Week 28, Recipes 9 & 10: Grilled Chicken with Basil Dressing & Layered Vegetable Torte

Grilled Chicken with Basil Dressing
Courtesy of Giada de Laurentiis

• 2/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, plus 1/4 cup
• 1 1/2 teaspoons fennel seeds, coarsely crushed
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 3 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
• 3 bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts
• 1 cup lightly packed fresh basil leaves
• 1 large garlic clove
• 1 teaspoon grated lemon peel

Whisk 1/3 cup of oil, 3 tablespoons of lemon juice, fennel seeds, 3/4 teaspoon of salt, and 1/2 teaspoon of pepper in a resalable plastic bag. Add the chicken and seal the bag. Massage the marinade into the chicken. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes and up to 1 day, turning the chicken occasionally.


Meanwhile, blend the basil, garlic, lemon peel, remaining 1/4 cup lemon juice, 3/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper in a blender until smooth. Gradually blend in the remaining 1/3 cup oil. Season the basil sauce, to taste, with more salt and pepper, if desired.


Prepare the barbecue for medium-high heat or preheat a grill pan over medium-high heat. Remove chicken from the marinade. Discard the marinade. Grill the chicken until just cooked through, about 8 minutes per side. Transfer the chicken to serving plates, drizzle with the basil sauce and serve.

Results: Delicious! I refrigerated it for about 2 hours and that was plenty of time for the flavors to sink in and tenderize this and a great first use for my new grill pan!


Layered Vegetable Torte
Recipe a mix of Food & Wine and a NYTimes Recipe

1 large eggplant, cut into 1/4-inch slices
4 medium zucchini or yellow squash, cut into 1/4-inch slices
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil, or more as needed
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 lb. plum tomatoes, diced
1 large shallot
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
3 oz. feta
1/2 cup bread crumbs, preferably fresh

1. Heat oven to 425 degrees. Brush eggplant & zucchini lightly with oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast vegetables until soft, about 15 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of the oil. Add the shallot and cook over moderate heat until softened, 3 minutes. Add the tomatoes and cook over high heat until slightly softened and bubbling, 1 minute. Season with salt and pepper.

3. Coat bottom and sides of clear glass pan with oil. Layer a third of the eggplant slices into bottom of the pan, then layer in half the zucchini, tomato, feta and basil. Repeat layers until all vegetable are used. Press the top with a spatula or spoon to make the torte as compact as possible. Sprinkle top with bread crumbs, and drizzle with about 1 tablespoon oil.
4. Bake torte in oven until hot throughout and browned on top, about 20 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes before cutting into wedges.

Results: This was AMAZING!!!  I'll definitely be making this again!!  So flavorful.  My mouth is watering just thinking about it!  You could also mix parm into the bread crumbs for the topping.