Name: Pollo al Mattone: Chicken Under a Brick
Yield: Serves 4
Ingredients: 2 garlic cloves; 1 handful of parsley; Zest from 1 orange; 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil; 1/2 teaspoon salt; 1/2 teaspoon pepper; 1 chicken, 3 to 4 pounds; 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar; 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil; 1/2 cup white wine

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Pollo al Mattone: Chicken Under a Brick

Weighing down a chicken with bricks seems so ancient. Did the advisors to Roman emperors hatch the slogan, "A chicken under every brick," to go along with the bread and circus motif? Brick morphed so naturally from the good earth—add water and high heat (ecco fatto, terracotta) and civilization started to build in a big way. Roman bricks were longer and narrower than present-day bricks, but any brick will do. If you have a few handy, you should wash them, let them air-dry, and wrap them in a few sheets of aluminum foil. Otherwise, you can use a heavy pan of some sort. I've used an 8-quart Le Creuset, covering the bottom with aluminum foil.

Recipe notes

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