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1 medium onion, quartered

1 tablespoon fresh oregano leaves or ½ teaspoon dried

1½ teaspoons ground cumin

½ teaspoon cayenne, or to taste

Pinch of ground cloves

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 tablespoons peanut or other oil

2 tablespoons orange juice, preferably fresh

2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

About 1½ pounds boneless chicken thighs or 2 pounds bone-in

Minced fresh cilantro for garnish

1. Preheat a grill or broiler to moderately hot and put the rack at least 4 inches from the heat source. Combine the garlic, onion, oregano, cumin, cayenne, cloves, salt, pepper, and oil in a blender or small food processor and blend until fairly smooth. Add the juices, then taste and adjust the seasoning; the blend should be powerful.

2. Smear this mixture all over the chicken; if time allows, marinate the chicken for 30 minutes or so. Grill or broil for 6 to 8 minutes per side, watching carefully, until the meat is nicely browned on the outside and cooked through on the inside (bone-in thighs will take longer, about 20 minutes total). Serve hot or at room temperature, garnished with the cilantro.

GRILLED CHICKEN, SAUSAGE, AND VEGETABLE SKEWERS

MAKES 4 SERVINGS

TIME: 40 MINUTES

BRANCHES OF ROSEMARY are ideal for this dish, especially if you live in a Mediterranean climate where rosemary grows in shrubs. You can slide the food right onto them (in the direction of the needles, so as not to dislodge them), and they flavor it brilliantly; but so does some rosemary tucked in among the chunks of food. If you skewer on wood or metal skewers, turning will be made easier if you use two sticks in parallel for each skewer, separating them by about a half inch; you can also buy two-pronged metal skewers that do the trick nicely.

4 skinless, boneless chicken thighs, small thighs cut in half, larger ones in thirds or quarters

½ pound sweet or hot Italian sausage, cut into 1- to 2-inch lengths

1 pound eggplant, zucchini, or baby pattypan squash, cut into 1-inch pieces

2 bell peppers, preferably one red and one yellow, cut into 2-inch sections

1 lemon, cut into eighths

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Several fresh rosemary sprigs or 4 large branches

1. Preheat a grill or broiler to moderately hot. If you’re using wooden skewers, soak them in water to cover while you prepare the food. Make 4 skewers, alternating the different ingredients but generally surrounding both chicken and sausage with the moister lemon and eggplant. Pack the food fairly tightly together on each skewer and sprinkle with salt and pepper. If you are not using rosemary skewers, tuck some rosemary in among the cubes of food.

2. Grill over moderate heat, covered or not, turning the skewers 3 or 4 times to brown evenly. Total cooking time will be 10 to 15 minutes, depending on the heat of the grill and the distance from the heat source. By the time the chicken and sausage are browned, the eggplant will be tender; do not overcook.

3. Serve, squeezing hot lemon juice from the cooked lemons over all.

CHICKEN UNDER A BRICK

MAKES 4 SERVINGS

TIME: 45 MINUTES

CHICKEN AL MATTONE, as it’s rightfully called, is the simplest and best method for producing crisp, delicious skin and wonderfully moist meat. All you need is a split chicken and two ovenproof skillets or a skillet and a couple of bricks or rocks. (The weight serves two purposes: it partially covers the chicken, which helps it retain moisture, and it ensures that the flesh of the chicken remains in contact with the skillet, which encourages browning.) Once covered, the chicken is transferred to a very hot oven to finish cooking. Handling the hot, heavy pan takes two hands—be careful.

One 3- to 4-pound chicken, trimmed of excess fat and split, backbone removed

1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary or 1 teaspoon dried

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 tablespoon coarsely chopped garlic

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

2 fresh rosemary sprigs, if available

1 lemon, quartered

1. Put the chicken on a cutting board, skin side down, and press down as hard as you can with