Spiedini Kabobs with Caprese Relish

Just in time for Labor Day – the best chicken kabobs you will ever eat. I recently attended an Italian society picnic where I was introduced to home-made Spiedies. The name derives from the Italian spiedini or spiedo ("skewer" and "spit"). I case you are not familiar with Spiedies, the dish originated in Binghampton NY and consists of cubes of chicken, pork, lamb, veal, venison or beef which are marinated for at least 2 days, grilled on spits and served in a submarine roll. The key to this dish is the marinade which consists of fresh herbs, oil and vinegar which penetrate deeply into the chicken. This is one dish that you do not want to substitute dried herbs. It will not taste the same.

Marinade Ingredients

¾  C Olive Oil

¼  C White Vinegar

5 TBS Fresh Mint (finely chopped)

5 TBS Fresh Parsley (finely chopped)

2 TBS Fresh Oregano (finely chopped)

1 tsp Fresh Lemon Juice

2 Cloves Garlic (minced)

1 Bay Leaf (finely crushed)

2 tsp Kosher Salt

1 tsp Freshly Ground Black Pepper

1½  tsp Crushed Red Chile Flakes

Caprese Relish*  (optional)

1 pt Cherry Tomatoes (quartered)

1 lb Fresh Mozzarella (cut into 1” pieces)

¼ C Fresh Basil (chopped)

1 TBS Capers (drained) – Optional

¼ C Extra Virgin Olive Oil

¼ C Red Wine Vinegar

1/8 tsp Table Salt

Additional Ingredients

1½ lb Boneless Chicken Breasts (cut 1¼″ cubes) *

10 wooden skewers (soaked in water for 30 minutes)

Potato Hot Dog Roll or Hogie Roll (toasted) *

In a large zipper top bag, mix all of the marinade ingredients. Cut the chicken into 1” square pieces and place them in the marinade. Marinate for at least 24 hours or up to 48 hours. Squeeze any air out of the bag and refrigerate until you are ready to grill.

Mix the ingredients for the Caprese Relish in a small bowl. This can be made up to 24 hours in advance.

Heat your grill to medium high. Brush the grill with oil. Thread the chicken onto the skewers while your grill is heating. Grill until the chicken is slightly charred and has reached a temperature of 165°F using an instant read thermometer.  Place a skewer of chicken on a toasted Potato Hot Dog Roll and serve immediately topped with a spoonful of Caprese Relish.

NOTE: It’s very easy to overcook the chicken. Use an instant read food thermometer to ensure that the chicken is cooked to 165°F. If you overcook it, the chicken will be dry and tough.

* Pronto Substitutes

Chicken – You can substitute lamb, pork, venison or beef.

Rolls – you can substitute a baguette or your favorite sub roll.

Caprese Relish – If you don’t want to make the Caprese relish just sprinkle with some fresh squeezed lemon juice.

To print a copy of this recipe go to Speidini Kabobs with Caprese Relish.

Fig Pancakes

When I lived in New York, the older Italians loved their figs but they had to wrap their fig trees in tar paper to prevent them from freezing in the winter. That’s way too much work for me. Having a fig tree that is low maintenance is one of the benefits of living in the south. All you need to do is fertilize and water it.

Sundays or company always means a big brunch in our house. On those really special occasions I tend to go all out, especially if it’s August and we can’t figure out what to do with all of the figs that are ripening on our tree. This pancake recipe with fresh figs may be a little over the top, my wife says it’s like eating dessert for breakfast, but it’s worth it. If you want to tone it down a bit just eliminate the fig jam and the Nutella^®. The fig pancakes are still great with just maple syrup.

Makes 12 Pancakes

Dry Ingredients

2 C All-Purpose Flour

½ tsp Baking Soda

1 tsp Baking Powder

1 tsp Kosher Salt or ½ tsp Table Salt

2 tsp Sugar

 

Wet Ingredients

2 Lg Eggs

2 C Buttermilk (1 Pint)

4 TBS Melted Butter (cool before adding)

1 Stick Butter (for greasing the pan) *

1 ½ C Fresh Figs *

Fig Jam

Nutella^® Chocolate Hazelnut Spread *

¼ C Chopped Hazelnuts (optional) *

Directions

Mix the dry ingredients in a medium bowl with a whisk and set aside.

Heat an electric griddle to 350°F or a shove top griddle to high.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, buttermilk and the melted butter until thoroughly combined. Pour on top of the dry ingredients and, using a whisk, mix until just combined and some lumps still exist. Don’t over mix or you will have tough pancakes. These will make thick pancakes. If you like thinner pancakes add a little milk to thin out the batter.

 

Cut the stems off of the figs and chop them into ½ inch cubes.

Butter the griddle and place a small drop of batter onto the griddle to make sure it is hot.

Wipe off the griddle with a paper towel. If you have too much butter you will get spotty pancakes.

Pour ¼ cup of the pancake batter onto the griddle and sprinkle with 1 ½ tablespoons of figs. Cook until bubbles begin to set around the edges of the pancake and the bottom of the pancake is golden brown. Flip the pancakes and cook another 2 to 3 minutes or until the pancake is set and golden brown.

Place one pancake on a plate and spread with fig jam. Place a second pancake on top and spread with a thin layer of Nutella^®. Sprinkle chopped hazelnuts on top.

* Pronto Substitutes

Butter – You can substitute Crisco^® Shortening for the butter.

Nutella – You can substitute Maple Syrup for the Nutella.

Hazelnuts – You can substitute chopped Pecans or whole toasted Pine Nuts

Figs – You can substitute Blueberries but it will taste totally different

Buttermilk

Now some of you may be tempted to substitute regular milk for the buttermilk…don’t do it. The buttermilk is an important flavoring component of pancakes and gives pancakes its distinctive flavor. Even those packaged pancake mixes have powdered buttermilk in them.

Summer Squash w Herb Citrus Dressing

If you grow squash in your garden you inevitable reach a point in the summer where you trying to figure out what to cook with it next. I faced this dilemma recently when a friend “gave me” a whole box of vegetables including a multitude of summer squash. It was raining and I could not grill the squash so I decided to sautee/baked thick slices of yellow squash then bathe it in herb citrus vinaigrette. So imagine fresh, sautéed, summer squash infused with a citrus herb dressing that will be a perfect accompaniment to any meal.

Makes 4 servings as a side

Herb Citrus Vinaigrette Ingredients*

¼ C Sugar

2 TBS Water

2 TBS White Balsamic Vinegar *

1 TBS Dijon Mustard

2 tsp Lime Juice

2 tsp Lemon Juice

2/3 C Extra Virgin Olive Oil

2 tsp Fresh Parsley (minced)

½ tsp Dried Basil

¼ tsp Dried Oregano

¼ tsp Table Salt

1/8 tsp Fresh Ground Black Pepper

Ingredients*

1-2 large Summer (Yellow) Squash (sliced ¾”)*

Salt and Pepper to taste

2 TBS Olive Oil

4 TBS Herb Citrus Vinaigrette (see below) *

12” Oven Safe Frying Pan

To make the herb vinaigrette place the sugar through the lemon juice into a blender and turn on to high. Slowly drizzle the olive oil into the blender until emulsified. Add the remaining ingredients and pulse 1-2 time until incorporated. Pour into a jar and refrigerate at least 1 hour or until needed. Save what you do not use for this recipe to dress a salad or marinate a steak.

Preheat oven to 400°F.

Slice the squash into ¾” disks and place the disks on paper towels to dry. Sprinkle the tops with salt and pepper. (see photo)

Heat a 12” oven proof skillet over medium high heat until hot and add the olive oil. When the olive oil starts to shimmer add the slices of squash to the pan in a single layer. Sautee each side until light brown (see photo). Place the entire frying pan into the oven and cook until crisp tender (about 5 minutes). Place the cooked squash into a bowl and toss with the herb citrus dressing. Serve hot or cold.

*

* Pronto Substitutes

Herb Citrus  Dressing – substitute Italian dressing

White Balsamic Vinegar – substitute distilled white vinegar.

Yellow Summer Squash – substitute zucchini

To print a copy of this recipe go to Herb Citrus Summer Squash.

Italian Fusion Cookbook

If you have been a follower of my blog over the past two years you will be happy to find out that I've compiled many of the recipes as well as some new ones in a richly illustrated cookbook. 

With over 100 recipes, you will never have to search my blog for a recipe again. Italian Fusion is unique cookbook that fuses Italian flavors and ingredients with American dishes to creates a new flavor profile. It will stimulate your pallet and satisfy cravings that you did not even know you had. Have you let your imagination spice up your cooking?

To purchase a copy of my new cookbook go to Italian Fusion Cookbook.

Molto Grazie!

Gorgonzola & Proscuitto California Roll

I have always enjoyed California rolls at Japanese restaurants.  Here is my take on an 
Italian version of a California roll. The saltiness of the prosciutto contrasts with the sharp taste of the gorgonzola and the sweetness of the roasted peppers to provide you with an explosion of flavor in your mouth. These rolls are great as part of a meal or as an elegant appetizer for your next party.

Ingredients

8 oz Gorgonzola Cheese

2 TBS Heavy Cream

3 oz Prosciutto (thinly sliced)

½ C Marinated Roasted Red Peppers*

Bring the gorgonzola to room temperature. Place the gorgonzola and the heavy cream into a medium bowl and beat with an electric mixer until it has thoroughly mixed. Place the cheese mixture into a quart zipper seal bag and snip off the tip for piping.

Cut the marinated roasted red peppers into ½ inch strips.

 

Cover a sushi roller with plastic wrap. Place 3 pieces of prosciutto on the plastic wrap across the sushi roller (see photo) making sure the pieces overlap. Pipe two strips of cheese along the middle of the two closest strips of proscuitto and spread it out with wet fingers. Place two more strips of roasted red peppers next to the cheese. Do not place anything on the third strip of proscuitto.

Tightly roll up the California roll. Cut the roll into 1 inch sections and secure with tooth picks.

To print a copy of this recipe go to California Roll.