Fresh-Pressed Olive Oil Club
Italian Harvest Page 13

Spatchcocked Grilled Chicken With Sicilian Salsa

Posted on by The Olive Oil Hunter

Spatchcocking is a great technique to use when you’re short on time; it can be used on chickens, turkeys, game hens, etc. If grilling isn’t an option, place a cooling rack in a rimmed sheet pan, put the bird on the rack, and roast in the oven. This recipe comes from master griller Steven Raichlen, a longtime member of the Club, whose TV show “Project Fire” airs on American Public Television.

Ingredients

  • 1 roasting chicken, about 4 pounds
  • 1 teaspoon coarse salt (kosher or sea)
  • 1 teaspoon cracked or coarsely ground black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes
  • 2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary or tarragon
  • Juice and finely grated zest of one lemon
  • 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, plus additional oil for serving
  • 1 bunch fresh arugula, washed and dried, for serving
    Sicilian Salsa, for serving (recipe follows)

Directions

  1. Spatchcock the chicken by removing the backbone with a sharp knife or kitchen shears. Turn the chicken over (breast side up) and gently flatten it with the palms of your hands. (Remove the cartilaginous breast bone, if you’d like, by running a sharp knife down both sides and popping it out.) Arrange the chicken in a large nonreactive baking dish.
  2. Combine the salt, pepper, hot red pepper flakes, rosemary, garlic, and lemon zest in a small bowl and mix with your fingers. Sprinkle this mixture over the chicken on all sides, rubbing it into the meat.
  3. Squeeze the lemon juice over the chicken, followed by the 1/4 cup of olive oil. Turn the chicken a couple times to coat it well. Refrigerate the chicken for at least 30 minutes (or even overnight).
  4. Set up the grill for direct grilling and preheat to medium. In the best of all worlds, you’d build your fire with oak chunks. Alternatively, you can toss some wood chips or chunks on the coals.
  5. Brush and oil the grill grate. Arrange the chicken on the grate, skin side down. Grill for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the skin’s nicely browned. Carefully turn the chicken. Grill 15 to 20 minutes more, or until done. The internal temperature in the thickest part of the thigh should be 165°F. Arrange on a bed of arugula that’s been tossed with a tablespoon of olive oil. Serve with the salsa.

Sicilian Salsa Ingredients

  • 2 large ripe red tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and finely diced
  • 1 small white onion, finely diced
  • 1/2 cup finely diced hothouse cucumber
  • 1 clove garlic, peeled and finely minced
  • 16 kalamata olives, pitted and chopped
  • 2 tablespoons small brined capers, drained
  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh tarragon or basil
  • 1/4 cup best quality extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice (or more to taste)
  • Coarse salt (kosher or sea) and freshly ground black pepper

Sicilian Salsa Directions

  1. In a small mixing bowl, gently mix—a rubber spatula works well for this—the tomato, onion, cucumber, garlic, olives, and capers. Stir in the tarragon, olive oil, and lemon juice. Add salt (remember, the capers and olives are salty) and pepper to taste.

Serves 4—Recipe from Food and Wine, June 2007

Porchetta-Style Turkey Breast

Posted on by The Olive Oil Hunter

Well-suited for smaller gatherings, this attractive and flavorful roulade of turkey breast will be the centerpiece of your festive table. And because I consider fresh-pressed extra virgin olive oil to be Mother Nature’s perfect sauce, I suggest providing the table with extra oil for drizzling.

Ingredients

  • 1 teaspoon coriander seeds
  • 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
  • 2 teaspoons chopped fresh sage
  • 3 cloves garlic, peeled
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus additional oil for serving
  • 1 whole skin-on turkey breast (5 to 7 pounds), boned, or 2 boneless skin-on turkey
  • breast halves (2 to 3 pounds each)
  • Eight 1/8-inch-thick pancetta slices, unrolled into strips, or
  • 8 strips thick-cut bacon

Directions

Step 1

In a large mortar, pound the coriander and fennel seeds with a pestle to form a coarse powder. Add the rosemary and sage and pound to crush and bruise the herbs. Add the garlic and 1 tablespoon salt and pound until a paste begins to form. Stir in 2 teaspoons pepper and 2 tablespoons of olive oil and set aside.

Step 2

Pat the turkey breast dry with a paper towel and lay it skin side down on a work surface. Rub half the spice paste over the meat. Turn the turkey over and carefully separate the skin from the meat without tearing the skin. Rub the remaining spice paste under the skin. Reform the breast and tie with 4 to 6 loops of butcher’s twine to make a roll. (If you’re using boneless halves, season the two halves,  lay them on top of each other, skin side out, and tie them together.) Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours and up to 24 hours.

Step 3

Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350°F.
Heat the remaining tablespoon of olive oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium heat. Add the turkey breast and sear until golden-brown on all sides. Transfer the breast, seam side down, to a roasting pan fitted with a rack. Crisscross the pancetta over the top of the breast.

Step 4

Roast until the internal temperature reaches 165°F on an instant-read thermometer, 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 hours. Let the turkey breast rest for 15 to 20 minutes.

Step 5

Remove the pancetta and chop or crumble it. Remove the butcher’s twine. Slice the turkey breast into 1/4-inch slices and serve, sprinkled with the pancetta. Serve additional olive oil on the side.

 Serves 7 to 9—Recipe from Fine Cooking, Issue 107

Barbecued Lamb Skewers (Arrosticini)

Posted on by The Olive Oil Hunter

This finger food is very popular in Abruzzo. It is traditionally grilled over a fornacella, a shallow trough of charcoal just wide enough to cook 4 inches of skewered meat. (We use a hibachi or grill pan.) The garlic is my addition.

Ingredients

  • 1 or 2 cloves of garlic, peeled
  • 1 branch of fresh rosemary
  • 6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • Coarse salt (kosher or sea) and freshly ground pepper, to taste
  • 1 1/2 pounds lamb shoulder, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
  • Hot red pepper flakes (optional)

Directions

Step 1

Soak 16 bamboo skewers (8 inches long, including the handle) in water to cover for 30 minutes. Bruise the garlic and rosemary branch with the flat of a knife on a cutting board and place in a small bowl with the olive oil and a few grinds of black pepper. Set the oil aside while you prepare the lamb.

Step 2

Tightly thread cubes of lamb onto the skewers to make uniform-looking kebabs, each bearing 4 inches of meat cubes. (Leave only 1 inch of the tip of the skewer exposed.) Using the rosemary branch, brush the lamb with some of the olive oil to coat lightly.

Step 3

Sear the lamb skewers over a medium-hot grill (alternatively, use a grill pan). Cook about 2 minutes, or until the lamb is browned and a little crusty. Turn and cook for 1 to 2 minutes more. Remove from the heat and place on a serving plate.

Step 4

Brush the lamb skewers with more of the olive oil, then season with salt and red pepper flakes, if using. Serve hot with a glass of red wine, such as Montepulciano d’Abruzzo, and country-style bread drizzled with olive oil.

Serves 4 to 6 as an appetizer — Recipe adapted from food52.com and italymagazine.com

Winter Panzanella Salad

Posted on by The Olive Oil Hunter

Bold textures and avors distinguish this salad from its warm-weather version.

Ingredients

  • 6 ounces country-style bread, torn into bite-size pieces
  • 1 tablespoon nely grated lemon zest
  • 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil, divided use
  • Coarse salt (kosher or sea) and freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 small shallot, finely chopped
  • 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
  • 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
  • 1 head radicchio, torn into bite-size pieces
  • 1 fennel bulb, trimmed and thinly sliced
  • 1 cup fresh at-leaf parsley leaves with tender stems
  • 1/2 cup green olives, pitted, halved
  • 3 ounces Parmigiano-Reggiano, thinly shaved
  • 3 ounces hard salami, thinly sliced

Directions

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Toss the bread with lemon zest and 1/4 cup of olive oil on a rimmed baking sheet; season with salt and pepper. Bake, tossing occasionally, until crisp on the outside but still chewy in the center, 8 to 10 minutes. Let cool.

Step 2

Whisk the shallot, lemon juice, vinegar, and oregano in a large bowl; season with salt and pepper. Whisk in the remaining 1/4 cup of olive oil.

Step 3

Add the radicchio, fennel, parsley, olives, cheese, salami, and bread to the dressing; toss to combine.

Serves 4 — Recipe adapted from Bon Appetit, April 2014