Kabobs are the perfect summer food. Fun food on a stick that can be grilled, fried or baked, served with flavorful sauces. I am particularly fond of the Italian version of kabobs – Spiedini.

Spiedini is a dish of meat rolled around a filling or minced and formed into balls then usually batter-dipped and cooked on a skewer. There are many versions of this dish and here’s my favorite recipe using Gourmet Garden herb pastes: gourmetgarden.com

My friends at Gourmet Garden sent me some of their herb pastes to use in my recipes and I absolutely love them. No more last minute runs to the grocery to get fresh herbs when I have these pastes in my refrigerator! I used both the basil and oregano pastes in this recipe.

I paired these flavorful meatballs with Mionetto Valdobriadene Prosecco Superiore DOCG, compliments of the Mionetto winery. With lots of bubbles dancing in my glass, I enjoyed the apple and peach flavors with just a touch of citrus that paired very well with the rich Italian herb flavors in the meatballs and fresh tomato flavors in the marinara.
This elegant sparkling wine appears a distinctive, luminous straw yellow, with a long-lasting bead of pin-point bubbles. Its rich bouquet is redolent of floral essences and emphatic impressions of apple and peach, with a subtle touch of citrus. 
Mionetto, with a century-old history, is one of the most representative Italian wineries today in the international scene, known for its Prosecco and excellence in the production of fine sparkling wines.

Gourmet Garden Spiedini

Meatballs – makes 32:

Preheat oven 175 degrees Fahrenheit.

1 pound ground beef

1 pound mild ground pork sausage

2 tablespoons Gourmet Garden basil paste

1 stalk celery, chopped fine

2 tablespoons Gourmet Garden oregano paste

3 white bread slices chopped into tiny pieces

2 eggs

1 teaspoon salt

Good grind of black pepper

½ teaspoon garlic powder

½ cup minced onion

1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

¼ cup vegetable oil for frying

Burrata cheese, crostini, your favorite pasta – optional side dishes

In a large mixing bowl combine ground beef, pork sausage, basil paste, celery, oregano paste and bread.  Mix with hands to combine all ingredients. Add eggs and seasonings and continue mixing with hands until all ingredients are thoroughly combined. Roll mixture into 32 one-inch balls.

Place vegetable oil in a frying pan and heat over medium heat until the pan is sizzling. Reduce heat to medium low and add half of the meatballs (do not crowd the pan). Meatballs brown quickly so watch to make sure they do not burn, reducing heat as needed. Brown meatballs and turn to brown the other side. Cover and allow to cook until done, about 7 minutes. Remove meatballs and place in a baking dish. Keep warm in a 175 degree Fahrenheit oven.  Fry the rest of the meatballs and keep warm while preparing the marinara sauce.

Marinara Sauce:

1 pound 12 ounces Cento brand crushed tomatoes

2 tablespoons tomato paste

2 tablespoons Gourmet Garden basil paste

½ teaspoon onion powder

½ teaspoon garlic powder

½ teaspoon salt

Combine all ingredients in a saucepan.  Heat over medium heat until simmering and then lower heat to medium-low and continue to heat for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. 

Serve Spiedini on skewers with fresh basil leaves, top with marinara sauce. Serve burrata cheese and toasted crostini on the plate with Spiedini.

Spiedini can also be served with your favorite pasta smothered in marinara sauce.

 Buon Appetito!

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