Cool. Crisp. Colorful. Easy, but satisfying. That's what I had in mind when I created this summer meal. I started with the salad; pale, watery crunch of green and vivid deep summer red. Cucumbers, beets, onions. Then thought of an easy counterpoint whose friends could stand by in the fridge to be chowed down on whenever summer appetite calls.
Spider's Cool Salad
Thinly slice half a fresh cucumber.
Layer it on a plate with
half a can of sliced beets
and
a few thin slices of sweet white onion.
Drizzle it with
about a tablespoon of rice vinegar
and sprinkle it with coarse sea salt.
Rosemary Roasted Chicken Thighs
I roast a number of these at once and keep them in the fridge. Nothing like cold roasted chicken on a hot summer night.
Take chicken thighs, bone-in, with skin--as many as will fit in your little roasting pan and you think you can eat for the week.
Place evenly in the roasting pan, giving them room to breathe.
Rub with a tablespoon of oil per thigh (I use canola, but grapeseed's good too) and top with one crushed, chopped garlic clove and one sprig of rosemary per thigh, salt and pepper.
Roast for about an hour at 35oº, until skin is crispy.
