It is only the end of March, but we are enjoying summer like weather and it is a 4 day weekend, it does not get much better than that. Friends had just arrived home from a trip to Rome and we invited them over for kind of Italian meal on the deck.
I had some chicken legs in my freezer from Hopcott's and as it was such a beautiful day, I decided to break out the barbecue for the first time in 2013. This I am afraid required quite a bit of cleaning as there had been critters under that cover!
Feeds 6
6 chicken legs cut in half
1 lemon cut in half
4 cloves of garlic sliced very thinly
2 sprigs of Rosemary with the leaves pulled off
4 tablespoons of olive oil
salt and pepper
Place the chicken in a container to marinate and squeeze the juice out of one half of the lemon and cut the remaining half in to small pieces. Add the lemon juice, lemon pieces and the remaining ingredients and marinate the chicken.
Of course the longer the better when it comes to marinating, Ideally over night, but I managed 4 hours and that seemed to be fine. About an hour before dinner crank up the barbecue on both sides until it is good and hot, then turn down one side and place the chicken on the side that is off.
Make sure that the bits of lemon and garlic are stuck on the chicken, then put down the lid and turn about every quarter hour. The chicken takes a little longer this way, but there are no flare ups and no charcoal skin, and I can be on the front deck hearing stories of Rome, not hovering over the barbecue.
After an hour the chicken will be cooked through with nice crispy brown bits and the lemon pieces will add a lovely bitter lemon flavour.
I asked my friend who is into food, if he had enjoyed the food in Italy and he replied that it was good, but they had not had the wow that they were expecting, but one thing he did learn from the Italian food was keep it simple. I agree, and though this dish is not from an Italian recipe just from my head, I am sure that these ingredients are used in a similar way on back yard barbecues in Italy.
Here is to the coming summer and many dinners on the deck.
I had some chicken legs in my freezer from Hopcott's and as it was such a beautiful day, I decided to break out the barbecue for the first time in 2013. This I am afraid required quite a bit of cleaning as there had been critters under that cover!
Feeds 6
6 chicken legs cut in half
1 lemon cut in half
4 cloves of garlic sliced very thinly
2 sprigs of Rosemary with the leaves pulled off
4 tablespoons of olive oil
salt and pepper
Place the chicken in a container to marinate and squeeze the juice out of one half of the lemon and cut the remaining half in to small pieces. Add the lemon juice, lemon pieces and the remaining ingredients and marinate the chicken.
Of course the longer the better when it comes to marinating, Ideally over night, but I managed 4 hours and that seemed to be fine. About an hour before dinner crank up the barbecue on both sides until it is good and hot, then turn down one side and place the chicken on the side that is off.
Make sure that the bits of lemon and garlic are stuck on the chicken, then put down the lid and turn about every quarter hour. The chicken takes a little longer this way, but there are no flare ups and no charcoal skin, and I can be on the front deck hearing stories of Rome, not hovering over the barbecue.
After an hour the chicken will be cooked through with nice crispy brown bits and the lemon pieces will add a lovely bitter lemon flavour.
I asked my friend who is into food, if he had enjoyed the food in Italy and he replied that it was good, but they had not had the wow that they were expecting, but one thing he did learn from the Italian food was keep it simple. I agree, and though this dish is not from an Italian recipe just from my head, I am sure that these ingredients are used in a similar way on back yard barbecues in Italy.
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