Bobby Flay's Grill It! (13 page)

Rubbing pork chops with leaves of basil is a great way to imbue the chops with the essential oils and taste of sweet basil without grilling the actual herb, which would burn and turn bitter on the grill. Fruit and pork are a famous combination (pork chops and applesauce, anyone?), and these grilled nectarines are a delicious summer twist. Blue cheese—so good with grilled peaches and nectarines—adds a nice, salty kick. Toasted pine nuts are there as much for their light crunch factor as they are for their buttery taste. A garnish of basil ribbons ties everything together.

Serves 4

1. Heat your grill to high.
   
2. Rub each side of the pork chops with a basil leaf, brush with 2 tablespoons of the oil, and season with salt and pepper. Grill for 4 to 5 minutes per side or until slightly charred and just cooked through. Remove to a plate, tent loosely with foil, and let rest for 5 minutes.
   
3. While the pork is resting, brush the cut side of the nectarines with the remaining 2 tablespoons oil and place on the grill, cut side down. Grill for 2 to 3 minutes or until golden brown and caramelized. Turn over and grill for 1 to 2 minutes or until slightly soft.
   
4. Remove the nectarines from the grill and top each half with some blue cheese. Drizzle with honey and garnish with the basil ribbons, pine nuts, and a sprinkling of the black pepper. Serve alongside the pork chops.
   

I think of this sandwich as Little Italy meets New York hot-dog vendor. I am not really sure what the genesis of the onion sauce is, but you can find it on every hot-dog cart in New York City and I love it. And, of course, no visit to Little Italy is complete without sausage and peppers.

Serves 4

1. Heat your grill to medium-high.
   
2. Combine the peppers, garlic, red wine vinegar, extra-virgin olive oil, parsley, and basil in a medium bowl and season with salt and pepper. Let the relish sit at room temperature for 30 minutes before serving.
   
3. Brush the sausages with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill the sausages until golden brown, slightly charred on all sides, and cooked through, about 12 to 15 minutes.
   
4. Brush the inside of the buns with the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Place on the grill, cut side down, and grill until lightly golden brown, about 1 minute.
   
5. Spread the bottom half of each bun with some of the mustard and top with a sausage and some of the onion sauce and grilled pepper relish.
   

Makes approximately ¾ cup

1. Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the onions, and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft, about 10 minutes. Stir in the chile powder and cinnamon and cook for 1 minute.
   
2. Add the ketchup, ½ cup water, the hot sauce, salt, and black pepper and bring to a simmer. Cook for 10 to 15 minutes or until thickened. Transfer to a bowl and let cool to room temperature. The onion sauce can be made 1 day in advance, covered, and refrigerated. Bring to room temperature before serving.
   

I find that most home cooks tend to use sage only once a year in their Thanksgiving stuffing. And even then, most of them use the dried variety, which tastes nothing like the fresh. Fresh sage has a very pungent, almost balsam-like flavor and should be used with a light hand, as a little goes a long way. If fresh sage isn’t available or you just don’t enjoy the taste, you can easily substitute fresh basil in the aioli. Smoked Spanish paprika has a much deeper flavor than the variety that you will find in your supermarket spice aisle. I have been using it for years at my Spanish restaurant Bolo and find its flavor unparalleled. It’s available in specialty food markets or online.

Serves 4

1. Heat your grill to high.
   
2. Whisk together the oil, paprika, and salt in a small bowl. Rub the tenderloin with the mixture and let sit for 5 minutes.
   
3. Place the pork on the grill and cook until golden brown and slightly charred on all sides and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center registers 150 degrees F, 12 to 15 minutes. Remove from the grill, tent loosely with foil, and let rest for 5 minutes before slicing into ½-inch-thick slices.
   
4. Spread some of the sage aioli on the bottom and top half of each roll. Top the bottom half with several pieces of the pork, then some onion, and finally some arugula.
   

Makes ½ cup

Combine the mayonnaise, garlic, sage, lemon juice, and salt and pepper to taste in a food processor and process until smooth. Transfer to a bowl and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or up to 8 hours before serving.

This glaze couldn’t be easier to throw together from items that you most likely already have on hand in your pantry and refrigerator. Combine that with a quick-cooking pork tenderloin, and you’ve got an easy dinner entrée for any night of the week. Maple syrup, orange juice, and peach preserves are balanced with fresh thyme and a touch of heat. See
photograph
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Serves 4

1. Whisk together the preserves, syrup, juice, ancho powder, thyme, and salt and pepper to taste in a small bowl. Let sit for 15 minutes before using.
   
2. Heat your grill to high.
   
3. Brush the tenderloin with the oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill until golden brown and slightly charred on all sides and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center registers 150 degrees F, 12 to 15 minutes. Brush with some of the peach glaze during the last 5 minutes of grilling.
   
4. Remove from the grill and brush with the remaining glaze. Tent loosely with foil and let rest for 2 minutes before slicing into ½-inch-thick slices. Garnish with the sliced chile and thyme sprigs.
   

I serve these pork chops at my restaurant Bar Americain, where they consistently sell out every night. Apple butter is a more sophisticated spin on the old standby applesauce and is—while still sweet—rich and savory. Granny Smiths are the best apples to use here due to their slightly tart, not-too-sweet taste. Deep, dark molasses makes for a beautifully glazed chop. Mustard—and I use a combination of sharp Dijon for flavor and whole-grain mustard for looks and texture—has an appealing tanginess that keeps the sweet molasses from being overpowering.

Serves 4

1. Whisk together both mustards, the molasses, and salt and pepper to taste in a small bowl.
   
2. Heat the grill to high.
   
3. Brush the chops on both sides with the oil and season with salt and pepper. Place on the grill and grill until golden brown and slightly charred, 3 to 4 minutes. Brush the chops with the glaze, turn over, and continue grilling to medium, 4 to 5 minutes. Brush with more of the glaze during the last minute of cooking. Remove the chops from the grill, tent loosely with foil, and let rest for 5 minutes. Top each with a dollop of the apple butter.
   

Makes approximately 1 cup

1. Heat the oil in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook until soft, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds longer. Add the apples and brown sugar and cook until the apples are very soft but still retain some of their shape, 5 to 7 minutes.
   
2. Stir in the cinnamon and salt and cook for 1 minute. Remove the mixture from the heat and let cool.
   
3. Transfer the mixture to a food processor along with the butter and process until smooth. Scrape into a small bowl, cover, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to 1 day to allow the flavors to meld. Let come to room temperature before serving.
   

This is a totally luscious, borderline decadent preparation for anything-but-ordinary pork chops. Delicate and sweet fresh figs gain extra sweetness from the caramelizing heat of the grill and become a tremendous sauce. Lemony thyme keeps it all fresh-tasting, never cloying. The port wine vinaigrette is rich, complex, and nearly (and deliciously) syrupy in taste and texture due to the addition of molasses and the flavor-packed reduction of port and red wines.

Serves 4