Recipes in this article: All-Purpose Shish Kebab Formula It's your choice: What to put on your skewer? Flavor: It's all in the paste Pineapple Cumin ... Curried Apple ... Jamaican Jerk-Style ... Orange Rosemary ... Moroccan-Style ... Asian-Style Also this week: Summer Grilling: Move the party outdoors! Ask Pamela Anderson a food question!

Summer Grilling

One recipe, many kebabs

Who doesn't like food on sticks? Here are some combos to please your guests.

Have it your way: Set out seafood, chicken and meat, along with a complementary array of fruits and vegetables, and let your guests build their own combos. Fruit juice pastes, flavored with herbs and spices, enliven the kebabs.

One too many bad cooking experiences caused me to avoid shish kebabs for the longest time. First of all, cooking meat and vegetables to perfection on the same skewer was difficult. Cherry tomatoes tended to overcook and deflate before the meat got done. Onion wedges often were still half-raw while meat chunks started to overcook.

I also had skewer troubles. I recall the night I served a beautiful array of meat and vegetables from incinerated bamboo skewers (even though I'd soaked them in water to prevent exactly such a thing). The ingredients also had a maddening tendency to twirl when I tried to turn them, further complicating the grilling process.

I decided that if I could solve a few of these problems, shish kebabs could be the perfect summertime party food. If I bought a variety of protein and vegetables/fruits for skewering, I could satisfy any guest. Those allergic to shrimp could have chicken. Those who don't eat red meat could opt for fish. And people like me, who enjoy it all, could thread on a little of each.

As I experimented, I observed that kebab-sized pieces of food overcooked before they could brown nicely. Solution: Toss them in flavored fruit juice pastes. These flavoring pastes are thick and sticky enough to adhere to the food and sweet enough to help it brown quickly, resulting in juicy, tender kebabs with stunning grill marks.

Some cooks segregate meat and vegetables to ensure even cooking -- efficient, but short on style. I hoped to find a way to alternate them on the skewer for a more aesthetically pleasing (and tasting) result. Eventually I found that by cutting the meat into slightly larger chunks than the vegetables, I could cook them together to near perfection.

Metal skewers with a flat blade hold meat and vegetables in place without twirling and should be a first choice for kebabs. But thin, round bamboo skewers are cheap and readily available and often are the only option, especially if you're making kebabs for a crowd. I found, however, that as long as I used the flavoring pastes (which helped the kebabs brown quickly) and threaded the skewer from point to base (leaving very little exposed bamboo), they did not burn. And I did soak the skewers in water for at least an hour before adding the food.

Finally, I found that using spring-action tongs to grasp as much of the skewer as possible when turning the kebabs (see photo, page 12) helps immensely. And removing cherry tomatoes -- the most aggressive twirler -- from the ingredient list doesn't hurt either.

Pam Anderson is author of the brand-new cookbook "CookSmart" (Houghton Mifflin, $28), as well as the popular "How to Cook Without a Book" and "The Perfect Recipe".

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All-Purpose Shish Kebab Formula

Flavoring paste (see below)
1 3/4 pounds of protein (see options on next page), cut into approximately 1 1/2-inch pieces (except shrimp, which are left whole)
1 3/4 pounds of vegetables and/or fruits
(see options on next page), cut into approximately 1-inch chunks (except mushrooms, which are halved or left whole)
1 1/4 tsps. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper

Prepare one of the flavoring pastes described on page 12, then set aside. Sprinkle the chunks of protein and vegetables/fruits with salt and pepper, then toss with selected paste.

Thread protein and vegetables/fruits on each of eight 12-inch or six 14-inch skewers, alternating between protein and 2 vegetable/fruits pieces and making sure not to thread too tightly. If using bamboo skewer, leave as little exposed wood as possible at each end to keep them from charring. Meanwhile, preheat gas grill, igniting all burners on high for at least 10 minutes. Or prepare charcoal grill, as usual.

Before grilling kebabs, use a wire brush to clean grill grate, then use tongs to wipe an oil-soaked rag over grate to prevent kebabs from sticking. Place skewers on the grill, close lid and grill on high until spotty brown, about 4 minutes. To turn skewers (particularly bamboo ones, on which kebab ingredients tend to twirl), grab as much of the kebab as possible from the side with tongs (preferably the spring-action type) and turn them quickly and decisively. Grill until spotty brown on the other side and the protein and vegetables/fruits are cooked through -- about 2 minutes for shrimp, 3 minutes for chicken breasts and fish, and 4 minutes for chicken thighs, pork, beef and lamb.

Let rest for a few minutes. If desired, serve with lemon or lime wedges and minced parsley or cilantro.

Makes 6 to 8 kebabs, serving 4 to 6.

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The flavor's in the paste

These pastes not only flavor the skewered meat, chicken, fish and vegetables but also help them brown quickly and attractively. The technique is simple: In each case, just heat the oil called for in a small skillet or saucepan over medium-high heat, add the herbs and/or spices, and cook until they start to sizzle. Add remaining ingredients and bring to a simmer. Simmer until reduced to a thick paste, 3 to 4 minutes. Set aside to cool.

A new turn on shish kebabs: One of the most frustrating parts of grilling kebabs is ensuring that all sides of the meats and vegetables/fruits get done. That's because the food tends to twirl on the skewers. To overcome that problem, use spring-action tongs to clamp down on the kebab, then turn it quickly.

Pineapple Cumin Flavoring Paste

1 Tb. vegetable oil
4 tsps. ground cumin
1/2 cup frozen pineapple juice concentrate, thawed

Curried Apple Flavoring Paste
1 Tb. vegetable oil
2 Tbs. curry powder
1/2 cup frozen apple juice concentrate, thawed

Jamaican Jerk-Style Flavoring Paste
1 Tb. vegetable oil
1 Tb. dried thyme leaves
1 Tb. dried oregano
1 tsp. ground coriander
1 tsp. allspice
2 Tbs. Dijon mustard
2 tsps. hot red pepper sauce
1/2 cup frozen limeade concentrate, thawed

Orange Rosemary Flavoring Paste
1 Tb. vegetable oil
2 Tbs. minced fresh rosemary
1/2 cup frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed
2 tsps. brown sugar

Moroccan-Style Flavoring Paste
2 Tbs. vegetable oil
1 1/2 tsps. paprika
1 tsp. each garlic powder, ground ginger, cumin
1/2 tsp. each cinnamon, cloves
1/2 cup frozen limeade concentrate, thawed

Asian-Style Flavoring Paste
2 Tbs. sesame oil
2 tsps. garlic powder
2 tsps. ground ginger
1 tsp. hot red pepper flakes
6 Tbs. soy sauce
1/2 cup frozen pineapple juice concentrate, thawed

Photos by BRIAN LEATART for USA WEEKEND