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!

Sunday, July 18, 2010

Tossed Steak

Tossed Sirloin Steak with peppers and onions in a new grill basket. When you know a griller, there is an endless number of great gift ideas you can go with. Dorothy found this grill basket on sale and once again proved that there is always something you can get for the griller who has everything. This started by mixing a marinade in a bowl using balsamic vinegar, garlic, olive oil, brown sugar and red wine. I sliced red, yellow and orange bell peppers into strips and the sirloin steak into cubes. The peppers and steak sat in the marinade, with occasional stirring, for two hours. In the meantime, I sliced some onions into chunks. When it was time to grill, I poured the steak and peppers into the grill basket and caught the marinade in a tray underneath. I got the grill going hot and brought the grill basket over the heat. I continuously flipped the basket - like flipping an omelet - but without worrying that anything would fly out of the basket. I basted the peppers and meat with the marinade right through the screen top. It was ready in about 10 to 12 minutes and we poured it all over a bed of brown rice - fast and perfect.
We didn't get grill marks on the steak because they were never directly on the grill grates and were being tossed while they cooked - but the steak had great flavor and was extremely tender.


What to Drink? The grill basket had a card that said this type of basket grilling is common in Spain. I don't have any independent confirmation that this is true, but we went with it and paired the Tossed Streak and Peppers with a wine from Spain. It was the 2007 Don Romon from the Campo de Borja region of Spain. I must admit I know less about Spanish wines that others so I did a little research. Campo de Borja is in northeastern Spain where wine has been made since the 12th century. Don Romon is one of only 17 wineries in the region. Camp de Borja specializes in the Garnacha grape. The bottle just said "Red Wine" but it is just being modest. The Garnacha grape makes a wine that is more than just table wine. The bottle we had was like a Cab, but bigger and bolder. By that I mean it had more fruit and spice in the flavor - and that was a great match with the Tossed Steak and Peppers that had been marinated in red wine, garlic, balsamic vinegar, salt and ground pepper. Its all about the flavor and the wine that goes with it!


What's on YouTube? As you may know, I entered the St. Francis Winery's Turn Up the Heat Contest. I am trying to win the title of St. Francis Master Griller and a return trip to their Sonoma Winery. Mine was the first video up on there site when the contest started. Now there are several other videos, but honestly these other videos are no match! Go watch my video and let me know what you think. The contest winner will be announced sometime in September. Here is the link:
http://www.youtube.com/user/StFrancisContest#p/a/f/1/Gr1Y4MUFX_U 

Keep grilling and Turn Up The Heat this summer! Paul

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