Bill's Best Party Kebabs

My friend Bill makes these for his barbecue parties - they're his favorite! He especially likes the fact that they make their own sauce. Prep time includes marinating.

• Ready In: 4 hrs 30 mins
• Serves: 8

Ingredients

• 2  tablespoons butter
• 1⁄2 cup  chopped onion
• 1  small green bell pepper, diced
• 1  stalk celery, diced
• 1 -2  minced garlic clove, to taste
• 8  ounces canned tomatoes
• 6  ounces tomato paste
• 1⁄4 cup water
• 1⁄4 cup dry sherry
• 2  tablespoons light brown sugar
• 1 1⁄2 teaspoons vinegar
• 1⁄2 teaspoon salt
• 1⁄4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
• 1⁄2 teaspoon  hot pepper sauce
• 1  medium eggplant (peeled or not, it's up to you)
• 2  medium red bell peppers
• 2  lbs  cubed lamb or 2  lbs pork or 2  lbs chicken or 2  lbs turkey
•  bamboo skewer

Directions

1. In a 2-quart saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat and sauté the onion, green, pepper, celery, and garlic for 10 minutes or until tender.
2. Add the tomatoes together with their liquid, and the tomato paste, water, sherry, brown sugar, vinegar, salt, black pepper, and pepper sauce; raise the heat and bring to boiling, then reduce to low and simmer for 5 minutes.
3. Pour into a large container, cover, and chill.
4. Peel the eggplant if you're going to do so, then cut it lengthwise, then crosswise into 1-inch thick slices.
5. Core the red bell peppers and cut them into 2-inch pieces.
6. When the marinade has cooled, add the meat cubes, eggplant, and red pepper (and any other veggies you've decided to include, such as cherry tomatoes, small mushrooms, etc) and mix well; cover and chill, stirring occasionally, for at least 4 hours, but the longer the better- 2 days is good for lamb, according to Bill.
7. About an hour before you're ready to cook the kabobs, start getting the grill and other equipment ready; soak the bamboo skewers for at least 30 minutes in warm water so that they won't burn on the grill.
8. Thread the meat cubes alternately with the vegetables onto the skewers.
9. Pour the excess marinade into the grill sauté pan; put the pan on the grill and begin heating the marinade, letting it simmer (especially if you used poultry for the kabobs; you can simmer this over a stove instead of the grill, if you like).
10. Grill the kabobs over medium coals, turning often, for about 30 minutes or until the meat is done how you'd like it.
11. By the time the meat is done, the marinade should reach a consistency for sauce.
12. Serve the kabobs with rice, rice salad, or by themselves and enjoy!