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Thompson Grapes Roasted Chicken

September 16, 2022 By
Thompson Grapes Roasted Chicken
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Recipe by Silvia Baldini – This is a simple but stunning recipe, and is a hybrid of a popular fall Italian dish often prepared during grape harvesting season and the French vinegar roasted chicken. I nestle whole clusters of stem-on sweet Thompson grapes around my chicken to roast in the savory pan juices. A sprinkle of sugar on the grapes and a splash of sherry or high-quality balsamic vinegar give it a crisp acidity to balance the bright and deep flavors. 
Servings Prep Time
4-6 people 30 minutes
Cook Time
1 hour
Servings Prep Time
4-6 people 30 minutes
Cook Time
1 hour
Thompson Grapes Roasted Chicken
Yum
Print Recipe
Recipe by Silvia Baldini – This is a simple but stunning recipe, and is a hybrid of a popular fall Italian dish often prepared during grape harvesting season and the French vinegar roasted chicken. I nestle whole clusters of stem-on sweet Thompson grapes around my chicken to roast in the savory pan juices. A sprinkle of sugar on the grapes and a splash of sherry or high-quality balsamic vinegar give it a crisp acidity to balance the bright and deep flavors. 
Servings Prep Time
4-6 people 30 minutes
Cook Time
1 hour
Servings Prep Time
4-6 people 30 minutes
Cook Time
1 hour
Ingredients
  • 1 tablespoon coarse sea salt, plus more as needed
  • 1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper, plus more as needed
  • 2 teaspoons lemon zest
  • 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
  • ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 (3 ½ to 4 lb) whole chicken, spatchcocked (see notes)
  • 1 lb stem-on Thompson grapes, or sweet seedless black grapes, trimmed into small clusters 
  • 1 teaspoon granulated white sugar
  • ½ cup sherry vinegar or aged dark balsamic, plus 2 tablespoons for finishing
  • 1 ½ teaspoons unsalted butter
Servings: people
Instructions
  1. Rub 1 tablespoon salt, 1 teaspoon pepper, lemon zest, and 1 tablespoon of the olive oil generously over both sides of the chicken.
  2. Preheat the oven to 450°F.
  3. Set a large oven-safe skillet over medium-high heat and add 2 tablespoons olive oil. When the pan and oil are hot, place chicken in the skillet skin side down. Cook undisturbed for about 5 minutes, or until the skin is nicely browned. Turn chicken skin-side up and cook for 3 minutes on the other side.  Transfer the chicken to the oven and roast for 20 to 25 minutes. In a medium bowl, toss the grapes with 2 teaspoons olive oil, sugar, ½ cup sherry vinegar, salt and pepper. Scatter the grapes with their vinegar sauce over and around the chicken and roast until the chicken is cooked through and the grapes are lightly caramelized, 20 to 25 minutes.
  4. Transfer the chicken to a serving platter to rest. Use the stems to lift out the grapes to rest alongside the chicken.. Place the skillet over medium- high heat. Swirl 2 tablespoons of vinegar into the pan juices and whisk in the butter , reduce for 4 to 5 minutes, until dense and slightly caramelized. Return the grapes to the thickened sauce and gently swirl around for a minute to coat.
  5. Scatter the glossy grape bunches around the chicken and pour the sauce over the chicken. Serve immediately.
Recipe Notes
  • Spatchcocking chicken, or butterflying, means cutting the chicken along its backbone, then opening it up so that it can lie flat in a pan or on a grill. Spatchcocked chickens cook quickly and evenly, turning uniformly brown and with a perfect crispy skin. You can ask your butcher to spatchcock the chicken for you, but it’s not a hard thing to do yourself. I use my sharp kitchen shears and I cut alongside the backbone, from one end of the bird to the other. Then I cut along the other side of the backbone to remove it completely and then I flatten the whole bird evenly with the palm of my hands.
  • You can roast 8 to 10 chicken parts (mix of bone-in breasts, thighs and drumsticks) instead of one spatchcocked chicken. Check the temperature with a digital thermometer at the 30 minute mark, removing and keeping warm any pieces that cook through early.
  • Thompson grapes are very sweet and appear at the end of the summer and beginning of fall. You can substitute with any kind of sweet and seedless black grape or plums to make this lovely recipe all year around.
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Grilled Spatchcocked Chicken with Lemon and Parsley

October 17, 2021 By
Grilled Spatchcocked Chicken with Lemon and Parsley
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Recipe by Silvia Baldini—Spatchcocking, or butterflying, a chicken means cutting out its backbone and opening it like a book so that it lies flat while cooking. It ensures that the chicken will cook quickly and evenly and turn a uniform brown with perfectly crispy skin.  When smothered in mustard and marinated overnight with garlic, lemon and a large bunch of parsley, this chicken grills to perfection and tastes superlative without doing too much work. You can splash the cooked chicken with a quick balsamic vinaigrette like I do or serve it just the way it is. Either way, it’s delicious. Ask your butcher to spatchcock the chicken for you, but it’s not a hard thing to do yourself. I use my sharp kitchen shears and I cut alongside the backbone, from one end of the bird to the other. Then I cut along the other side of the backbone to remove it completely and then I flatten the whole bird evenly with the palm of my hands. Happy BBQ season!
Servings Prep Time
4 to 6 people 30 minutes
Cook Time Passive Time
50 minutes 1 hour minimum or overnight for marinating time
Servings Prep Time
4 to 6 people 30 minutes
Cook Time Passive Time
50 minutes 1 hour minimum or overnight for marinating time
Grilled Spatchcocked Chicken with Lemon and Parsley
Yum
Print Recipe
Recipe by Silvia Baldini—Spatchcocking, or butterflying, a chicken means cutting out its backbone and opening it like a book so that it lies flat while cooking. It ensures that the chicken will cook quickly and evenly and turn a uniform brown with perfectly crispy skin.  When smothered in mustard and marinated overnight with garlic, lemon and a large bunch of parsley, this chicken grills to perfection and tastes superlative without doing too much work. You can splash the cooked chicken with a quick balsamic vinaigrette like I do or serve it just the way it is. Either way, it’s delicious. Ask your butcher to spatchcock the chicken for you, but it’s not a hard thing to do yourself. I use my sharp kitchen shears and I cut alongside the backbone, from one end of the bird to the other. Then I cut along the other side of the backbone to remove it completely and then I flatten the whole bird evenly with the palm of my hands. Happy BBQ season!
Servings Prep Time
4 to 6 people 30 minutes
Cook Time Passive Time
50 minutes 1 hour minimum or overnight for marinating time
Servings Prep Time
4 to 6 people 30 minutes
Cook Time Passive Time
50 minutes 1 hour minimum or overnight for marinating time
Ingredients
Chicken
  • 1 tablespoon fine sea salt, plus more as needed
  • 1 teaspoon fresh ground pepper, plus more as needed
  • 3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
  • 2 large lemons (1 lemon for 1 teaspoon grated zest and 2 tablespoons of juice; and 1 lemon for slicing)
  • 2 medium garlic cloves, minced
  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 bunch fresh flat Italian parsley
  • 1 4 ½- to 5-lb whole chicken, spatchcocked
Balsamic Vinaigrette
  • ½ cup water
  • ½ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
  • ¼ cup dark aged balsamic vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 bunch bunch fresh flat Italian parsley, finely chopped
  • ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
  • ¼ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
Servings: people
Instructions
  1. In a small bowl, combine salt, pepper, mustard, lemon zest, lemon juice, minced garlic and 1 tablespoon of olive oil.
  2. Rub this mixture generously all over both sides of the chicken. Place the chicken skin-side up in a rimmed and lined baking sheet and top with parsley and lemon slices Cover tightly and store in the refrigerator to marinate for at least 1 hour or up to 24 hours.
  3. When you’re ready to cook, remove the chicken from the fridge and let it stand on the counter for 30 minutes. Preheat the grill or oven to 475°F. 
  4. Uncover the chicken, drizzle with 1 tablespoon of olive oil and cook, skin side up, for 20 to 25 minutes. 
  5. While the chicken is cooking make the vinaigrette. In a small pan, combine the the water, lemon and sugar, then bring to a boil. Turn down the heat and add the balsamic vinegar. Cook for 5 to 8 minutes, or until thick and slightly reduced. 
  6. Turn off the heat and whisk in olive oil, parsley, salt and pepper and set aside.
  7. Flip the chicken skin side down and cook for another 20 to 25 minutes, until the meat is cooked through and the skin is very crispy and brown all over but not burned.
  8. Transfer the chicken to a cutting board to rest. Drizzle the chicken with a couple of tablespoons of the vinaigrette. Carve and serve with the remaining vinaigrette.
Recipe Notes
  • If you like, you can skip the vinaigrette and just serve the chicken as is or with a generous splash of balsamic vinegar.
  • Grilled fresh figs or halved peaches make a lovely addition
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Barbera Grilled Flank Steak— Brasato Remix

June 21, 2019 By
Barbera Grilled Flank Steak— Brasato Remix
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Recipe by Silvia Baldini — Barbera is great with grilled meats and it’s best served slightly chilled, making it the perfect BBQ wine not only for drinking but also for cooking. This Barbera marinade, based on the Italian recipe for brasato, works wanders to flavor flank steak. I marinate the meat for thirty minutes to two hours. For rare steak, I grill it on really high heat for three to five minutes on each side, depending on the thickness. Larger steaks might take longer. I reduce the leftover Barbera marinade in a small pot on low heat, I puree it in to a creamy sauce and I serve on the side of the flank steak.
Servings Prep Time
4/6 people 30 minutes, to 2 hours
Cook Time
6 to 10 minutes minutes
Servings Prep Time
4/6 people 30 minutes, to 2 hours
Cook Time
6 to 10 minutes minutes
Barbera Grilled Flank Steak— Brasato Remix
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Recipe by Silvia Baldini — Barbera is great with grilled meats and it’s best served slightly chilled, making it the perfect BBQ wine not only for drinking but also for cooking. This Barbera marinade, based on the Italian recipe for brasato, works wanders to flavor flank steak. I marinate the meat for thirty minutes to two hours. For rare steak, I grill it on really high heat for three to five minutes on each side, depending on the thickness. Larger steaks might take longer. I reduce the leftover Barbera marinade in a small pot on low heat, I puree it in to a creamy sauce and I serve on the side of the flank steak.
Servings Prep Time
4/6 people 30 minutes, to 2 hours
Cook Time
6 to 10 minutes minutes
Servings Prep Time
4/6 people 30 minutes, to 2 hours
Cook Time
6 to 10 minutes minutes
Ingredients
  • 1 large white onion, diced
  • 1/2 medium carrot diced
  • 1 stalk celery diced
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 750 ml Barbera wine
  • 1 large garlic clove, peeled
  • 2-3 bay leaf
  • a few whole cardamom cloves, one cinnamon stick, some juniper berries
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
  • 1 handful mixed fresh herbs such as rosemary, sage, thyme tied together with a string
  • 1 cup beef stock
  • 2 tablespoons cold butter, unsalted
  • 1 shot cognac
  • 1 16-24 ounces flank steak
  • salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • one bunch of parsley leaves, chopped
Servings: people
Instructions
Marinade
  1. Sweat the onion, carrot and celery with the olive oil until translucent in medium-large pot.
  2. Add the Barbera wine, the garlic, the bay leaves, the cloves, the cinnamon, the juniper berries, the nutmeg and the tied herbs. Cook on medium heat for about 10 minutes. Add the beef stock and cook for another 5 to 7 minutes.
  3. Remove and discard bay the leaves, cinnamon and rosemary and the thyme stalks. With an immersion blender puree the vegetables and the liquid until smooth. Boil the sauce over medium-high heat, uncovered, until the sauce is reduced and slightly thickened, about 10 minutes. Drop in the butter and swirl it through the sauce until glossy. Add a shot of cognac and reduce it until the alcohol has evaporated, about two minutes. Taste for seasoning, add salt and pepper, if necessary. It can be prepared a day in advanced. Keep refrigerated until ready to use.
Flank Steak
  1. Season the flank steak on both sides with salt and pepper. Place the steak in the Barbera sauce and turn once or twice, then let sit in the sauce until the grill is hot.
  2. Turn the steak one more time, then place on the grill; brush a couple of tablespoons with the Barbera sauce over it, reserve the rest of the sauce. For rare meat, grill about 3 minutes a side for steaks less than an inch thick. For larger or more done steak, increase the time slightly.
  3. Rest the steak for 10 minutes and slice at a diagonal, against the grain. Serve with the chopped parsley and the reserved sauce on the side.
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Whiskey Espresso Marinated Steak

May 13, 2019 By
Whiskey Espresso Marinated Steak
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Recipe by Silvia Baldini—Flank demands a good marinade to add flavor but also to promote browning and crispness. It needs high heat quick grilling, a mandatory slice against the grain at an angle, and resting time. I marinate the meat for thirty minutes to two hours. For rare steak, I grill it on really high heat for three to five minutes on each side, depending on the thickness. Larger steaks might take longer.
Servings Prep Time
4 20 minutes
Cook Time Passive Time
15 minutes 2 hours
Servings Prep Time
4 20 minutes
Cook Time Passive Time
15 minutes 2 hours
Whiskey Espresso Marinated Steak
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Print Recipe
Recipe by Silvia Baldini—Flank demands a good marinade to add flavor but also to promote browning and crispness. It needs high heat quick grilling, a mandatory slice against the grain at an angle, and resting time. I marinate the meat for thirty minutes to two hours. For rare steak, I grill it on really high heat for three to five minutes on each side, depending on the thickness. Larger steaks might take longer.
Servings Prep Time
4 20 minutes
Cook Time Passive Time
15 minutes 2 hours
Servings Prep Time
4 20 minutes
Cook Time Passive Time
15 minutes 2 hours
Ingredients
  • 1 2-3 pounds bavette or flank steak
  • 2 cloves peeled garlic
  • 2 tablespoons whiskey
  • 4 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 2 tablespoons Honey maple syrup
  • 2 tablespoons espresso powder brewed strong coffee can be substitute
  • 1 tablespoon sherry vinegar
  • salt/ black pepper
  • olive oil
Servings:
Instructions
  1. Marinate the steak. Place the steak in a ziplock bag. Mix the garlic, whiskey, honey or syrup, soy, coffee and vinegar until well combined, then pour over the steak and close the ziplock bag. Chill for at least 2 hours and up to 24 hours in the fridge. Return to room temperature before cooking.
  2. Remove the steak from the marinade. Put the marinade in a small sauce pan and reduce over medium heat, Bring to a boil then simmer until thickened. About 5 minutes. Reserve.
  3. Cook the steak. Season well with salt and pepper. And drizzle a little oil on it. Heat a grill pan or a regular pan over high heat. Grill the steak 4 to 6 minutes per side for medium rare.
  4. Let the steak rest for at least 5 minutes. Slice at an angle and against the grain. Drizzle the reserved and warmed marinade over the steak before serving.
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