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Juice of 1 lime

1. Start a grill or preheat the broiler. Meanwhile, prepare the sauce: Combine the garlic, scallions, chile, ½ teaspoon each of salt and pepper, the allspice, and oil in a small bowl. Add ½ cup of boiling water; stir and let sit.

2. Sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper and grill or broil it, turning 2 or 3 times, until it is cooked through, about 15 minutes. Taste the sauce and add more chile, salt, pepper, or allspice if needed. Stir in the lime juice (which must be added at the last moment to retain its freshness). Serve the chicken hot or at room temperature, passing the sauce at the table.

VARIATIONS

• Serve the sauce with grilled fish or shellfish, especially shrimp; grilled ribs (or in fact grilled pork of any kind); or any grilled poultry.

• Add some chopped capers to the finished sauce to vary the flavor.

NOTES

• Scotch bonnet pepper, with its fierce heat and distinctive flavor, makes this sauce more authentic. But a small amount of Asian chile paste is fine, as is any other source of heat.

• If you have the patience to mince or grind allspice berries, the sauce will taste brighter; preground allspice will do the trick as long as it is reasonably fresh.

GRILLED CHICKEN BREASTS WITH EGGPLANT, SHALLOTS, AND GINGER SAUCE

MAKES 4 SERVINGS

TIME: 30 MINUTES

EGGPLANT IS SO strongly associated with the cooking of Italy and southern France that it is almost always prepared with olive oil and garlic. This need not be the case, of course, and with a few ingredient changes—like the addition of ginger—you can make a novel kind of “ratatouille,” which readily converts an ordinary boneless chicken breast into an unusual and appealing dish. Be sure to spend a few minutes thoroughly cooking the shallots before adding the eggplant, allowing them to brown and begin to soften; and don’t overcook the ginger.

½ pound shallots (about 6 large)

¼ cup grapeseed, corn, or other neutral oil

1 to 1¼ pounds eggplant, cut into 1-inch cubes

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 tablespoons minced peeled fresh ginger or 2 teaspoons ground

4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves (1½ pounds)

¼ cup minced fresh cilantro, or more to taste, for garnish (optional)

1. Peel the shallots and cut them in half the long way (most large shallots have two lobes anyway and will naturally divide in half as you peel them). If they are small, peel them and leave them whole. Start a grill or preheat the broiler.

2. Put the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the shallots and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until they begin to brown. Add the eggplant, salt, and pepper and lower the heat to medium. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the eggplant softens, about 15 minutes.

3. When the eggplant begins to brown, add half the ginger and cook for another 3 minutes or so, until the eggplant is very tender and the mixture fragrant. Meanwhile, rub the chicken breasts with salt, pepper, and the remaining ginger. Grill or broil, about 4 inches from the heat source, for 3 minutes per side, or until done.

4. If you’re using the cilantro, stir half into the eggplant mixture. Serve the chicken breasts on a bed of the eggplant and garnish with the remaining herb.

VARIATIONS

• For a more traditional dish, substitute garlic for the ginger (or use half of each to make the total) and revert to olive oil. Use fresh parsley in place of cilantro.

• Stir in a cup or more of seeded and chopped tomatoes at the last minute; these boost color as well as flavor, and the combination of tomatoes and ginger is another unexpectedly pleasant one. (Peel the tomatoes if you like, but I don’t think it’s worth the effort in this case.)

CHICKEN THIGHS WITH MEXICAN FLAVORS

MAKES 4 SERVINGS

TIME: 30 TO 60 MINUTES

THE DARK, RICH meat of a chicken thigh responds brilliantly to the strong, equatorial flavors associated most closely with grilling. This Mexican-style treatment packs plenty of punch, even if you use the minimum amount of cayenne (as I do) or omit it entirely.

4 garlic cloves, peeled