Chef Scott Conant cooks ups some easy and healthy recipes.
Scott Conant knows Italian food.
Named one of the 10 best new chefs in the country by Food and Wine magazine in 2004, Conant specializes in Italian food. In his cookbook, "Bold Italian," he makes his dishes tasty yet simple -- to be made and enjoyed at home by novices and pros alike.
Get a taste from some recipes below, and for a full list of recipes to complement any occasion, click here.
Serves four to six.
Maybe it's my suburban upbringing, but I don't really feel as if summer has come until I see flames shoot out from the barbecue and smell the distinct aroma of chicken charring. That smell means I'm going to get my grilled chicken the way I like it, with some of the pieces quite blackened. I may not want to eat the burned skin per se, but I know the meat underneath is going to taste smoky and delicious. Though I am nostalgic for some aspects of the backyard barbecue, one thing I don't miss -- aside from the mosquitoes -- is the taste of lighter fluid. If you do cook this chicken over a real fire (and not a gas grill), consider using hardwood coals, such as charwood, instead of charcoal. And light them with a match.
1¼ cup extra virgin olive oil, plus more for brushing
1 lemon, sliced
2 bunches scallions, roots trimmed
2 medium onions, thickly sliced
Pinch or two of crushed red pepper flakes
2 whole chickens, cut into pieces
2 to 3 anchovies, well rinsed (optional)
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
½ cup chopped fresh parsley
6 to 8 medium, very ripe heirloom tomatoes or juicy beefsteak tomatoes, cut into wedges
4 to 6 slices ciabatta bread
1. Marinate the chicken: Combine the 1 cup of olive oil, the lemon slices, scallion and red pepper flakes in a large bowl or large zip top bag. Add the chicken pieces and toss to coat. Marinate for at least a few hours refrigerated.
2. Grill the chicken: Prepare the coals on an outdoor grill to medium-hot or heat a gas grill. If using coals, bank them to one side of the grill so that one side is hot and the other less so. Season the chicken pieces well with salt and pepper and then dump them, as well as the onions, scallions and lemon slices onto the grill. (You may lose some scallions or lemons, but hopefully, most won't fall through the grates.) Put the cover on the grill to increase the heat. The grill will smoke like crazy, but try to resist opening the lid for 7 minutes or so. When you do, turn the chicken pieces over, and continue cooking, most of the time with the lid on, until done, about 35 minutes. If the chicken, lemon and onions are getting too charred, reduce the heat or move them to a cooler part of the grill.
