Recipe: Piri Piri Chicken With Potatoes And Olives

Representing Little Portugal, Dundas West

Victor restaurant, Excerpt from Toronto Taste Menu Spring 2011

This is a great recipe to have handy as barbecue season opens up.  Keep the paste/marinade in the fridge for upto 3 weeks, and definitely keep some in the freezer for the next time you need a meal on the fly.

Recipe serves 4

1 cup piri piri marinade (recipe below)

1 whole chicken, 3-4 lbs

1 lemon

1 onion

1 bunch thyme

2 bay leaves

1 cup nice olives, assorted pits in

2 lbs mini Yukon potatoes or new potatoes

¼ cup olive oil

Salt

Pepper

-Cube the potatoes, toss with a bit of lemon juice, olive oil a bay leave some of the thyme, the olives, salt and pepper.

-place the potatoes and olives in a double lined foil pouch, mist with some water, wrap tight and place on the upper rack of the bbq, on high for 45 minutes-1 hour.

-Stuff the chicken with the onion, lemon, thyme, bay, liberally season with salt and pepper, then apply the marinade heavily inside and out.

-truss the bird, and place on the bbq, medium heat for about 1 hour and 15 minutes, or cook in the oven at 350*F for about 1 hour.

(if using the bbq, place the left burner on high, but have the chicken on the right side, keep the lid closed.  This will provide convection heat, indirect from the flame and there will be no flare up).

Recipe for Roasted Asparagus, Sardine and Prosciutto Salad
Representing Little Italy, College Street
Victor Restaurant, Excerpt from Toronto Taste Menu, Spring 2011

8 spears of green asparagus
8 spears of white asparagus
8 fresh sardines, bones removed, soaked in milk
8 slices of prosciutto
1 red onion, shaved into fine rings
2 lemons
2 Tbsp grainy mustard
4 Tbsp good olive oil
Fresh cracked black pepper
2 Tbsp sugar

Peel the asparagus, and shock blanch it, until just slightly softened, toss it in a touch of the olive oil, add only fresh cracked black pepper, no additional salt
Remove the sardines from the milk and pat dry, form the fillets back together and wrap in the slice of prosciutto.
Grate the zest from the lemon, and segment the fruit, add the zest and fruit to the sugar and cook on low flame until thick and slightly jammy. Add the olive oil, but do not mix.
Get a cast iron pan very hot, toss in the asparagus with quickly char the edges, remove and add the sardines to the pan, adding some vegetable oil to prevent sticking, crisp the prosciutto, then place in the oven to finish cooking, about 2 minutes at 400*F.
On a large plate assemble the asparagus, and sardines, add slices of onions, drizzle with any remaining olive oil, and the lemon jam, and grainy mustard.