Bobby Flay Everyday!: Soft Tacos

Welcome to Bobby Flay Everyday!

I am not an expert. I have never even taken a class. I have no formal training - but I love to grill. I love the food off the grill and I just like the idea, the fun and the relaxation of grilling. So naturally Bobby Flay is a hero. I have his books, I watch his shows and I try out his recipes. So my idea is to grill one of Bobby's grilling recommendations everyday and see how it goes. Bobby Flay Everyday!

The idea to grill and blog is not original. Julie Powell wrote a blog that became a book and then a movie when she cooked all 524 recipes from Julia Child's cookbook Mastering the Art of French Cooking. But this is not French Cooking - this is backyard, after work, tailgate, American male grilling. I grill outside in a man-cave in every kind of weather. There is no "grilling season" for me - its everyday, year-round. We will skip around through Bobby's books and TV shows and grill what we like. But grilling is more than food, its an experience - so we will also report on what music we listened to or what ball game was on while we were grilling. We will keep track of what we were drinking during the grilling and later with the food. I'll try to figure what went wrong when we fall short of Bobby's perfection and pass on any tips I know about or discover along the way. Maybe it will give others some ideas as well.

The photo is of me and two of my brother-in-laws roasting the Thanksgiving turkey on the grill last year. That's me on the far right. In real life I am a college professor and pilot. I have written 12 books, but they were all about flying - here we write about grilling. We write about Bobby Flay Everyday!

Monday, March 15, 2010

Soft Tacos

New Mexico-style Soft Tacos with Hacked Chicken and Salsa Verde from Bobby Flay Cooks American, page 39. Another terrific recipe in the books! The chicken I used was actually left over from a previous meal - the night I spit-roasted a whole chicken. I shredded the ckicken and sauted it in chicken stock together with

ancho chili powder, chopped poblanos, garlic, cilantro, and olive oil in a pan over the grill. While that all was simmering together, I toasted some whole wheat tortillas and melted Monterry Jack over them on an upper grill rack. When it was all ready, I assembled the soft tacos with some salsa that was also left over from last night. It was quick, easy, economical and tasted great!

What was on? The Brackets! I have not made copies or filled my NCAA bracket out yet, but it is a yearly tradition. We over analyze every aspect of the seeding, game locations, and bracket pairings. In the paper today the Univ of Tennessee coach and players are whinning about their #6 seed. Don't they know, there is no crying in the brackets. They didn't even show up to play at the SEC tournament and I don't think they have ever run an organized play. I hope they are one-and-done and go back to Knoxville embarassed. Maybe someone over their carees about their crying - but nowhere else. Mississippi State should have taken UT's place in the tournament just on effort alone.

More Bracketology and Grillology to come!

Paul