Chicken Speidie Recipe - Yum

[blazedog]

This is a food unique to Binghamton, New York where I went to college -- don't know why it hasn't spread as it's delicious - I have such fond memories of speidie nights at the local bars where speidies would be 3 for $1.00 and be eaten with a pitcher of beer.

The speidies are served on the skewers and one uses a piece of bread to pull them off -- creating a sandwich at the same time which absorbs all the wonderful fat and marinade. Authentically it would be the "Italian" bread from a supermarket that is pre-sliced and soft and foldable. I believe lamb was more widely used but who the heck knows WHAT those little pieces of meat were.

Blue Ribbon Chicken Spiedies
From: Best of the Best From New York Cookbook
(Quail Ridge Press; August 2001

Broome County is home to the original "spiedie." These regional specialties are essentially chunks of meat marinated for days before being skewered and grilled. Fantastically tender bitefuls of pure flavor result. Spiedies are traditionally served in a slice of Italian bread.
•
3 1/2 pounds boneless chicken breast, cut into chunks_
2 cups olive oil_
5 tablespoons balsamic vinegar_
2 tablespoons light beer_
2 tablespoons grated Romano cheese
2 tablespoons parsley
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon minced onion
1 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon oregano
1. Combine all marinade ingredients. Add chicken and marinate at least 24 hours (preferably 48), turning occasionally.

2. Skewer and grill chicken, basting with marinade as they cook.

[rosen]

Yes! Thank you, Blazedog for bringing back memories of my bar-hopping days in Ithaca, NY! Best eaten w/ ice cold beer! Someone would also bring these to every cookout. I'll be making these soon!

[blazedog]

I knew I had another recipe floating around my hard drive :) :) The notes aren't mine but from a spiedie obsessed individual. Fish spiedies are a little revisionist for me.

The Meat:
---------
Cut your choice of meat into cubes, about 1 1/2" or so. Boneless skinless chicken breast comes out very tender, but most meats (lamb, pork, beef, venison) will make fine spiedies. If you use beef, use a more tender cut so that it doesn't come out too tough. Veal,
especially, may come out tough unless left to marinate for several (3 to 4) days. Mixing two or more meats is very tasty.

Even some kinds of fish steaks (salmon, shark) have been used, but these need only "marinate" for a half hour or so; or, just brush on the marinade from another batch while grilling.


The Sauce:
----------
Most bottled commercial spiedie mixtures, such as Salamida's, are both expensive and use a little too much oil for some tastes. This recipe
(actually a vinaigrette) produces a more tangy sauce, and will marinate anywhere from one to three pounds of meat.

8 bay leaves (crumbled up)
4 tsp oregano
8 sm cloves of fresh garlic, minced
1/2 C lemon juice
1/2 C salad oil or fruity olive oil (preferred)
3/4 C vinegar (any variety)
1 tsp pepper
3 tsp salt (or to taste)
(If using lamb, try adding a couple of mint leaves)

Mix all ingredients together in a non-metallic dish. Add meat, cover, and marinate in the refrigerator for at least 24 hours; stir occasionally. Olive oil will solidify when refrigerated, so remove the spiedies once or twice per day to allow the oil to 'melt', then stir.

Spiedies can be left marinating for 2 to 5 days; some claim that they can be left for a week or more! (Longer marinating may help make
beef & veal more tender.) Add more marinade if required.


To Cook:
--------
Purists insist that spiedies must be skewered, shishkebab style, and grilled on the barbecue for just a few minutes. Brush marinade on them
occasionally. Do not overcook! The marinated meat (especially chicken) takes on a color that makes it difficult to tell when it's done.

Health considerations suggest that you do *not* use leftover marinade on your spiedies at the serving table, since the raw meat will leave all
manner of unhealthy bacteria in it; reserve some of the marinade (or make a fresh batch) to serve at table.

Spiedies are best eaten on large sliced hunks of French or Italian bread; the accepted method is to grasp the bread in one hand, place the
skewer inside it, and pull the skewer out, leaving the spiedies inside the bread. (Certainly, it saves time!) Kids, however, often prefer to
eat them right off the skewer.

Leftovers (if any) keep well in the fridge for several days.

[memartha]

How interesting! I guess these didn't make it to my college town, Syracuse. We only had pizza and hot dogs. I will have to try the recipe for the kids. It sounds really good.

[HRJ]

Hey! Another SUNY-B grad checking in. Yes, lots of fond memories of spiedies (and beer). I'm remembering there was a place on the South Side that was famous for them, but am totally blanking on the name.

Over the years I've tried to make them at home -- I even had a friend from Johnson City who used to send me bottle of Salamida's State Fair Spiedie Sauce. But it was never quite the same.

BTW, my DH grew up in Oneonta, and he says they had spiedies there, but they weren't as popular as they are in Binghamton.

Now, if I could only reproduce Pat Mitchell's ice cream .....


Helene

[pilgrim719]

We used to make chicken and pork spiedies all the time when I was growing up, and I lived just outside Auburn, NY. We also used to get them at the State Fair every summer in Syracuse. Yum! The NY State Fair Spiedie Sauce they sell at the grocery store is really good, too, and makes for a quick, easy dinner in the summer.

Kari

[HRJ]

Speaking of Central NY specialities, does anyone have a good recipe for Cornell Chicken? (sorry, not trying to hijack the thread, blazedog).

DH remembers this style of BBQ chicken from growing up, and I've tried a couple of different recipes that I've found online, but, I'd be interested if anyone had a T&T.

Thanks!

Helene

[blazedog]

Originally posted by HRJ
Hey! Another SUNY-B grad checking in. Yes, lots of fond memories of spiedies (and beer). I'm remembering there was a place on the South Side that was famous for them, but am totally blanking on the name.

Now, if I could only reproduce Pat Mitchell's ice cream .....


Helene

Helene -- Are you thinking of Sharkeys? That was a real dive - As I recall there was Spiedie night, clam night and I am blanking on whether there was an additional night when "gourmet" cheap food was served.

I haven't thought of Pat Mitchell's in years -- I lived in Endicott for a semester and used to make A LOT of trips.

We also used to go to the Cider Mill in the Fall and get at least one jug of cider for aging :D

[pilgrim719]

Originally posted by HRJ
Speaking of Central NY specialities, does anyone have a good recipe for Cornell Chicken? (sorry, not trying to hijack the thread, blazedog).

DH remembers this style of BBQ chicken from growing up, and I've tried a couple of different recipes that I've found online, but, I'd be interested if anyone had a T&T.

Thanks!

Helene

My aunt's father used to make the best Cornell bbq sauce! That chicken was so delicious and I haven't had it in years (he passed away, along with his recipe :(). So I don't have a T&T recipe for you, but hopefully someone else will have a good one. When I moved to MA, no one ever heard of Cornell chicken and thought I was weird to suggest having a "white" bbq sauce on chicken. :rolleyes:

Kari

[bluestocking]

Here's the recipe for Cornell BBQ sauce. For those of you who have never had it, it is a clear/white sauce. I live quite near Syracuse and have eaten spiedies all my life! When you smell Cornell sauce on the grill, it's the real sign that summer is here. :)



Beat all ingredients together:
1/2 c. oil
1 c. vinegar
2 T. salt
1 1/2 t. poultry seasoning
1/4 t. pepper
1 egg

Marinate chicken pieces in sauce 1 or more hour before barbequing. Occasionally baste with sauce during cooking time.

[vbak]

Years ago [25?] a friend gave me the recipe for Cornell chicken, although that wasn't what she called it. I think she just called it chicken marinade. I used it then to make chicken wings in the oven, and they were so brown and crispy. Now, I use it for larger chicken pieces on the grill. So simple and good.

Vicky

[vbak]

Oh, and Blazedog, thanks for the recipe. This sounds great.

[dlaboriel]

i have never heard of these but you guys sure have my taste buds up and running wild. A must try for me- thanks for the post.

[auntcy]

Originally posted by HRJ
Speaking of Central NY specialities, does anyone have a good recipe for Cornell Chicken? (sorry, not trying to hijack the thread, blazedog).

DH remembers this style of BBQ chicken from growing up, and I've tried a couple of different recipes that I've found online, but, I'd be interested if anyone had a T&T.

Thanks!

Helene

I just made the chicken this weekend for the 2nd time and it is truly delicious. Here's the recipe that I used:

1 cup vegetable oil
2 cups apple cider vinegar
1 1/2 Tbsp poultry seasoning
2 Tbsp salt
2 Tbsp garlic powder
1 egg

Mix all ingredients in bowl or blender and marinate chicken 8 - 24 hours.
Place on grill and baste every 10 minutes, cooking chicken directly over heat for 10 minutes and then off heat for approx 20 minutes, depending on the cut. I used skinless, bone-in chicken breasts.

Absolutely delicious!

[blazedog]

Curious as to what the egg does in terms of the result.

[auntcy]

I think it has something to do with giving the marinade a mayo-like consistency. Its in every recipe I've seen for this Chicken. I used an egg beater this time and it was definitely a more watery marinade but I was concerned about basting the chicken with a raw egg marinade. The original directions say that you need to cook the chicken a full 10 minutes after the last time you brush on marinade to make sure you cook the egg completely but that was also for a half/split chicken which cooks much longer on a grill than skinless/bone-in breasts.

[blazedog]

Thanks - I had an idea it had something to do with texture and how it might cook up since an egg itself is a pretty neutral flavor. I would guess the recipe originated in more innocent days when people didn't worry about tainted raw eggs.:)

[auntcy]

Yes, it was a while ago.
I've read a few variations on the origin of the chicken but they all agree that it was developed by a cornell professor (science or poultry?) in the 40's or 60's.

[bluestocking]

The recipe that I posted is the original Cornell recipe. The egg also acts as a binder for the ingredients and helps everything adhere to the chicken as it marinates and cooks. Certainly, cook thoroughly after the last basting- even back in the day, Cornell was telling people to be careful cooking with eggs! My understanding is that it was the food science department that developed this. Being so close to the university, each year we get to hear the new products they develop. Some are pretty far out!