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.