A Tuscan BBQ in Hong Kong using the Lotus Grill BBQ and Accessories

Hooray it is the weekend!  And what better to do than having a BBQ with friends using your smokeless Lotus Grill BBQ!  But what should we barbecue……

When we were in Italy a couple of years ago, we spent  a couple of nights in Montepuliciano at a vineyard.  I will never forget the meal that the host prepared for us – not your typical cheese, salami and ciabatta but an Italian BBQ – It was a balmy summer evening and we were sipping the local wine, when our Italian host said let´s BBQ tonight.  Well as you can imagine we love to BBQ and the evening only got better.  Our host decided to keep it simple and prepared chicken with their famous Italian Salsa Verde and a wonderful Tuscan Tomato Salad – all washed done with an ice cold  glass of their local wine……heaven!  So picture the scene – a warm, starry night, the BBQ glowing, the chicken sizzling,the smells of country living and light jazz music in the background – it couldn´t get better. 

After the wonderful meal, Antonio, our host, gave me the recipe and tonight I am going to surprise our friends with this delicious meal, however, as we are not on a wine farm but in Hong Kong I don´t believe I can create the exact same ambience but we can try.

Ingredients:

4-6 pieces of thighs or breasts or cut up a whole chicken (keep the skin on)

Salt and pepper

Italian-Style Salsa Verde:

1 cup Italian parsley. Feel free to put in Basil

2 garlic cloves

1/8 cup lemon juice

2 tsp lemon zest

2 tablespoons capers

1 tablespoon caper juice from the jar

1 anchovy (optional)

1/3 cup olive oil plus more for cooking

Salt and pepper to taste

Tuscan Tomato Salad:

1 kg heirloom tomatoes

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

Salt and pepper to taste and herbs to decorate

Instructions:

1. Season your chicken generously with salt and pepper on all sides
2. Place all the ingredients for the Salsa Verde, in a food processor or blender and pulse, repeat, about 15 minutes, until chopped and just combined – but NOT smooth – should be chunky.  Place in a bowl and set aside.
3. To make the tomato salad, slice assorted ripe, room temperature tomatoes and place on a platter. Drizzle with good olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper.  Scatter with fresh herbs for colour

Now is the fun part and it is time to get your Lotus BBQ Grill going – you should also have a Lotus BBQ grill Lid as this will enable your chicken to cook as though it is in am oven.  After 3 minutes, yes a Lotus BBQ Grill only takes 3 minutes to cooking time, place your chicken pieces on the grid or if you have a Martin Weber non-stick pan use that (read my other blog about the benefits of using a Martin Weber non-stick pan when barbecuing).  Cook for around 30-35 minutes and always check that it doesn’t get too hot.  I would suggest you turn the chicken every 5 minutes. 

The end result should be a crispy, moist chicken.

Divide the chicken and tomato salad among the plates and spoon a little salsa Verde over the chicken.  And don´t forget to serve with an ice cold glass of wine or your favourite drink.