PHILADELPHIA — Just because you’re hanging out in a parking lot doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy professional-caliber food while you’re waiting for the game to start. A few of Philly’s chefs recently offered their ideas.
At Suraya, Fishtown’s Lebanese restaurant, chef/owner Nick Kennedy cooks every day over an open bed of coals that could be replicated in a small grill outside the Linc. For a do-it-yourself version of his kafta kebabs, he suggested mixing ground beef with parsley, cumin, and other spices that give it a warm, savory flavor. He recommended forming the kebabs the night before. It helps the meat set better, he said, plus it takes most of the work out of game day.
“Don’t overcomplicate it,” he said. “Otherwise, you won’t be able to enjoy yourself while you’re doing it.”
He accompanied the skewers with onions, tomatoes, and spicy long hot peppers, throwing the onions in their skins right on the coals for eight to 10 minutes until they’re charred black on the outside. Give them another few minutes to rest, then peel off the black layer, and they’re sweet and juicy inside.