A Hell Of A Meal

Ancients myths and legends can be fascinating. Take the Greeks, for example. How did they explain winter? Basically, Hades kidnapped Persephone, whom, we can assume, was some hot chick. She was tricked into eating some seeds while in the Underworld and was not allowed to leave. Her mom, Demeter, goddess of the harvest, was, as you might expect, in mourning and would not allow things on Earth to grow. Ultimately, the Fates decided that because Persephone was tricked and did not eat much in the first place, she could return topside for most of the year. So, during the few months of the year when she was in Hades, nothing on Earth would grow, thus, winter. (We will forget the idea that when one hemisphere is in winter, the other is in summer. We can also forget about gods, because there aren't any. Remember, this is a just an ages old fairy tale to give me something to work with...)

Anyhow, what were the seeds from? Pomegranates. Have you ever had grenadine in a drink? That is basically pomegranate juice! Steeped in religious blither and various myths, everybody has something good to say about this big, weird, juicy, sweet thing from the Middle East. Even modern doctors like it (studies are underway to understand how it might impact fighting diseases like diabetes, the common cold, and lymphoma.) If you were over my house yesterday, you can have had Mint-infused Grilled Chicken with a Pomegranate Yogurt Dressing.

Once again, Mastering the Grill shows how to do grilling right. In short, the chicken was marinated in lemon juice, some olives and some spices, including fresh mint. The Pomegranate Yogurt Dressing was just that - yogurt, pomegranate juice, and a few little extras. Unfortunately, unknown to me at the time, the Pom is a seasonal fruit. Despite the fact that many of the literary connections suggest it is a "spring thing"(away from the Greek tale), you can only get it in the fall. A bottle of juice did the trick. Shhhhh. Don't tell anybody.

Grill it and smear it with the dressing. Add baked potatoes, peas, and deviled eggs, and you have one hell of meal.

Many chicken meals are complimented by a good ale. I opted to give the Dirty Blonde Ale (#558) from the Atwater Block Brewery a go. While the guys at BeerAdvocate.com dogged it, I liked it. The white head was gone within 30 seconds or so, but the smell had a wonderful citrusy life to it. On the palate, I found the citrus was almost more lemon than orange (it said orange on the bottle). The body was a bit light and the finish was a bit astringent, but it had some great potential. A three out of five is fair, I think. They need to tweak it a bit and they will have a fine beer. I have a feeling it would have hit the spot even better if it had been a hot, nasty day. You know the kind I am talking about...

Persephone would, too.