Steal This Recipe® Chicken Spiedini

From Mark Gordon, Executive Chef, Terzo, San Francisco

‘Stolen with permission’ from Mark Gordon, Executive Chef of Terzo, in San Francisco, this recipe was inspired by Sicilian cuisine and is made with a special marinade and served with house-made bread. Chef Gordon's menu combines the flavors of Portugal, Spain, Morocco, Provençal France and coastal Italy with the best of Northern California ingredients. 

About the chef: Mark Gordon is full of creative talents - after exploring many arenas including zoology and photography, his passion for cooking led him to begin his culinary career at the Kendall College Culinary Program in Chicago. Upon graduation, he moved to California and worked his way up in various Bay Area kitchens, including Fetzer Winery's Culinary Center and San Francisco's 42 Degrees. In October of 2000, he joined Rose’s Café as the Executive Chef where after five years he was ready for another challenge and worked closely with owner Laurie Thomas to create a concept for a new sister restaurant; Terzo.

In June 2005, he traveled with Thomas, architect Cass Calder Smith and the rest of the design team to Sicily, Rome, Lisbon, Seville and Madrid to help solidify the design concept and brainstorm the menu for Terzo. Gordon explains, "To meander through the markets, restaurants and shops gave me a better knowledge of the food and how to emulate what the locals do at home. We put a lot of effort into making the food as genuine as possible and this can only be accomplished by seeing first-hand how it's done in a dish's native land." In April 2006 Terzo opened for dinner and instantly gained critical acclaim.

Gordon lives in Oakland with his wife Lori Podroza, who is a Sous Chef at Terzo. When they are not working, they enjoy traveling and dining around the Bay Area.

Terzo 
3011 Steiner Street, 
San Francisco, CA 94123 
415.441.3200

Terzo's Free Range Chicken Spiedini is served for $13 at the restaurant.

This recipe makes 12 Spiedini (skewers).

Terzo's Chicken Spiedini Ingredients: 
12 x 8 Inch bamboo skewers 
2 lb Skinless, boneless free range chicken cut into ½ inch cubes 
½ Loaf country white bread with the crusts removed & cut into ½ inch cubes 
1 Large yellow onion, cut into ½ inch cubes 
1 Chicken Marinade Recipe 
2 Tablespoons olive oil 
Salt and pepper to taste 
¼ Cup cilantro leaves, roughly chopped

Chicken Marinade Ingredients: 
1 Garlic clove, peeled & sliced 
1 Bay leaf, crumbled 
2 Teaspoons sweet paprika 
½ Tablespoon salt 
¼ Teaspoon dried crushed chili flakes 
1 Serrano chili, chopped 
¼ Teaspoon ground black pepper 
2 Tablespoons chopped cilantro 
2 Splashes sherry vinegar 
2 Tablespoons olive oil

Steal This Recipe® Step by Step Instructions for the Chicken Marinade: 
Place all ingredients into a food processor and blend until combined and coarsely chopped.

Steal This Recipe® Step by Step Instructions for the Spiedini: 
Soak the skewers in warm water. 
Place the cubed chicken into a mixing bowl and toss thoroughly with 2 tablespoons of the marinade. (The chicken can be marinated overnight for a stronger flavor.) 
Toss the bread cubes in another bowl with the olive oil, salt and pepper to taste. 
Skewer the chicken, bread and onion in that order then repeat ending with an extra cube of chicken. You should end up with 3 cubes of chicken and 2 cubes of bread and onion on each skewer. 
Grill over a medium wood or charcoal fire until just done. 
Brush on the remaining marinade and sprinkle with the cilantro leaves.

Photo by Art Gray