Emailed to Nancy on August 5th, 2020:
So. There is a recipe I make from time to time. And now, Alex and Frances refer to it as Sarge’s Recipe, as that is what I have been calling it for a while now.
He made it on one of our cooking weekends that happened maybe once every three or four months after grad school until he decided to make the move to Colorado.
We usually planned a meal many weeks in advance, sending each other possible recipes for the theme of that particular meal: Mexican, Tapas, Caribbean. I would get most of the ingredients during the week and Sarge would bring other ingredients with him. He usually arrived Friday evening and the first thing out of his bag was a nice bottle of bourbon for us to sip on as we sat at the kitchen table catching up and strategizing our Saturday evening meal. We may do some food prepping on Friday night also, depending on the complexity of the dishes for our meal. On Saturday morning, no matter how late we stayed up, or how much we drank, Sarge would be the first one up, slipping out for an early morning coffee at our local coffee shop. He enjoyed this in solitude, I think, because there was a dog park on the way and he got to visit with whichever dogs were out there at the time. First on the way to coffee and then on the way back for an extended visit that took most of his small coffee.
We would start cooking around noon and usually have some white wine that Sarge brought by the jug. I had invited a small group of friends for these meals and we usually planned on them arriving in the early evening. Those weekends, cooking for friends and loved ones, were always a big hit and were discussed long after Sunday rolled around.
I am not sure if Sarge had ever made this before or if he was just winging it, but it turned out so well, I use it often. Sarge was throwing together something on the fly that wasn’t on our menu for whatever meal we had planned to cook for people. Here it is:
Sarge’s Grilled Chicken Thighs
Marinade the boneless, skinless chicken thighs for as little or as long as you have time for, using
fresh oregano (or dried if you do not have fresh), red pepper flakes, sliced red onions, sliced lemons, a touch of olive oil, and some white wine that you have on hand or are sipping.
When it is time to throw them on the grill, pull the chicken thighs out of the marinade, pat them dry, salt and pepper them and grill!
My kids love it and it is a pretty basic and satisfying method for cooking the thighs. Since they do not really remember Sarge or any of his visits, this is a good way to keep him on their minds. I am glad because he was a good friend to me and those cooking weekends were such fun. I regard those times dearly.
I made Sarge’s Grilled Chicken Thighs last night for dinner.
Thought I would share.
Take care
