Nuts

I'm thankful that, as far as we can tell, our daughter is not part of the peanut allergy crowd. If she were, we would be making lots of changes in our house that I am really glad we don't have to make. Working in a school, I'm acutely aware of the sensitivity around the issue, and having friends with such allergies adds to my awareness. My own issues with shellfish heightens my understanding. But I have other reasons to be thankful about peanuts.

I spent several years unable to eat nuts (and seeds, and several other items) due to diverticulitis. Only after surgery about a year and a half ago was I, again, permitted to indulge in nuts that were still in solid form, and not reduced to buttery-slurry. That said, I did make a couple of batches of yummy pistachio butter at one point when I began to really miss the flavor of those particular delights; I was not completely deprived. But, it was a great treat a couple of weeks ago to buy a jar of dry roasted peanuts at the grocery store. I still indulge sparingly when I do indulge, and there was still a good fourth of the jar left Saturday morning as we ate breakfast. I saw the jar, and knew what I needed to make as soon as I was back at the grill this week.

I put together a Thai-inspired peanut sauce tonight that included yogurt, curry power, olive oil, cilantro, lime juice, some Thai chilies (and a bit of cayenne for an extra boost), a healthy dose of Smucker's natural crunch PB, and a bit of diced candied ginger (I wanted that bit of sweet in there as well). I marinated the chicken breasts for a couple of hours before grilling. I reserved some of the sauce and served it over the cooked chicken. I also prepared a simple yellow squash grilled with nothing but olive oil and garlic salt. Our bonus was a perfectly ripe pineapple which I cut into spears and grilled for a short while au naturel.

The verdict

The chicken was fantastic, and perhaps the greatest compliment was when my wife asked for more of the sauce. The chicken itself remained juicy and moist throughout, and the occasional pops of ginger and Thai pepper was spot on.

The squash was quite a let down. It was under ripe, I felt, and did not stand up well at all.

The pineapple made up for this, however. It was just warm enough in the center, was just a tiny bit crispy on the outside, and the result was like a small explosion of sweet goodness in every single bit. The sweetness was the perfect partner for the salty/spicy chicken, and needed no enhancement.

We drank some Ravenswood Chardonnay with this meal, and it held up fairly to the chicken. It went quite well with the pineapple. But mostly, it was cold and refreshing on a really hot day in Chicago.