Dining and Cooking
In Chefs’ Collections

Italian Marinade

Spiedies, grilled skewers of meat marinated in what amounts to Italian dressing, are a culinary mainstay of bars and roadhouses in and around Binghamton, N.Y. What follows is a recipe for the marinade used to prepare them for the fire.

I have used fresh herbs, though dried ones are more traditional, and have upped the flavor slightly with the use of lemon zest. Once you’ve got the marinade made, simply cut the meat — chicken or beef, lamb or pork — into 1- or 2-inch cubes, and submerge it in the liquid for a couple of days (10 to 12 hours for chicken), covered, in the refrigerator. All that lemon and vinegar does some work on the meat, and the result, when grilled over charcoal for four or five minutes a side, is a fantastical taste of upstate New York, and a very simple and excellent dinner besides. (Here are instructions for cooking them.) Serve with torn mint and an additional drizzle of lemon juice and olive oil, on top of Italian bread or alongside rice.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • ¾ cup red wine vinegar
  • Zest of 1 lemon
  • ¼ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (about 2 lemons)
  • 4 cloves garlic, peeled, smashed and roughly chopped
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 tablespoon thyme leaves
  • 1 tablespoon oregano leaves
  • 1 tablespoon basil leaves, rolled and chopped into chiffonade
  • 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes, or to taste
  • Nutritional Information
    • Nutritional analysis per serving (2 servings)

      1016 calories; 108 grams fat; 15 grams saturated fat; 78 grams monounsaturated fat; 11 grams polyunsaturated fat; 11 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams dietary fiber; 3 grams sugars; 1 gram protein; 1175 milligrams sodium

      • Note: Nutrient information is not available for all ingredients. Amount is based on available data.

Enough for 2 to 3 pounds meat

Preparation

  1. Whisk together all the ingredients in a large bowl. Add cubes of chicken, pork, lamb or beef to the marinade and cover tightly, or place into large, re-sealable plastic bags and refrigerate for 24 to 36 hours (or 10 to 12 hours for chicken).

5 minutes

Dining and Cooking