, by David Tanis. I love these menus because they are always so well-tailored and they make sense in the timing department. Each component comes together naturally well, making it easy to do lots of things at once!Aside from the name of this menu, the ingredients, and the final product, reminds me of a Fourth of July BBQ, and what could be more all-American than Independence Day! The introduction in the book talks of a woman named Josephine, a self-taught cook with a knack for making simple, delicious food. Her response when complimented is always, "It's nothing fancy. I'm just a salt and pepper cook." And really, that's the only seasoning that I used while cooking today. The flavors are simple, yet bold, and it made for a delicious and hearty meal!
Sliced Tomatoes with Sea Salt: I bought some heirloom tomatoes at Whole Foods today. I made sure to get different species so that the colors would pop on the platter. One purple, one green, and one yellow...it's just the prettiest combo to see sliced and on display. I sprinkled some basil ribbons, chopped parsley and chives on top, and just before serving, a dash of Tuscan Sea Salt...a gift from my dear friend Heidi. It was simple, refreshing, and really just epitomized the late summer season for me.
Grilled Chicken Breasts: I made four chicken breasts so that we'd have some leftovers for tomorrow. I cleaned them of their fat and chewy tendons, and placed them between two sheets of plastic wrap to pound them down a little bit. Remember what I told you? An even piece of chicken will cook a lot better than an uneven one. I drizzled the chicken with olive oil and then sprinkled it with ... you guessed it ... salt and pepper! I also chopped up some rosemary and sprinkled that on both sides as well. I allowed them to sit at room temperature for a bit while I prepared the other components of the meal, but once it was time to grill, I placed them in a grill pan for 6 minutes on one side, and about 3 minutes more on the other. They were perfectly cooked and juicy as all get out!
Corn, Squash, and Beans with Jalapeno Butter: While the chicken was resting before grilling, I prepared this vegetable dish. There was a bit more prep involved in this one since I had to cut the kernels off ears of corn, dice some zucchini, summer squash, green beans and onions, make some garlic paste and also create the jalapeno butter, but it was totally worth it. After cooking the onions for a few minutes, and then cooking them a few more minutes with the rest of the veggies, I transferred the mixture to a bowl and tossed it with the jalapeno butter (consisting of butter, minced jalapeno, lime zest and juice, salt and pepper).
Blueberry-Blackberry Crumble: Finally, while we enjoyed this delicious all-American meal, my oven was quietly cooking a delicious dessert for us to enjoy later on in the evening. This crumble was totally simple to assemble, consisting only of blackberries, blueberries, brown sugar, granulated sugar, flour, butter and cinnamon. The syrupy berry goodness that was hidden only by some browned crumbly topping was deliciously sweet and tart at the same time. My only wish is that I had bought vanilla ice cream at the store today!
To me, the ingredients that I used tonight are very American ingredients. Heirloom tomatoes, mixed berries, and fresh ears of corn are all things that I can buy at local farmer's markets, items that are always readily available to us. Nothing on this list of ingredients was difficult to find, nor was anything foreign to our everyday cooking practices. American cooking, in general, is a hodge podge of mixed cuisines, due to the fact that America itself is a melting pot of different ethnicities. I love that we can find so many different types of food on our continent, and that even something as all-American as grilled chicken with some vegetable sides incorporate ingredients such as jalapenos, an ingredient more widely used in other cuisines. But now it's time to see what's going on in other corners of the world! What do they have that we don't? What spices should be more readily accesible in our stores? What techniques can we learn from other cultures?
Here we go! :)
...yet!) After that, I laid large slices of seasoned butternut squash on top of the onions. I couldn't find pumpkin...I think it's a tad past the season for those, but the butternut squash worked out swimmingly. After that, I layered on my seasoned chicken thighs and drumsticks. Finally, I poured some of the liquid that the chickpeas were cooking in on top of this concoction and stuck it in the oven! 
