Posted on: March 30, 2007

Hot Off the Grill (And Healthy, Too!)

With grilling season on the horizon, Food Network personality Bobby Flay divulges his favorite flavors for outdoor eats

By Bev Bennett
CTW Features

Image courtesy Image courtesy Bobby Flay

Bobby Flay is hot. He’s as hot as an ancho chili rub. He’s as hot as ash-covered coals ready to brown pork chops. He’s as hot as the bright lights in the Food Network studio where he cooks and charms audiences around the country with his show, “Boy Meets Grill,” or in one of many appearances on the culinary competition “Iron Chef America.”

Could it be grilling that’s fueling this innovative, high-energy chef? Flay thinks so.

“Grilling and health is a natural,” says the 42-year-old Flay. “When you grill, you’re gaining flavor, not fat, and you leave the table feeling great.”

He’s sharing his grilling gusto on his television program, his upcoming cookbook Bobby Flay’s Mesa Grill Cookbook (Clarkson Potter, 2007), and in the two New York restaurants he operates: Mesa Grill and Bolo. Flay substitutes the bold flavors of garlic, chiles, relishes, salsas and marinades for the butter and cream sauces that used to top grilled food. His trademarks include his use of fruit salsas and combining both raw and grilled ingredients in a recipe to give it a smoky taste.

“I grill nectarines a little bit so they keep their shape. The grilling helps the natural sugars in the fruit come out. Then I mix the nectarines with balsamic vinegar, green tomatoes and a little oil. Sweet fruits mixed with something a little tart is a great combination,” he says.

Flay often pairs his fruit salsas with grilled meat, which, he reports, is as popular as ever with his customers. “I’m serving a ton of beef and pork. But I’m cooking leaner meat such as pork tenderloin and beef tenderloin, which have very little fat. I’m serving these with relishes. Meat definitely stands up to something gutsy,” he says.

Salsas and relishes are also the centerpiece of his table when he entertains at home. “I’m fond of throwing all sorts of condiments on the table and letting people help themselves. If I put out an abundance of food, I’m not stuck plating dishes,” Flay says.

Just in time for the barbecue season, the chef shares a tip: “When you put something on the grill, leave it alone. Let it form a nice crust on the outside. You want the contrast of a crusty outside and juicy pink inside. People have a tendency to touch food and move it around as soon as they put it on the grill. That makes the food stick.”

Bev Bennett, a veteran food writer and editor, is the author of "Dinner for Two: A Cookbook for Couples" and "30-Minute Meals for Dummies"