Fabulicious!: On the Grill (17 page)

2.
Mix the bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese together on a plate. Dip and coat the chicken on both sides in the breadcrumb mixture, patting the coating to help it adhere. Transfer to a baking sheet. Let stand at room temperature while preparing the grill.

3.
Preheat the grill for direct cooking over medium heat (400°F).

4.
Using a wad of paper towels dipped in olive oil, wipe the cooking grate to grease it. Place the chicken on the grate and close the lid. Cook until the coating on the underside is golden brown and seared with grill marks, about 4 minutes. Carefully flip the chicken and continue cooking, with the lid closed, until the chicken feels firm when pressed on top with a fingertip, about 4 minutes more. During the last minute, top each chicken breast half with mozzarella. Transfer the chicken to a platter.

5.
For each serving, spoon ½ cup of the tomato sauce on a dinner plate and top with a chicken breast half. Serve hot.

 

Makes 6 servings

This is Joe's specialty. He loves broccoli rabe—we all do!—and he makes this for us all the time. It's super simple but so delicious! I usually serve this with plain ziti to help mellow out the broccoli's bite.

6 skinless boneless chicken breast halves (each about 6 ounces)

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 pound broccoli rabe, well washed

1 large onion, chopped

5 garlic cloves, crushed under the flat side of a knife and peeled

1.
Preheat the grill for direct cooking over medium heat (400°F). One at a time, place half of a chicken breast between 2 plastic storage bags. Using a flat meat pounder or a rolling pin, pound the chicken until it is about ½ inch thick. Brush the chicken on both sides with 2 tablespoons of oil and season with 1 teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon pepper. Let stand at room temperature for 15 to 30 minutes.

2.
Meanwhile, bring a large saucepan of lightly salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the broccoli rabe and cook until crisp-tender, about 5 minutes. Drain well.

3.
Place the chicken breast halves on the cooking grate and close the grill lid. Cook until the undersides are seared with grill marks, about 4 minutes. Flip the chicken over and continue cooking, with the lid closed, until the chicken feels firm when pressed on top with a fingertip, 4 to 6 minutes more. Remove the chicken breasts from the heat and transfer to a chopping board. Let stand while finishing the broccoli rabe.

4.
Heat the remaining tablespoon of oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir in the broccoli rabe and garlic. Cook until the broccoli rabe is tender, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

5.
Cut the chicken across the grain into ½-inch-thick slices. Transfer the chicken slices and juices to the skillet and cook to blend the flavors, about 2 minutes. Remove the garlic cloves and serve hot.

 

Makes 6 servings

I prefer firm and tender white chicken meat, but Joe and my kids love the juicy dark meat. And while I peel off the skin, I know some of you love it, especially when it's crispy! (Even I splurge every once in awhile, and the skin on this is
fabulicious
!) So here is a recipe with lots of options. I put the rub under the skin directly onto the chicken so if you do like to eat it skinless, you won't be pulling off all of the flavor with the skin.

Sweet and Spicy Rub:

1 tablespoon light brown sugar

2 teaspoons salt

2 teaspoons sweet paprika, preferably smoked paprika

2 teaspoons dried thyme

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon onion powder

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Chicken Thighs:

12 chicken thighs with skin and bone

Extra-virgin olive oil

1.
To make the rub:
Mix all of the ingredients together in a small bowl.

2.
To make the chicken:
Separate the skin from each thigh, leaving it attached on one side. Sprinkle the rub all over the chicken flesh, and pull the skin back into place. Brush on both sides with oil. Let stand at room temperature while preparing the grill.

3.
Preheat the grill for indirect cooking with medium-high heat (450°F).

4.
Put the chicken on the cooking grate over the unignited burner(s), skin side down, and close the grill lid. Cook until the skin is golden brown, about 30 minutes. Flip the chicken and continue cooking, with the lid closed, until it shows no sign of pink when pierced at the bone with the tip of a small knife, about 15 minutes more. (The chicken thighs are too thin to get an accurate reading on a meat thermometer.) Remove from the grill. Serve hot, with or without the skin.

 

Makes 6 servings

Skewers are great for serving guests because you can personalize them to suit anyone; and they're super easy. I sometimes use zucchini or mushroom caps instead of the peppers and onions.

Special equipment: 6 metal grilling skewers

Basil Glaze:

2 garlic cloves, crushed under the flat side of a knife and peeled

1 cup packed fresh basil leaves

½ cup extra-virgin olive oil

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Spiedini:

2 pounds skinless boneless chicken breast, cut into 24 pieces

1 small red bell pepper, cored and cut into 12 pieces

1 small yellow or green bell pepper, cored and cut into 12 pieces

½ medium red onion, separated into layers and cut into 12 large chunks (small pieces discarded or saved for another use)

Extra-virgin olive oil

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

½ cup (2 ounces) freshly grated Parmesan cheese, for serving

1.
To make the glaze:
With the machine on high, drop the garlic through the feed tube of a food processor until minced. Add the basil leaves and process until chopped. With the machine still running, gradually add the oil. Season with salt and pepper. (Or process all of the ingredients in a blender to make a thin paste.)

2.
To make the spiedini:
For each serving, thread 6 pieces of chicken, and 2 each of red and yellow peppers and red onions onto a metal skewer. (Do not pack them closely.) Brush the skewers with oil and season with the salt and pepper. Let stand at room temperature while preparing the grill.

3.
Preheat the grill for direct cooking over medium heat (400°F).

4.
Place the spiedini on the grate and close the grill lid. Grill until the undersides of the chicken are seared with grill marks, about 5 minutes. Turn the spiedini and continue cooking, with the lid closed, until the chicken feels firm when pressed on top with a fingertip and the vegetables are crisp-tender, about 5 minutes more. During the last 2 minutes, brush the spiedini generously with the basil glaze and turn occasionally to set the glaze. Transfer the skewers to a platter.

5.
Sprinkle the chicken and vegetables with the Parmesan cheese. Serve hot.

In Italy, instead of saying “the early bird gets the worm” (because who really wants a worm?), we turn it around and warn you against staying in bed and being lazy by saying
chi dorme non piglia pesci
or “he who sleeps doesn't catch any fish.” And we all want the fish!

W
e spend our entire summer, every single moment we can, at the Jersey Shore. Whether at our own house or visiting friends' houses, we do almost of all our cooking outdoors. Everyone either has a huge patio or dock—some on the ocean, some on the bay—and everybody has a grill.

The great thing about being so close to the water is that we can get fresh seafood almost all the time. Joe has a couple of crab traps that he baits with pieces of chicken or bunker, then throws over the side of our dock in the morning. By nighttime, we're feasting on fresh crab.

I think a lot of Italians settled in New Jersey because it is so close to the water. No matter where you are in New Jersey, you're always less than 70 miles from the beach. Italy is only 100 miles wide at its widest point (not counting that top bit bordering Europe), so we're used to having easy access to the ocean.

I've been cleaning and cooking seafood my whole life. Because it can be so easy to get (and pulling it out of the ocean means it's free!) and so quick to cook, it's what my mom usually served at big parties. I remember growing up, we'd have thirty-five people over like it was nothing. I loved helping my mom prepare all the
food, especially the seafood! My favorite is sea bass; I love how flaky, buttery, and soft it is. And I've already confessed my love of octopus. There's really not a kind of seafood that I
don't
like. Anchovies, baccalà . . . bring it on! But don't worry, I'm going to give you my most delicious seafood recipes that star everybody's favorite fish: sea bass, swordfish, tuna steaks, and even salmon stuffed with crab.