Jerk Chicken and Beefsteak Tomato Salad

A few weeks ago I went back in my archives of cooking magazines to get some inspiration for a quick weekday meal.  I often go a few years back to the same month to get some good seasonal recipes.  As I make each dish, I scribble notes on post its sticking out the top or on the page itself.  Or I'll just stick a post it in there if I want to eventually make the dish someday.  This was one of those such occassions.

I opened my July/August 2005 edition of Everyday Foods and found a scrap piece of paper pointing out a Jerk Chicken recipe.  Would Dustin eat this? I wondered.  It has jalapenos and allspice. Hmmm, I could give it a go and see what happens. I didn't have to search for long before finding a good side to go along with it, a few pages over was a bookmark for Beefsteak Tomato Salad.  Looking for any opportunity to use up precious end of summer tomatoes, this was a quick decision.

Of course, I changed the Jerk Chicken up a little bit.  We're not big fans of bone-in anything around here, so I used cutlets instead.  My grill was out of gas so I cooked them up on the stove.  Since it wasn't browned on the grill, the jerk sauce gave the chicken a greenish glow.  I was hesitant to serve this up to Dustin.  Would his balk immediately at the sight of it?  I stook to my guns and served it anyway with very plain white rice (quick dinner + football tray = tv dinner night.)  He took a few bites, stared at the tv, took a few more.  "What is this?" he said with his mouth full of chicken and pointed at the Beefsteak Tomato Salad.  "Just a tomato salad," I said.  He took a few bites, "Mmmmm..."  Afterwards I asked for his opinions.  Too spicy? Make again?  His reply: no, not spicy at all (I had removed seeds and ribs from jalapenos) and yes, definately make again.

An important thing to remember about this is that you have to make the jerk sauce in advance and let the chicken marinade for two hours.  Otherwise, easy peezy.

Here is the original recipes:

Jerk Chicken
From Everyday Foods

Serves 4

• 1 bunch scallions, chopped (1 1/2 cups) (I didn't have any, omitted.)
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 jalapeno chile, chopped (ribs and seeds removed, for less heat)
• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
• 2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for grates
• 1 tablespoon light-brown sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground allspice
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• Coarse salt
• 8 pieces bone-in chicken (drumsticks and thighs), skinned and trimmed of excess fat (I used boneless chicken cutlets.)

1. Make marinade: In a blender, combine scallions, garlic, jalapeno, lime juice, oil, sugar, allspice, thyme, cinnamon, 1 teaspoon salt, and 2 tablespoons water; blend until smooth. Set aside 1/4 cup for brushing.

2. Place chicken in a shallow dish; season all over with salt. Pour remaining marinade over chicken; toss to coat. Cover; refrigerate, turning once or twice, at least 2 hours, or up to overnight.

3. Heat grill to medium-high; oil grates. Lift chicken from marinade, letting excess drip off (discard marinade); place on grill, and cover. Cook, turning occasionally, until chicken is blackened in spots, about 10 minutes. (I cooked in pan on stove.)

4. Move chicken to a cooler part of the grill; brush with reserved marinade. Grill, covered, until chicken is cooked through, 10 to 15 minutes more. Serve immediately.

Everyday Foods, July/August 2005

(Not a great shot, but you get the idea.)

Beefsteak Tomato Salad

From Everday Foods

Serves 4

• 3 tablespoons red-wine vinegar
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 shallot, minced
• 2 teaspoons capers, rinsed and coarsely chopped (I didn't have any, omitted.)
• 3 ripe beefsteak tomatoes
• Coarse salt and ground pepper

1. In a small bowl, whisk together red-wine vinegar and olive oil; stir in shallot and capers.

2. Core tomatoes; cut each into 8 wedges and place in a serving bowl. Drizzle with dressing, and season with salt and pepper. Serve immediately.

Everyday Foods, July/August 2005