WGN Entertainment Critic Dean Richards shares recipe for Gazpacho (Cold Tomato-Vegetable Soup) and Vertical Roasted Chicken on the grill.
Gazpacho (Cold Tomato-Vegetable Soup)
Ingredients:
Serves 4-6
- 2 cups chopped tomatoes, peeled (see below), cored and seeded
- 1 red or green bell pepper chopped
- 1 medium red onion diced
- 1 cup diced English cucumber
- 1 1⁄2 cups low-sodium V8 or other tomato juice
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 2 Tbsp olive oil, plus more for serving
- 1 Tbsp sherry, white or red wine vinegar
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 tsp salt
Directions:
- Combine the tomatoes, bell pepper, onion, and cucumber in a large mixing bowl and mix well.
- Transfer one-fourth of the mixture to a small bowl, set aside and refrigerate.
- Add the tomato juice, lemon juice, olive oil, vinegar, garlic, and salt to the blender to mix.
- Add vegetables to the blender in small batches mixing to a very coarse consistency.
- As you add the rest of the vegetables, the consistency will get thinner. Chop it to your liking.
- Place in the fridge for 20 or 30 minutes to cool down.
- When ready to serve, divide the gazpacho among 4 or 6 bowls.
- Chop the reserved vegetables on a cutting board until you have a rough salsa.
- Garnish each bowl with a bit of the reserved vegetables, the toppings suggested are below.
Peeling tomatoes:
Just make an X on the bottom of your tomatoes and throw them into a pot of boiling water for no more than a minute. Fish them out with a slotted spoon, plunge them into a bowl of cold water or an ice bath, lift them back out, and peel back the skin with a knife or your fingers.
Optional Toppings:
- Roasted corn
- Chopped Avocado
- Croutons
- Dab of Greek yogurt or sour cream
- Olive Oil
Vertical Roasted Chicken on the Grill
Ingredients:
- One 4- to 4 1/2-pound chicken
- 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
- For Greek Style, 1 teaspoon of oregano, juice from 2 lemons
- For BBQ style, 1 teaspoon of BBQ rub (I like Old Arthur’s Righteous Poultry Rub), 1 cup BBQ sauce (I like Famous Dave’s Sweet and Zesty.)
Directions:
- Preheat a gas grill to medium or build a two-zone fire (coals on one side of the grill) in a charcoal grill and let it burn down to medium heat (about 400 degrees F).
- Remove giblets from chicken and trim any excess skin and fat. Loosen the skin over the breast and thigh meat. Rub oil, salt and pepper under the skin onto the breast meat and leg meat, and rub a little on the skin and inside the cavity.
- Hold the chicken upright and fit the opening of the cavity over a vertical grilling rack.
- If using a gas grill, turn off part of the grill (leaving 1 to 2 burners lit, depending on your grill). Place the chicken on a drip pan on the grill rack over the unlit part. Close the lid and grill until the chicken is very tender and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh without touching bone registers 165 degrees F, 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 hours. If using a charcoal grill, add 10 coals after the first 30 minutes to maintain the heat.
- About 5 minutes before removing baste with appropriate sauce (Greek or BBQ) Let the skin brown and remove when 165 degrees is achieved. Transfer the chicken to a clean cutting board and let rest for 10 minutes before carving.