Citrus Fennel Porchetta

Pork Loin 

1/2 cup Salsa Verde 

2 Tablespoons Citrus Fennel Salt 

Buon appetito! copyright 2011 Alisa Barry

Grilled Shrimp Spiedini with Salsa Verde

When the weather is this good and the sun stays out longer, I want to enjoy as much of the day as possible. Grilling out at dusk with a glass of wine in hand is my medicine for a relaxing spring evening. 

Salsa Verde, an Italian green herb sauce, celebrates the abundance of herbs growing in the garden box. 

I've included a recipe, but feel free to change it up  depending on what you're cooking {fish, chicken, lamb, veggies} and what's growing in your garden. 

Grilled Shrimp Spiedini with  Salsa Verde

1 pound fresh shrimp

1 Tablespoon olive oil

salt and pepper

Remove the shells from the fish with the exception of the tail. Devein the shrimp by cut down the back of the body of the shrimp. Make the salsa verde. Toss the shrimp 1/4 cup of the salsa verde. Marinate a few hours or overnight. 

Skewer the shrimp onto branches of rosemary skewers {about 3-4 shrimp per skewer.}

Season with salt and pepper. Grill over a medium wood fire just until pink.

Salsa Verde

½ cup parsley, leaves removed

1 handful of fresh mint leaves

2 Tbs. chives

1 tsp. oregano

2 Tbs. capers

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1 tsp. sage leaves

2 Tablespoons champagne wine vinegar

zest and juice of one lemon

1 tsp. Kosher salt

1 tsp pepper

1/3 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Combine all ingredients except the oil in the blender.  Puree on high speed, slowly adding olive oil in a stream through the top of the blender.  Puree until the mixture is smooth and emulsified.

Makes 3/4 cup

Buon appetito! copyright 2010 Alisa Barry

Tuscan Lemon + Rosemary Chicken under a brick

The Italians love to grill over hardwood. In the summertime, they typically cook over an open fire pit just off the kitchen. In the winter, they place a grill in their fireplace. {I have never seen a gas grill in Italy!} . One of the most interesting grilling techniques I have seen in Italy is cooking poultry under a brick. The Italians call this method of cooking under a brick "al mattone". Whether you use an actual brick or not is not important. The idea is to flatten out the chicken so the skin gets a nice crispy texture and the meat cooks fast and stays tender, juicy and moist. It's really easy from start to finish and a great staple for the seasonal summer menu repetoire.

TUSCAN LEMON + ROSEMARY CHICKEN

1 whole chicken, preferably organic + free range
4 wedges preserved lemons
4 sprigs of fresh rosemary, needles removed from stem
4 cloves fresh garlic, peeled
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 Tablespoon crushed pepperocini chili flakes
1/2 Tablespoon sea salt
1/8 Tablespoon cracked black pepper

Cut the chicken lengthwise through the breast bone {versus down the back} or have your butcher prepare it for you. {The butchers at Whole Foods are great at these kinds of things and are usually very glad to help.} To prepare the marinade for the chicken, place the lemons, garlic, rosemary and olive oil in a blender. Blend the ingredients on low speed, just until coarsely chopped. Refrigerate until ready to use. {This can be prepared up to 3 days in advance.}



To prepare the marinated chicken, open up the chicken and place in a shallow platter,skin side down. Rub the chicken with 1/3 of the marinade. Season with 1/2 of the chili flakes, salt, pepper. Turn the chicken over and rub the remaining 2/3 marinade over the chicken to coat the skin. Season with the rest of the chili flakes, salt and pepper. Cover with plastic wrap and marinate in the refrigerator for a few hours or overnight.



When ready to cook, prepare your fire for the grill. The fire should be hot, but the flames should have subsided.
Place flattened chicken on grill, skin side up. Make sure it is placed on a lower heat side of the grill, as you don’t want the chicken to burn before it is thoroughly cooked.
Top with tinfoil covered bricks {you will need about two} or a heavy weight lid or ceramic platter to flatten the chicken. {a cast iron pan will work nicely}.



Cook about 8-10 minutes. Carefully remove bricks, turn the chicken over and cook on the other side, placing bricks back on top of the chicken. Cook for an additional 8-10 minutes. The skin should be lightly charred and the chicken should be flattened. Test the temperature at the thigh if you are unsure about the doneness. The temperature should be about 160 degrees.




Carefully remove from the grill and let rest 5-10 minutes. Cut into pieces and serve with fresh lemon wedges.

Serves 4.

NOTE:
I especially like cooking this recipe over the hard wood Tuscan grill because it add so much flavor to the dish. The high heat creates a crispy-textured skin. The hard wood adds lots of flavor throughout the entire chicken. This is a great recipe for easy entertaining, too. {p.s. great father's day gift!}




Buon appetito!
copyright 2009 Alisa Barry

Branzini Baked Sea Bass with Olives & Preserved Lemons

I am on Fox news "Good Day Atlanta" today! Tune in to see me with Suchita preparing one of my favorite spring receipes from my cookbook, La Bella Vita. Buon Appetito!

go HERE to see the video online, listed as "different ways to use pesto".


Branzini with Preserved Lemons, Olives and Salsa Verde

I like to bake this dish in a terracotta planter base (one without a hole in the bottom) and serve it from oven to table.

4 - 6 oz. sea bass or other fish, such as halibut, cod, tilapia or even salmon. {make sure you buy only safely & humanely approved sea bass}
1/4 c. sliced Preserved Lemons, about 3 wedges (rinse lemon and remove and discard pulp before slicing)
1/2 c. Citrus Fennel or Antipasti olives
{our NEW! Citrus fennel olives will be on our website soon}.
3 T. Olive oil from the antipasti Olives
Wild Oregano & Sage aromatic salt (or kosher salt)
Freshly cracked pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Cut fillets into 2-inch pieces and place in an oven proof baking dish or terracotta platter. Scatter the preserved lemon slices and olives over the fillets. Drizzle with olive oil and season with the salt and pepper. Bake until the fish is just cooked (it should be firm to the touch), 7-10 minutes.

To make the sauce:


Salsa Verde
1/2 c. Italian parsley leaves
2 T. plus 1 teaspoon champagne vinegar
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
2 T. chopped fresh chives
2 T. capers, drained or rinsed, if salt packed
2 large cloves garlic, chopped
1 t. coarsely chopped sage leaves
1 t. fresh oregano leaves
1 t. kosher salt
1 t. freshly cracked black pepper
3/4 c. Tuscan Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 T. aromatic lemon oil (optional)- not currently on the site, but available.

In a blender or food processor, add all of the ingredients except the oils. Process on high speed, slowly adding the olive and lemon oils in a steady stream through the top of the blender or processor, until the mixture is smooth and emulsified.

Makes 1/2 cup.

NOTE: you can substitute salsa verde with Bella Cucina Garden Herb Sauce.

From the cookbook, “La Bella Vita” by Alisa Barry
Buon appetito!
copyright 2009 Alisa Barry