L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 5, 2017 www.italoamericano.org 38 L'Italo-Americano LA BUONA TAVOLA RECIPES COOKING TIPS SEASONAL DISHES S p i e d i n i , s p e d u c c i a n d a r r o s t i c i n i : l e t ' s t a l k about the difference… Or not! Let's face it, they all lead to the same thing - little morsels of m e a t c o o k e d o v e r c h a r c o a l which imparts a flavour that for a quick second makes you feel as though you're strolling the old brick streets of Italy! These three words are terms given to 'skewers' in Italian. For sake of discussion though, let's stick with "spiedini." R e c e n t l y , s p i e d i n i h a v e enjoyed a great deal of populari- ty as an Italian street food as well as a novelty BBQ item. They are a party food favorite and can also make for a quick d i n n e r . E v e r y o n e w i l l a g r e e they are delicious, simple, and fun to eat! A quick search on the internet and you will find many recipes for lamb, chicken, pork, and beef spiedini. Really though, no recipe is necessary! Try any of your favorite meat c u t i n t o v e r y s m a l l c h u n k s , skewered and grilled, and these are guaranteed to be a hit. The small size makes for a great fin- ger food that cooks very quickly and stays tender. This Italian street food didn't just show up out of nowhere, though. In fact, unlike most Italian food, there is no argu- ment when it comes to the ori- gin of spiedini. The Abruzzo province of Italy is a renowned area for sheep herding both in h i s t o r i c a n d p r e s e n t t i m e s . Shepherds escort their herds around the mountains and lower hill sides where they graze on wild grass and herbs. This is said to give a particular flavour to the meat, which is unique to the region. On these long jour- neys, shepherds would often use one of the sheep in the herd as their food source, typically an older male mutton. Nothing was left to waste, not even the small- er pieces of meat close to the bone. They would gather the hardy stems of wild herbs to skewer little chunks of meat and fat together. The small chunks cooked fast and the fat would help keep them tender and juicy. Accompanied by some home- made bread and a glass of wine - this was their meal. Little did they know the trend that would become of this in later years! Today, we aren't always hav- i n g t o t h i n k s o f r u g a l l y a n d many foods which were once made by the poor and thrifty have become known as trendy and healthy. I'll never forget working at a restaurant when I was younger and seeing "pasta e fagioli" - pasta with beans - on the menu for $11.00! It shocked me but also made me realize the v a l u e o f g o o d o l d f a s h i o n e d home cooking. Although sheep meat spiedini are typically the most popular, you are more likely to find lamb instead of mutton, as it is natu- rally more tender. Other popular c h o i c e s a r e p o r k , b e e f , a n d chicken. If you're going to make these by hand you will need your pre- ferred cut of meat, a sharp knife, a cutting board, and some wood- en skewers, soaked in water for 30 minutes before preparing. Cut the meat into 1 to 2 cen- timeter cubes and place them tightly together on the soaked skewers. If you plan to make lots of spiedini, there is this n i f t y t o o l w e p i c k e d u p a t Consiglio's Kitchenware that allows you to make 100 spiedini at a time! Pair that with the ded- icated spiedini grill and you're ready to go! The Cubo is simple to use - you just stack whatever m e a t y o u a r e u s i n g i n s i d e , pierce the skewers through the holes, and use the guided knife tracks to cut the cubes. Voila! O n e h u n d r e d s p i e d i n i . T h a t sounds like a lot, but trust me you can't eat just one! N o w , y e s , t h e y a r e b e s t cooked over charcoal, but if you don't have room or don't want a dedicated spiedini grill, you can also get a smaller grill that fits on any existing barbeque. The grills fit the spiedini perfectly so t h a t y o u a r e n o t b u r n i n g t h e skewers and you can easily spin the spiedini to brown them nice- l y a l l a r o u n d . E i t h e r w a y , because the chunks of meat are so small they really don't take long to cook at all. If you have a choice, definitely go with char- c o a l . Y o u g e t a b e t t e r s e a r , flavour, and the heat is more direct so in just minutes you're taking them off the grill to eat! Traditionally, spiedini are not marinated and are dressed with just a little salt and drizzle of olive oil after being cooked. This simplicity truly is awesome but we did make a few simple dressings to try with different types spiedini. A f e w d i p s t h a t w e f o u n d complemented the spiedini well were rosemary and mint with olive oil and lemon, parsley gre- molata with parsley, olive oil, chili flakes and lemon zest, or lemon with oregano and olive o i l . Y o u c a n c h e c k o u t t h e r ecip e v id eo s at n o n n as w ay . com. E n j o y a n d g e t ' e m w h i l e they're hot! Spiedini can be made with all types of meat and can be a delicious street-food or a satisfying meal. Photo: Nonna's Way Meat should be cut in small cubes and chargrilled. Spiedini can be simply dressed with some salt and olive oil or you could try some more elaborate sauces. Photo: Nonna's Way ANNA ROMANO & ANGELA DESALVO Spiedini, speducci and arrosticini!

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