Bobby Flay's Grill It! (5 page)

1. Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over high heat, add the onion, and cook until soft, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the zest, juice, and thyme; bring to a boil; and cook, stirring occasionally, until thickened and reduced to approximately ½ cup, 20 to 25 minutes.
   
2. Strain the mixture into a bowl and whisk in the syrup, soy sauce, and pepper. Let cool to room temperature. The glaze can be made 2 days in advance, covered, and refrigerated. Bring to room temperature before using.
   
3. Brush the glaze on the chicken breasts during the last minute of grilling. Remove from the grill, place on a platter, and brush with more of the glaze. Tent loosely with foil and let rest for 5 minutes. Garnish with the green onions before serving.
   

Unlike breast meat, chicken thighs seem to stay moist no matter how long you cook them. The dark, dense meat is able to stand up to assertive flavors such as the vinegar and rosemary in this sauce. Chicken thighs are not only extra flavorful, they also have a sturdy texture that makes them perfect for grilling.
Grilled oranges
would make a nice garnish here; squeeze them over the chicken for an extra bit of orange.

Serves 4

1. Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a medium saucepan over high heat. Add the shallots and cook until soft and lightly golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Add the orange zest and juice and the vinegar and bring to a boil. Cook, stirring occasionally, until reduced by half, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the broth and rosemary and simmer until reduced by half and slightly thickened, 8 to 10 minutes.
   
2. Strain the sauce into a bowl, stir in the honey, and season with salt and pepper. The sauce can be made 1 day in advance, covered, and refrigerated. Reheat before using.
   
3. Heat your grill to medium.
   
4. Brush the chicken on both sides with the remaining 2 tablespoons oil and season with salt and pepper. Place the chicken on the grill, skin side down, and cook until golden brown and slightly charred, 4 to 5 minutes. Turn the thighs over, close the cover of the grill, and continue cooking until just cooked through, 6 to 7 minutes longer.
   
5. Remove the thighs to a platter and drizzle with some of the sauce. Tent loosely with foil and let rest for 5 minutes. Scatter the olives around the platter and garnish with rosemary sprigs. Serve additional sauce on the side.
   

Another Bolo dish, this chicken is flavored with the same spice rub that I use on our steak there. It’s a versatile rub and is also great with pork and, of course, turkey. The joys of rubs such as this—especially when applied to chicken—are two-fold. Not only does the mild flavor of the meat get a great boost of flavor, the rub also creates a crust, adding another layer of texture. The fresh and herbaceous parsley-mint sauce gets a nice kick from garlic and serrano chiles, and its splash of bright green is a wonderful counterpoint to the mahogany-colored chicken. See
photograph
.

Serves 4

1. Heat your grill to high.
   
2. Whisk together the paprika, cumin, mustard, fennel, pepper, and salt in a small bowl.
   
3. Brush the chicken with the oil on both sides. Rub the breasts on the skin side with some of the rub and place on the grill, rub side down. Grill until golden brown and slightly charred, 4 to 5 minutes. Turn the breasts over and continue cooking until just cooked through, 4 to 5 minutes.
   
4. Transfer the chicken to a platter and immediately drizzle with some of the parsley-mint sauce. Tent loosely with foil and let rest for 5 minutes. Serve with additional sauce on the side and garnish with mint, if desired.
   

Makes approximately 1 cup

1. Combine the parsley, mint, garlic, and serranos in a food processor and process until coarsely chopped. Add the honey and mustard and process until combined. With the motor running, slowly add the olive oil and blend until emulsified.
   
2. Transfer the mixture to a bowl and whisk in a few tablespoons cold water to thin to a sauce-like consistency. Season with salt and pepper to taste. The sauce can be made 8 hours in advance and stored, covered, in the refrigerator. Bring to room temperature before serving.
   

Okay, so it’s not the same chicken that comes from your neighborhood Chinese restaurant. But I have to tell you, it has every bit as much flavor as the original with the added benefit of being much healthier since the chicken is grilled, not breaded and deep-fried. And because I love heat, I threw in a jalapeño for good measure.

Serves 4

1. Combine both vinegars, the pineapple juice, sugar, jalapeño, and ginger in a medium saucepan and simmer over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until reduced by half, 12 to 15 minutes. Strain the sauce into a bowl, stir in the red and yellow pepper and cilantro, and season with salt.
   
2. Remove the chicken from the grill and immediately drizzle with the sauce. Tent loosely with foil and let rest for 5 minutes. Garnish with cilantro before serving.
   

Even though this version of hot wings is healthier than the classic—which is deep-fried and tossed in lots of butter and hot sauce—it’s every bit as tasty.

Serves 4 to 6

1. Heat your grill to medium-high
   
2. Whisk together the honey, chipotle puree, 1 tablespoon of the mustard, 1 tablespoon of the ancho powder, 1 teaspoon salt, and 2 tablespoons of the oil in a small bowl. Divide the glaze evenly between 2 bowls, one small, the other large.
   
3. Stir together the remaining 3 tablespoons of ancho powder with the coriander, cumin, and paprika in a small bowl.
   
4. Rinse the chicken wings under cold water and pat dry with paper towels. Cut the tips off the wings and discard (or freeze and use for making chicken stock). Cut each wing into 2 pieces through the joint.
   
5. Place the chicken wings in a large bowl, add the spice rub and the remaining 2 tablespoons oil, and toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper and place the wings on the grill in an even layer. Grill until golden brown and slightly charred, 4 to 5 minutes. Reduce the heat of the grill to medium, turn the wings over, and close the lid of the grill. Continue grilling until just cooked through, 15 to 20 minutes longer, brushing with the small bowl of glaze every few minutes and turning once during the last 10 minutes of cooking.
   
6. Transfer the wings to the large bowl, brush with the reserved glaze, and toss to coat. Transfer to a platter and sprinkle with the sesame seeds and green onions.
   

Perfectly Grilled Corn

Grilled Corn and Tomato Cracked Wheat Salad

Charred Corn Guacamole with Corn Chips

Grilled Corn and Tomato–Sweet Onion Salad with Fresh Basil Dressing and Crumbled Blue Cheese

Charred Corn and Grilled Shrimp Chopped Salad with Tortilla Chips and Lime Dressing

Grilled Corn with Toasted Garlic-Thyme Butter

Mexicali Style Corn with Lime Butter and Cilantro

Grilled Corn on the Cob with BBQ Butter

Cuban-Style Corn

One of summer’s greatest joys is the local farm-fresh produce that fills markets and roadside stands. There are juicy tomatoes, ruby strawberries, snappy green beans, and just-picked ears of sweet corn. Most of these things you might be able to find year-round, imported from somewhere or another. Much of it is even pretty good stuff these days. But when it comes to corn, I’m a summer-only guy. Fresh corn is so sweet and so tender that once you’ve had it, nothing else will really do.

Sweet corn is an extremely delicate crop and needs to be prepared as soon after it is picked as possible. The sugar in the kernels begins its conversion into starch the moment the ear is harvested. Most sweet corn out there these days is some sort of hybrid developed with the aim of slowing that conversion of sugar to starch, buying the grower a day or two to get you a sweet, high-quality ear of corn. But I wouldn’t want to push it more than that, and for that reason I buy and recommend that others buy only the freshest corn out there when it’s in season—no frozen ears or winter imports for me.

In your search for the freshest ear, try to find a market that gets its corn from local growers and has a high product turnover. When picking corn, peel back the husks and inspect the kernels. The kernels should appear rounded, individual, and pearly. Flattened and compacted rows indicate a starchy, overgrown ear. The husks should hug the ear tightly and be bright and green. Another thing to look for is dry, not soggy, silks.