Enjoy Spiedies That You Can Make Yourself!

Here is something new to barbecue on the grill this summer. It's also a good way to use up all that venison you haven't eaten yet. Spiedies are the specialty of Broome County in upstate New York. I promise, that you will get plenty of raves from family and friends! Spiedies are marinated cubes of meat and served on fresh italian bread.

In our area, you can walk into practically all the restaurants or taverns and order a spiedie sandwich or sub. They are served at all our outdoor events. And in fact, every August, we have a huge festival called a Spiedie Fest. The manin event, of course, is the spiedie cooking contest. Everybody has their favorite recipe. Besides, somebody has to eat all those spiedies!

You can even purchase bottled spiedies sauce in the grocery store (Salamida's is a favorite of mine), as well as, spiedies already in the marinade at the fresh meat counter in almost any grocery store in our area. People that move away from here, usually have to learn to make their own spiedies instead of buying them. We lived in St. Petersburg Florida for awhile, and nobody had ever heard of them. Talk about spiedie withdraw! My stepdaughter came to the rescue and made us some.

John Montagu, 4th Earl of Sandwich who lived from 1718 to 1792 was a gambler. In the middle of a game in 1762 he had the cook prepare him some food that he could eat in the game. So she prepared some sliced meat between two pieces of toast. He became famous for the sandwich, but sadly, the cook's name was not recorded. In England sandwiches took off as restaurant food and were quite popular. But in America, the colonial cooks did not like the idea of serving British dishes in the later part of the 18th century. Sandwiches did not become known here until after the Revolution and the War of 1812, not until the later part of the 1830s.

From there came many versions of sandwiches over time. My favorite of all is the "spiedie". Though it has been adapted for many other recipes including the "Spiedie Pizza" which is "spiedie" meat on top of the pizza. You can add it to other dishes or casseroles and experiment with it. I am always searching for different foods and have found that "spiedies" add much flavor to many bland dishes.

My husband went to the Phillipines in 1992, and took "spiedies" with him to share with his host family. They hated them! He could not believe it. So he ate them all by himself and loved every bite! The family he stayed with were making faces at them like they were horrible or something. Must be the seasonings used in them wasn't something they were familiar with.

Now that I've got your mouth watering for a tasty spiedie sandwich, here's a few different recipes for you to try. You can use chicken breast instead of the meat. And I have seen them made out of fresh tuna steaks. Try making them out of steak, pork or lamb. Any kind of meat that doesn't have a lot of fat, It's a good way to serve venision to people who don't usually like it. It tenderizes it and gives it a great flavor. You can experiment and try various seasonings until you find what you like.

You cook all the recipes the same way. Cube meat into one-inch by one-inch pieces. String the pieces of meat on skewers (we call them spiedie irons here!) and grill. Turn frequently, basting with your marinade as it cooks. When done, just slip the meat from the skewers onto a good Italian bread or crusty roll. Yum!

Lamb Spiedies

1 1/2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 1/2 Tbsp. vinegar
3/4 tsp. salt
Dash of Pepper
1 small clove of garlic
1/8 tsp. oregano
Dash of Red Pepper
2 lbs. lamb, cut in pieces

Mix together olive oil, vinegar, salt, pepper, garlic, oregano and red pepper. Pour over lamb and mix well. Cover and marinate for 3-4 days. Put on skewers and grill.

Pork Spiedies

4 lbs. pork, cut in pieces
1 1/2 cups olive oil
1/2 cup white vinegar
Juice of 1 lemon
5 cloves of fresh garlic
1/2 cup white wine
2 Tbsp. chopped mint
1 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. salt
3 Tbsp. fresh sweet basil

Mix all ingredients. Add meat, and marinate for 3-4 days. Put on skewers and grill.

Venison Spiedies

1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 Tbsp. ketchup
2 cloves garlic, chopped
5 bay leaves
1 tsp. Italian seasoning
1 tsp. basil
1/4 tsp. sage
1/2 tsp. tarragon
1 tsp. red hot sauce
1 tsp. Worcestershire Sauce
1 lb. venison, cut in pieces

Mix all ingredients. Add meat, cover and marinate for 3-4 days. Put on skewers and grill.

You can dress up your chicken spiedie sub by adding your favorite hot wings sauce, topped with lettuce, tomato and bleu cheese dressing. Or top it with lettuce, tomatoes, onions, splash on a little Caesar salad dressing and wrap it in a homemade pita. Now who says sandwiches are boring?

A source for Salamida Spiedie sauce is Salamedia Sauce Company at (607) 729-9763 or http://www.spiedie.com
Or, http://www.spiedies.com/ for Lupo's Original Endicott style Spiedies.

Both companies take credit for inventing them, and I will stay neutral on this, as I love them both! I am just glad someone invented them!! Here is a history of them on the Food Timeline http://www.geography.ccsu.edu/harmonj/atlas/spiedie.htm and I am sure you will find that a very interesting site if you are into food.

CHICKEN SPIEDIES

4 pounds cubed chicken (1-inch cubes)
2 cups oil (vegetable or other)
1/2 cup cider vinegar
1/3 cup red wine vinegar
2 teaspoons black pepper
9 cloves garlic, chopped
1 1/2 teaspoons dried parsley
2 tablespoons fresh basil
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
1 tablespoon salt
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper

Prepare chicken; set aside. Mix all other ingredients in a separate bowl until well-blended.
Add chicken; mix thoroughly; cover.
Place in fridge; let marinate one to three days, stirring occasionally. Grill.

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CHICKEN SPIEDIE MARINADE

1 cup canola oil
1 cup apple cider vinegar
3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 small onion
2 cloves crushed garlic
1 teaspoon seasoned salt
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
2 tablespoons honey
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon pepper