Grilled Chicken with Gremolata

adapted from Giada’s Family Dinners by Giada De Laurentiis

Serves 4

In the (likely) event that rain ruins your BBQ plans and you can’t use the grill, just cook the chicken in your oven or on a ridged grill pan on the hob instead.

a handful of finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 1/2 tablespoons lemon zest

1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh oregano

1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh thyme

1 teaspoon finely chopped garlic

1 tablespoon olive oil

900 g skin-on, cut-up chicken (breasts, thighs and/or legs)

salt and freshly ground black pepper

In a small bowl, combine the parsley, extra virgin olive oil, lemon zest, oregano, thyme and garlic. Set this gremolata aside.

Preheat a charcoal or gas grill for medium heat. Rub the olive oil over both sides of the chicken and season to taste with salt and pepper. Grill the chicken over a medium heat until it’s just cooked through (10 to 15 minutes for breasts, 15 to 20 minutes for legs/thighs). Transfer the chicken to a platter. Immediately spoon the gremolata over the chicken and serve.

Sour Cream and Chive Potato Cakes

adapted from www.greatfood.ie

Makes 8 small cakes or 4 large ones

Try adding some finely diced smoked salmon (or any smoked fish) to the potato mixture. Fresh chopped parsley or dill substituted for or added to the chives would also be good.

900 g potatoes, peeled and cut into quarters

120 ml sour cream, plus extra to serve

2 tablespoons finely chopped scallions

2 tablespoons fresh chopped chives, plus extra to garnish

1 teaspoon mustard

salt and freshly ground black pepper

a little flour, for dredging (optional)

30 g butter, melted

olive oil

Boil the potatoes until they’re fork tender; this will take 5 to 10 minutes, depending on the size. You need to keep checking so they don’t collapse. Drain and mash well in a large bowl.

Add the sour cream, scallions, chives and mustard and season to taste. Allow the mixture to cool, then shape into round cakes about 5 to 8 cm in diameter (or use a tian ring or cookie cutters) and dust with a little flour to give them a golden colour (optional). Rest on a baking tray in the fridge to firm up for at least 30 minutes.

Heat the butter and a splash of olive oil in a non-stick frying pan and fry until the cakes are heated through and golden on each side. You can also bake these in the oven on a baking tray at 175°C until golden. Serve with a dollop of sour cream and a sprinkle of chives on top of each cake.

Eton Mess

Serves 4

Puréeing the strawberries makes this dessert more attractive and heightens the strawberry flavour, but you could skip this step and simply chop all the strawberries and it will still be delicious.

450 g fresh strawberries, hulled
1 tablespoon icing sugar
1 tablespoon caster sugar (optional)
350 ml cream
4 store-bought meringue nests

Chop the strawberries into halves or quarters, depending on their size (you want them to be in bite-sized pieces). Place about one-third of the berries and the icing sugar in a food processor or blender and process until just puréed (or you can mash them with a potato masher or fork). Place the remaining strawberries in a bowl and sprinkle with the caster sugar only if you think the berries need a little boost to bring out their natural sweetness. Set aside to macerate while you whip the cream.

Whip the cream just until soft peaks form. Break up the meringues into bite-sized pieces and add them to the whipped cream, along with the chopped strawberries, reserving a few for decoration. Gently fold in all but a few tablespoons of the purée, marbling it throughout the cream mixture. Spoon into individual serving dishes and drizzle with the remaining purée and reserved strawberries. Serve immediately.