Ok, so it took me a while to embrace Bobby Flay's cook book, Boy Gets Grill. A buddy of mine gave it to me a few years ago.
The first recipe I tried resulted in me having to paint my kitchen cabinets a new shade that I'll call Tumeric Sunrise.
The kitchen in my last house had white cabinets and a white ceiling. I stupidly did not apply enough pressure to the lid of the blender when I was pureeing one of the sauces. I know better. Really. Anyhow, that little oversight resulted in me (and my wife) repainting all of the cabinets to match what spewed from the blender onto them.
Tumeric stains.
Moving forward, I was watching Bobby Flay cook with a guest and I was inspired. It looked like he was having a good time, and the food looked great. So I figured I'd crack the book again.
I have a friend coming in from out of town who is a pesce-lacto-ovo-vegetarian. No meat other than fish. She offered to go out to a restaurant, but I wanted to impress her with my fish handling. Luckily, my neighbors were willing to be test subjects for me this weekend. I had to try the recipe before I served it to my out of towners and make sure I could manage to cook it, have it taste good, and not have to focus 100% on the meal. I'd rather focus on my guests.
So it starts out with marinating a firm but flaky fish like Mahi-Mahi (which I used) or Red Snapper in one of Bobby's recipes.
Grill it for 4-6 minutes per side...you don't want it overdone. Just done enough to flake.
Cook it on high...get some good quality tortillas and warm them up on the grill as well.
I only marinated for about 15 minutes, but it seemed to permeate the fish fairly well. Very tasty ancho chile/lime juice/orange juice combo.
I had previously whipped up his Smoky Red Pepper and White Bean Dip so we had something to nibble.
2 cans small white beans
2 cloves garlic
2 large red bell peppers, roasted
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon chipotle puree (pure a can of chipotles in adobe...sauce and all)
1 tablespoon honey
1/4 cup fresh chopped cilantro
Combine the peppers, chipotle puree, and vinegar in a food processer. Process until smooth. Add the beans and garlic, process until smooth. Add the honey, season with salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with the cilantro and serve at room temperature.
Easy peasy. Tasty as all get-out. Healthy too! No fat. It tastes like it does have some though. It's slightly sweet with a flavorful burn that isn't overwhelming.
Easy peasy. Tasty as all get-out. Healthy too! No fat. It tastes like it does have some though. It's slightly sweet with a flavorful burn that isn't overwhelming.
Throw some various taco fixins on the table and dig in.
Thanks for reading......
The bar is comfy with plenty of seats at the bar and on some sofas in the lounge.
Here are the players...from left to right: Bryan Voltaggio, chef/owner, Graham, sous, and me.
The gang I enjoyed the evening with.
Bryan and me. BTW ladies, he's married w/child and another on the way. Sorry.
Mr. Neil MF Dundee. Director of Wine and Spirits. We had a great time with him. We drank entirely too much champagne.
