From what I’ve been able to glean about people, they seem to like to grill on Labor Day weekend. I’m going to go with that and share a little something I came up with recently. It was the kind of idea that made me feel very very clever. While you have the grill all heated up, why not make a skewer or kabob of things that you then chop or puree together to make a condiment for the grilled meal? I’m sure others have thought of this, but I never have. And it works. Great.

I’m a big fan of the lemon-y brightness of tomatillos, and they are in season right now. I threw a dozen of them on a skewer with a quartered onion, two chiles (each halved), and a couple cloves of garlic. I grilled them over fairly high heat until everything was blistered and the tomatillos were soft, through them in the blender, added a mess of salt, and, quite frankly, could not believe how delicious the resulting grilled tomatillo salsa was. We dipped chips in it and then poured it over our grilled chicken.

Feeling a bit hot next to that grill in the sun? I know how much this crowd likes a cocktail: Try a tinto de verano, my favorite summertime cooler.

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Each week, the Friday Food Files are deliciously brought to you by Molly Watson. For more on Molly and her delicious recipes, you can visit her in one of many wonderful places:
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[ Photos courtesy of Molly Watson. ]