Right now in Madison it is too hot to do anything.  114 degree heat index about a million percent humidity……good thing I did three rounds of roof top dining before this swath of the south moved up passed the Mason Dixon line.

 

Night One Menu:

Grilled Lemon Cumin Chicken

Salt and Pepper Corn

Arugula Salad with Sunchokes, Roasted Yellow Beets in a Basil Vinaigrette

Beer, Wine and G&T’s

 

Nothing better than watching the sunset and your male friends puzzle over coals that refuse to light! (Three heads and a little estrogen in the situation get us straight.)   No, I am  teasing, everyone and everything turned out perfectly.

 

 

Matt and Alex achieved the illusive: a perfect caramel-y skin on the chicken without drying the meat in the slightest. Atop the cumin/cayenne/thyme marinade, a fresh squeeze of lemon cut through the spicy heat like a blast from an edible watergun.

 

Personally the salad was my favorite.  Sunchokes are a crunchy sweet discovery that will become a staple on my table.  More than anything though  Madison in the summer with friends greatly missed is what makes life good. Oh, and a really good gin, that makes life really, extra good. Here is the first in a series of recipes for roof top fun.

 

Grilled Chicken with Cumin, Thyme and Lemon

Serves 4

 

4 bone-in-skin-on-yum- Chicken Breasts

2 tablespoons ground cumin

1 teaspoons chili pepper (cayenne is fine)

1 teaspoon salt to taste

2 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme if you have it. (sounds weird I know but it is good)

2 teaspoons kosher salt

1 teaspoons pepper

2 cloves minced garlic

1/3 cups olive oil

1/3 cup fresh lemon juice  plus an extra lemon for later

 

Mix all dry ingredients and fresh thyme in a small bowl. Make sure it smells delicious. Grab a large gallon bag and add spice mix, chopped garlic, olive oil and fresh lemon juice. Moosh it around to mix and add chicken breasts. Allow to marinate for at least an hour. The longer the better, but who really can marinate chicken for 3 hours and not get hungry?

 

Prepare the coals in a chimney starter (judge the coals on the size of your grill, 60-70). When they get started, pour them onto one side of the grate and allow them to turn grayish white. Place chicken, skin side up partially over the coals. Allow to cool, flipping half way through for 30 minutes. If the marinade starts to burn, move to the non coal side.

 

When the chicken ready, squeeze the juice of one lemon over the top. Let the breasts sit for 5 minutes before cutting through the skin.

The radish is a thing of beauty. In fact one species is so enchanting it has earned the name Beauty Heart. I can’t wait for these baseball-sized veggies to appear at the farmers market. I have about 3 weeks to wait.  Slices of a beauty heart, a good glug olive oil and a pinch of salt are really all I need to be happy at lunch time in the summer.

 

 

While the beauty hard yet eludes me, with my new network of people in Madison with actual homes that sport burgeoning backyards I’ve found a radish source. The first delivery occurred last week and I was so excited I bypassed the washing stage in favor of a quick dust off on my shirt and ended up with a mouthful of earth - which was the best earth I have ever tasted. The radish belongs to the Raphanus genus, meaning “quick appearing” and it is true, all of a sudden radish season is upon us with the speed and bounty of an edible lottery. The radishes from Andrea’s garden are large and full of flavor, like any radish they pack a spicy punch, but these are almost creamy in a clean, refreshing way. Delicious. A gardener’s triumph.

 

I started cooking right way, with the first bag, I ate many plain, some with butter and salt a la the French, a few slices on a avocado sandwich, rustic potato salad and finally a giant salad.

 

 

Perhaps you have a friend with radishes too, or maybe your own, or I bet you can find a great farmers market near you. Eat some radishes. These poor gems are too often relegated to the sad side of the crudités plate at lunch.

 

Summer salad with Radishes, Snap Peas, and Feta in a Lemon Dill Dressing

Serves 2-4 (depends on the lettuce head)

This salad is easy peasy, but you’ll impress the pants off your taste buds. The feta and dill unify divergent (but complementary) smooth butter lettuce, sassy radish and sweet green pea creating a lovely bowl of happiness.

 

1 head of butter lettuce, torn and washed thoroughly with one handful of arugula

1 radish bunch or 5 large radishes

1 large handful of fresh snap peas

¼ pound fresh feta (some of the best is packaged in water, it’s not gross, I promise)

1 tbsp finely chopped dill

1 tbsp lemon juice

1-2 tbsp white balsamic vinegar (if you want a richer, sweeter flavor use regular or aged balsamic)

3 tbsp high quality olive oil

Salt and Pepper to taste

 

For the dressing, combine lemon juice and vinegar in a mason jar with a lid and add a pinch of salt. (Salt will dissolve better in an acid alone than an acid-oil combination to create a more balanced dressing.  Shake mixture then add the olive oil, dill and a few grinds of pepper and shake to emulsify.

 

Find a big beautiful salad bowl next (I like blue for the color combo here) and toss in the greens. Clean and de-top the radishes and slice the long way across. Next, thinly slice each piece into half moon crescent and chop the pea pods in ½ inch pieces. This gives the diner something to sink her teeth into.  Add the veggies to the salad and crumble the feta over top. Shake the dressing jar one last time and dress the salad to your liking.

 

 

Nom Nom! Happy eating!