Before one can philosophize, one must eat.  And so we turn now to the subject of eating.  I wanted to share this recipe because I think it is inexpensive, flavorful, and simple to prepare.  It requires no further justification.

This meal can be cooked out of doors (preferable) or indoors in an oven.  Here are the required steps.

Lay down two sheets of strong aluminum foil.  You will want to double the foil to avoid any chance of tearing or leakage.  On this sheet, place a chicken breast, chopped russet potato, olives, and fresh rosemary and thyme.  Then add a few wedges of crushed lemon, powdered onion and garlic, and a generous portion of extra virgin olive oil.  It will look like this:

It is important to use fresh rosemary and thyme, which look like this when you buy them at your local supermarket:

Season this entire affair liberally with salt and pepper.

Mix everything thoroughly so that all of the ingredients are coated.  Wrap up the ingredients in the foil so that everything is fully enclosed:

Then let this package marinate for at least 30 minutes.  You need to give the food some time in order for all the flavors to release their essences.  An hour would be better still.  In the meantime, get a grill fired up.  After an hour has gone by, place the foil package on the grill, cover the grill, and let it cook for about 30 minutes.  Do not open the foil to check on it.  Leave it alone.

Take the foil out of the grill, and let it rest for about 5 minutes.  Then open it up, and plate the food.  It will look like this:

You will find that the herbs permeate the whole, and that the chicken is very tender.  I like to eat this dish with a good Samuel Adams IPA, like “New England IPA.”  Here is what it looks like:

Many variations can be made on this kind of dish.  Try, for example, shallots or mushrooms, or whatever else you think will bring some flavor to the party.  For a little spice, I like to grill a couple jalapeno peppers as well, then season them with salt.

Get in there and do something.

Stop whining, and make things happen.

 

 

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