Calabrian Spiedini Recipes

SPIEDINI

Steps:

• Preheat an outdoor grill to medium heat.
• Bring a pot of water to a simmer. Gently poach the sausages for 8 minutes. Remove the sausages from the water and allow to cool.
• Alternately skewer the bread and the sausage onto the rosemary branches.
• Grill skewers until bread is toasted and sausage is browned, about 7 to 10 minutes, brushing with olive oil if necessary. Serve immediately while warm or at room temperature.

CLASSIC SPIEDINI RECIPE (ITALIAN STYLE KEBABS)

Steps:

• For the Sauce: Add the olive oil and garlic to a medium-size saucepot over low heat and cook for 2 to 3 minutes just until you smell it.
• Add in the crushed tomatoes, lemon juice, and ½ lemon and cook over low heat for 20-30 minutes. Finish with oregano, salt, and pepper.
• For the Spiedini: Add the olive oil to a bowl and set aside. In a separate bowl mix together the breadcrumbs, parmesan cheese, salt, and pepper until combined.
• Taking 1 slice of beef at a time, completely coat it in the olive oil, and then dredge it in the breadcrumbs until coated.
• Roll the beef up and set it aside on a cookie sheet tray. Slice it in half if it's too big.
• To Skewer: Add on some of the breaded beef followed up with a ½ bay leaf, onion, peppers, and loose Italian sausage and repeat until the 12" skewer is full, and then repeat until all of the other skewers are full and all of the ingredients have been used. Set them on a cookie sheet tray.
• Add a small amount of olive oil to a flat top griddle or a large cast-iron skillet over medium heat and sear the skewers, in batches if need be, for 2-4 minutes per side or until browned and cooked throughout.
• Serve the spiedini alongside the amogio sauce and garnish with optional chopped fresh parsley.

SPICY CALABRIAN MEATBALLS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (204 degrees C).
• Make the meatballs: In a large bowl, combine the ground meat, eggs, panko, mayonnaise, and milk. Add the garlic, paprika, salt, ginger, turmeric, cumin, black pepper, cayenne, cloves, coriander and nutmeg. Using your hands, mix well to combine. Add 3 tablespoons each of the parsley, cilantro, and scallion and use your hands to mix for 1 minute to distribute the herbs.
• Line a large sheet pan with parchment paper. Using a small 2-ounce (60 milliliter) cookie scoop, add the meatballs to the pan, leaving a 1-inch (2.5 centimeter) space between them. Bake until the meatballs are lightly browned and the internal temperature reads 155 degrees F (68 degrees C), 15 to 20 minutes.
• In a large bowl, toss the meatballs with the sauce and transfer to a serving platter. Garnish with the remaining tablespoon each of parsley, cilantro, and scallion. Scatter with more parsley and serve immediately.
• In a large heavy-bottomed skillet, warm the olive oil over medium heat until it begins to shimmer, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the shallots and 1 teaspoon of the salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, 2 to 3 minutes.
• Add the tomatoes and use a potato masher to smooth out any lumps. Add the remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, along with the chicken stock, garlic, chiles (and some of their oil), vinegar, basil, parsley, and black pepper and stir to combine.
• Bring to a simmer, cover, and cook for 15 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook until it reduces slightly, about 20 more minutes. (It will be a thinner sauce.) To prevent scorching, stir the sauce every few minutes. Serve warm or let cool to room temperature, then transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 2 days.