Heat the grill up on high. While it is heating up, brush or spray the chicken breasts on their plump side with extra virgin olive oil.  Then place six to eight leaves of tarragon on each chicken breast's plump side like stripes on a zebra. When the grill is hot, place each chicken breast on the grill plump side and tarragon stripes up. Grill on high for 5 minutes; turn and grill on medium for 5 minutes. Thin chicken breasts will now be done, so remove them from the heat. Thicker ones will need 5 more minutes, so turn those and give them the extra five.

    To check for doneness, I cut each breast in half and look to see that all the pink is gone. When done, the breasts should be juicy and exude juice on the cutting board or platter.

    After removing the breasts from the grill, grind some pepper and sea salt over them. They are ready to serve.

    We cook a breast or two extra so we can cut them into medium size chunks for grilled chicken salad the next day. For the salad, make a bed of lettuce on a plate and spray with olive oil. Put the chicken chunks in the middle. Grind some pepper and sea salt over the chicken and greens. Arrange some sliced tomatoes prepared as noted below, sliced and halved cucumbers, and a few Mediterranean olives around the edges of the plate.

Easy Risotto

    We use a 2 quart Le Creuset oven to make the risotto. Make it first and let it sit covered at the back of the stove while you grill the chicken. The recipe is adapted from Chez Panisse Cooking by Paul Bertolli with Alice Waters, "Saffron Risotto," p. 161.

    Sauté the onion in the olive oil for a few minutes over medium heat. Add the rice and saffron, and cook about three more minutes, stirring often. Then add enough broth to cover. Reduce heat and simmer gently. As the rice absorbs the broth, continue to add more to keep the rice just barely covered. Stir often. After about 15 minutes, taste test the rice for doneness. If not done, keep cooking and add a little more broth as necessary; continue to stir often until done. When done, the rice will be soft and the broth absorbed into the rice with a little bit of creaminess between each kernel.

    When the rice is done, stir in the butter and Parmesan cheese. Salt and pepper to taste. Keep covered until served.

Sliced Tomatoes

    You need real garden tomatoes for this simple treat.

    Slice one medium tomato per person. Arrange the slices so each side is fully exposed on salad plates. Dribble or spray some extra virgin olive oil over each slice then grind some pepper and sea salt over each. That's all you need.

    You can sprinkle some feta cheese, pine nuts, a tiny bit of finely chopped fresh mint, oregano, thyme, a few drops of fresh lemon juice, some toasted bread crumbs; these as nice additions for variation but are not necessary.