(Don’t worry. It works on poor men and men of average financial means as well. In fact, I’ve conducted independent semi-scientific research on the correlation between the hearts and stomachs of men of all socioeconomic strata and can confirm that my grandmother was wrong. The way to a man’s heart is through his stomach, regardless of how much money he makes.)
In the summertime, when the weather is gorgeous and the days don’t melt into darkness until late evening, it seems a travesty to cook indoors. So why not move the roasting outside to the grill? The chickens require a bit more attention, as with anything grilled, but so what? Invite some friends over and catch up over icy Coronas with lime or a pitcher of mojitos as you tend to your meal. It’s a perfect opportunity for a summer social event.
I was initially attracted to Bon Appetit’s recipe for Sicilian Grill Roasted Chicken because of the Mediterranean Drizzle that accompanied it. The combination of raw garlic mashed to a paste with coarse kosher salt then whisked with fresh lemon juice and extra virgin olive oil reminded me of a very delicious salad dressing I often make with exactly the same ingredients in different proportions. It came together in just about five minutes, and I left it to sit in the refrigerator for a few hours to let the garlic relax a little. The marinade featured all of the above ingredients plus chopped parsley, and also took no more than five minutes to mix up. Once it was ready, I divided it between a couple of big plastic storage bags, chucked in the chickens, and tossed it in the fridge until those flavors worked their magic. It’s always nice to find a fabulous recipe that requires such a short list of ingredients and so little work - this is why I love Mediterranean cooking, incidentally.
I actually used a rotisserie rather that roasting the chickens over indirect heat just because I had one handy, but if you follow the instructions in the recipe it is quite easy to translate roasting from oven to grill. I also didn’t truss them, because I didn’t have kitchen twine, so they sort of flopped about unattractively on the spit but weren’t harmed in terms of taste. I also forgot to do my favorite roast chicken trick (I had possibly had an immodest quantity of sangria at this point), gleaned from Jamie Oliver’s first cookbook, which is to slash each thigh a few times before roasting. I don’t know precisely why this improves them, but it does, and immensely, so I recommend giving it a try if you think of it.
We served the chickens with halved small zucchinis, summer squash, and tomatoes, and whole asparagus tossed in olive oil and grilled until tender, small red potatoes and onions roasted in the oven, and lots of fresh Tuscan bread to sop up the juices. The Mediterranean Drizzle was delicious on absolutely everything: as a dipping sauce, ladled over the veggies, poured copiously over the chicken, licked from the plate. It might even have been good on dessert, although I sort of doubt it…we made the Grilled Nutella and Banana Paninis from Bobby Flay's fabulous new cookbook, on fresh honey cinnamon bread from the local bakery, and they were quite possibly one of the most impressive desserts I’ve ever eaten, especially considering the fact that they basically made themselves. Granted, I’m a bit of a Nutellaholic – I don’t routinely keep it, or any other nut butters for that matter, in my pantry as they call to me with siren songs and compel me to eat them from the jar with a soup spoon standing directly in front of the cabinet, and I have a hard enough time keeping my girlish figure thankyouverymuch – but everyone at the table raved and continued to for days. There's a reason why I have no picture: they were gone too fast. My friend Gilian even g-chatted me two days later to tell me that she’d made a banana Nutella wrap for breakfast. So clearly I am not alone in thinking that those things are not only inspired but addictive and potentially even the stuff of fantasies.
Finally, a bit of reference: how to cut a chicken. Because while it might taste the same all hacked to bits, presentation goes a long way.
