Chef Gaynol

Royal Rose Radicchio

The nice folks at Royal Rose Radicchio sent me a ton of radicchio to try out.  Radicchio is actually one of my favorite lettuces in salads and this gave me the chance to try it in some summer recipes.  The radicchio pictured above is Radicchio di Chioggia.  It's the most widely available variety and is especially prized for it's vibrant maroon color and sharp, intense flavor.

Lamb Jam 2011

Most Americans usually think about serving lamb in the spring and then sadly, forget about lamb for the rest of the year.  The American Lamb Board (ALB) is on a campaign to change that mindset.  They're sponsoring The American Lamb Jam Tour, so look for demonstrations, recipes and giveaways coming to a town near you.  

Part of this promotion included a grilling challenge for bloggers.  The ALB generously provided a five pound boneless leg of lamb and asked bloggers to come up with recipes for lamb on the grill.  I originally wanted to do this recipe as a kabob, but the recipe I came up with wouldn't hold together on the skewers.  So, my take on this challenge is the fabulous Skewerless Mediterranean Burger.

Planet Barbecue

Puerto Rican Grilled Pork Chop, glazed with annatto oil

Last thursday we trekked to Seattle to hear Steven Raichlen and Tom Douglas talk about all things barbecue. Raichlen was in town to promote his newest book Planet Barbecue as part of the Visiting Chef Series put on by Kim Ricketts Book Events.

Steven Raichlen is my kind of food geek.  He graduated with a degree in French Literature from Reed College and in 1975 received a Watson Foundation Fellowship to study medieval cooking in Europe. This academic beginning sparked a passion for live fire cooking and Raichlen went on to bring barbecue to the masses. In 1998 he published The Barbecue Bible and 29 books later he is still going strong with two shows on PBS as well as his own line of barbecue gear and his wildly popular BBQ University. 

Raichlen doesn't know me from a jar of spice rub but he taught me how to barbecue.  Several years ago I was in the house making potato salad and staring with envy at my husband who was drinking a beer and lighting the grill out in the sunshine.  "Hey, I thought resentfully, why does he get to stand outside drinking alcohol near an open flame?"  After all didn't I go to culinary school?  Didn't I stand shoulder to shoulder (technically shoulder to elbow, I'm kind of short)   with all those wanna-be-chefs over blazing hot stoves. Why should he have all the fun?? So I went out and I bought How to Grill: The Complete Illustrated Book of Barbecue Techniques.  And since then, weather permitting my husband and I have been a grilling team. 

Raichlen and Douglas took the stage and introduced each other and then Douglas said to Raichlen, "Who the fuck made you the barbecue God?"  Most people in the audience laughed and the mood was set for the following hour of conversation.   

Grilled Panzanella with Lime Marinated Flank Steak

Panzanella was first conceived as a way to use up stale bread.  Since there is no such thing as leftover or stale bread in my house, I opted to make this grilled salad using a fresh loaf of ciabatta bread.

For the grilled panzanella you'll need;

1 lb flank steak, scored diagonally

1/4 cup lime marinade (recipe below)

1 loaf of ciabatta bread

1/4 cup lemon garlic olive oil (recipe below)

2 cucumbers, seeded and diced

4 tomatoes, concassed

1/2 cup of kalamata olives, pits removed and halved

1/4 cup fresh bail, chiffonade

 

In this photo you can see the grain of the flank steak running horizontally.

Using a large knife, lightly score the flank steak diagnoally across the grain.  This will keep the steak from curling up when it hits the hot grill. 

Get Your Grill On!

Summer is coming to an end faster than Jason Lezak with a Frenchman in his sights.  Before the weather chases us back indoors,  I thought it was time to do some outdoor cooking.

I know that barbecuing and getting the barbecue started are jobs usually left to the Y chromosome member of the household, but it's nothing we double Xer's can't do.  I'd like to issue an invitation for you to join me and master the mysteries of the grill.  It's not hard and just a little dirty, so throw the Manolo Blahniks in  the closet and hang up that Dolce & Gabbana blouse and join me outside.