of each collard leaf. Fold the ends over the pilaf mixture to form a sealed packed. Secure each with toothpick for added protection. Place tamales onto a plate; set aside. Reserve remaining Mediterranean orzo pilaf to serve later with completed meal.
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  3.) Prepare pork kabobs. Season all sides of pork with a little salt and ground black pepper. Tread seasoned pork, eggplant, zucchini and red bell peppers alternately on each of 10 bamboo skewers, leaving about 1-inch space free from tops of each skewer. Brush each lightly with Italian dressing. Heat coal or gas grill for medium heat level. Place kabobs on lower rack of grill along side each other. Cover and grill kabobs over medium heat 10 minutes, turning and brushing with Italian dressing every 2 minutes. Add tamales onto outer edge or upper rack of grill and cook, for an additional 5 minutes longer for kabobs, brushing kabobs with Italian dressing and turning tamales one time within 2 ½ minutes, or until pork is no longer pink and vegetables plus tamales are tender.
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  4.) To serve, place grilled kabobs and tamales onto serving platters, along side of Mediterranean orzo pilaf, or serve even portions of each onto 6 individual serving plates.
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