Grilling Season

Linnette and I have been friends for over 25 years, first meeting each other in Portugal where we were assigned to work together for a couple of months. This past weekend, I had a meeting in Sacramento (near where Lin lives), so I went over to her house afterwards to hang out. Lin's son Jason was fun to play with, and it was great to see their friend Zippy, who lives in Santa Cruz.

In all the years I've known Linnette, she has rarely cooked when we've been together (the same could probably be said for me!). When we see each other, we almost always go out for Mexican food, since that's one of Lin's favorite cuisines. However, during this visit, Lin and Zip made a delicious dinner, harvesting some of the ingredients from Lin's garden. Yum!

Our meal began by snacking on fresh, steamed broccoli sprinkled with cheese. The broccoli came from Lin's garden and was so delicious--a nice texture, good stalk to shrubbery ratio, and flavorful. It was so good that it took me awhile to remember to take a picture, hence the half-empty bowl.

Lin had marinated some chicken, which Zip barbecued while Lin made the salad . . . and Jason and I watched. Zippy made sure not to grill the chicken too long so that the meat would be juicy. The salad included home grown spinach, almonds, pears, feta cheese and poppy seed dressing. I wouldn't have thought to put feta in this salad, but it was all so yummy. Lin also made a red pepper sauce in which to dip the chicken. Here's my plate of healthy food.

This was such a great meal! The salad had a nice combination of flavors, all of which were satisfying. The chicken was nicely cooked and the marinade made it quite tasty. And the romesco sauce made me feel like I was eating an elegant meal. It was such a beautiful orange color . . . and added such a dramatic counterpoint to the chicken.

Here's the chicken and sauce recipe, if you'd like to try it.

Grilled Chicken Kebabs with Romesco Sauce (from the July 2007 issue of Sunset)

2 lbs. boned, skinned chicken breasts, cut into 1 ½ in. cubes
½ c. chopped fresh cilantro
½ c. extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1 T. fresh lime juice
2 t. plus 1 T. minced garlic
1 t. each coarse kosher salt and smoked Spanish paprika (pimenton)
½ t. freshly ground black pepper
¾ c. peeled roasted red peppers (canned or fresh)
¼ c. whole almonds or hazelnuts (toasted)
1 slice crusty bread, toasted and cut into cubes
1 T. sherry vinegar
2 bunches green onions, root ends trimmed

If using wood skewers, soak in cold water at least 30 minutes before using. In a large bowl or resealable plastic bag, combine chicken, cilantro, 3 T. olive oil, lime juice, 2 t. garlic, salt, smoked paprika, and pepper. Toss to coat, then marinate, chilled, 25 minutes.

Preheat a gas or charcoal grill to medium-high (you can hold your hand 1 to 2 in. above cooking grate only 3 to 4 seconds). Thread chicken onto skewers, discarding marinade. Drizzle green onions with remaining 1 T. olive oil. Lay skewers on grill (cover if using gas) and cook 4 minutes. Turn skewers over, then lay green onions on grill. Cook 4 minutes, until chicken is browned and cooked through and onions are charred in places. Serve hot, accompanied by sauce.