Chicken and vegetable stacks with herby green salsa

This one started as a way to use up a good haul from the vegetable stall. Pumpkin, eggplant, capsicum and zucchini all char beautifully on a hot grill, and once they are sitting in neat layers with a thin piece of chicken, the plate looks like a small tower. Kids tend to want to take their stack apart and eat it one layer at a time, which is fine by me.

A food fact worth knowing: pumpkin is one of those vegetables that tastes sweeter once its edges catch a little heat. The slices here are cut thin, around 3mm, so they cook through in the time it takes the chicken to firm up. If your slices are thicker, give them a little longer on the grill but keep an eye on them, because the thin ones go from golden to bitter quickly.

My main tip is to pound the chicken evenly. Those thin steaks cook in two or three minutes a side and stay juicy only if they are the same thickness all the way across. Lay the plastic wrap flat, hit the meat gently and work from the middle outwards. Keep the salsa verde in the fridge while the chicken marinates, because the garlic and capers are much brighter when they are cold and fresh.

If you have leftover vegetables, chop them roughly and toss them through a grain salad the next day. The charred pumpkin and capsicum are lovely cold, and a spoonful of the green sauce turns them into a quick lunch. Leftover chicken can be sliced thinly over greens. I would not keep the assembled stacks, though. They are at their best warm, with the sauce still loose and the layers just holding together.

For something to serve alongside, a bowl of Cucumber Bites with Minted Tomato Bulgur fits the same fresh, herby mood, and it is easy to make while the grill is heating. If you want a heartier plate on another night, the Peach Jalapeno Chicken Thighs with Avocado Artichoke Salad uses the same grill-and-greens approach. And for a lighter side with the stacks, Lemon Dill Roasted Beets brings a sweet, earthy note that sits nicely next to the capsicum.

Use what you have in the crisper. The stacks are forgiving, and the salsa verde will make almost any grilled vegetable taste like it was planned.