Several years ago, Dorothy and I jumped into a cab in mid-town Manhattan and told the driver to take us to our favorite restaurant in New York's Little Italy - DiNico's. The driver said, "I'll get you as close as I can." We didn't know what he meant, but we soon found out. What luck! The San Gennaro festival and street fair was in full swing and we stumbled into the middle of it. The cab driver got us to within two blocks of Mulberry Street, but the rest of the neighborhood was blocked off. The streets were filled with carnival rides, merchants, and on every corner the smell of grilling Italian Sausage and Red Peppers. When I saw that Bobby Flay had a New York City San Gennaro festival recipe, I had to try it myself. The recipe for Grilled Italian Sausage Sandwiches with Grilled Onion Marmalade and Grilled Bell Pepper, is on page 24 of Boy Meets Grill. As you can see from the photo, they look great and taste better. The only think missing from the festival in my courtyard as I grilled were guys yelling, "Hey, whats-a-matter-you!"
Wisdom of the Grill #1 - to roast Red Peppers on the grill you do something first that doesn't seem right. You remove the grill grate and to set the peppers right in the flame. Turn the the peppers in the fire until it is completely black-charred all over - about 10 minutes. Pull the peppers out of the flame and put them directly into a plastic bag and seal it. Let the bag sit at indoor temperature for about 15 minutes. Then when you are ready, get warm water running and put the peppers under the water. Rub your fingers across the black char and it will just slip off revealing the roasted red color of the pepper again. Now just cut it open, remove the seeds and cut into strips. I never really thought much about eating peppers when I was younger. I thought they would be just to spicy hot - but when you grill a red pepper this way, it actually tastes a little sweet and check out their color in the photo!
Wisdom of the Grill #2 - The age old question: When would you use a fork to turn a sausage on the grill? Answer: Never! You must use tongs. Piercing the skin of the sausage with a fork lets all the juices run out and you end up with a dry, flavorless plank. No forks used on grilling sausage is more than just a rule, it is almost a commandment.
Weather Report: The deep freeze continues. I have friends that teach at the University of North Dakota in Grand Forks. UND has an excellent aviation program - among the best if not the best in the USA. My UND friends would laugh if they knew I was claiming that Tennessee was in a "deep freeze." Their Chief Flight Instructor told me once with a straight face that, "we have a strict rule here at UND and we never wavier from it. We suspend all flying when the temperature reaches -32 degrees." I told him that in Tennessee we are tough too, we suspend all flying when the temperature reaches +32 degrees. It's cold, but the grill flames remain hot!
Grilling outside and the San Gennaro festival reminded me of another time in New York - this time in Brooklyn. It was the Feast of our Lady of Mount Carmel, Dorothy's grandmother's church. Wow did I get an education that night. We walked behind the Giglio for miles through the streets with Dorothy's grandmother - who was in her mid 80's at the time. What's the Giglio? take a look at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qJRAP-V8QbA&feature=related
To prepare for the feast she took me to her local markets where she was known and respected (probably feared) by all the shop keepers. In the markets everyone was yelling - mostly in Italian - most was probably profane - it may as well have been Naples not New York. She made her classic Brasato di Manzo (she called it Brashaul) tied up with butchers twine and roasted for hours in a gas oven that had been in that kitchen since 1910. After dinner we climbed the ladder to her roof and watched the fireworks in the harbor celebrating the 100th anniversary of the Statue of Liberty with people who saw the statute for the first time from the decks of immigrant ships inbound from Naples. Dorothy's grandmother was one of those people. She came with her family, and brought her traditions, culture, colorful language and her classic Brashaul to America - Don't you think we are all better off?
What was on? The music choice is obvious when it is 18 degrees at the grill - Coldplay. I have an old CD player that is not outside but still exposed to the cold on the screened-in porch - the speakers are aimed at the courtyard. Last summer we saw Coldplay in concert at the Sommett Center in Nashville and free CDs were given out. I tried to play that Coldplay CD, but it was too cold! The CD kept jumping and skipping. I quickly switched to the ipod dock and played Viva La Vida and that album's best song, When I ruled the World. Check it out.
What to drink? One of Nashville best kept secrets is Yazoo. What was once called "micro-breweries" are now more correctly called "craft beer." Yazoo is located in a building that once housed the Marathon Motorworks about 80 years ago. They have a tiny tap room and they are only open three days a week. Last year we traded beer for some old patio furniture we had in the garage. That old furniture sits in their gritty but friendly courtyard - the beer is long gone. With the Italian Sausage sandwiches we had the Yazoo Pale Ale, which also goes by the name "Amarillo Pearl." The spicy sausage and the hoppy smooth ale - well it really worked together! We had Yazoo in the bottle last night, but the best way to enjoy it is from a "growler." That is the glass jug that you can refill on your next visit (see photo). If you go to Yazoo, try Dorothy's favorite, the Nitro Stout, which I think is really a beer and Starbucks combination - too strong for me, but she loves it. Check out Yazoo at www.yazoobrew.com.
I am probably not ready to sell my Italian Sausage sandwiches on Mulberry Street just yet - but we will keep trying. Remember to Grill It!
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