Flay's Way -- Bobby Flay Uses Bold Strokes To Get Some Attention For American Food

Aug 14, 1994

Kathleen Triesch Saul

WHAT'S AN EX-TOUGH GUY from the thrashing throngs of New York City doing putting out a cookbook that celebrates the bright-blazing cuisine of the wide-open-spaces Southwest?

He's creating a scene, that's what. A scene of radiant colors, rich textures and imaginative combinations that drench the senses at nearly every turn of the page.

"Bobby Flay's Bold American Food" is just that - bold. And in introducing it, Flay says the cross-continental reach he made to create it isn't that much of a stretch: His approach to the tastes of Texas, New Mexico and Arizona is not unlike his way of life with the old gang in the 'hood - "straightforward, but impulsive and almost always explosive."

It's all of that, and more. Like sophisticated, confident and perhaps not appealing to those who purse their lips and scrinch up their eyes at the thought of fruit getting mixed up with a piece of meat or fish.

So what kind of stuff are we talking about?

How about Grilled Tuna Tostada with Black Bean-Mango Salsa and Avocado Vinaigrette? Or Barbecued Ribs with Peanut-Chipotle Sauce?

There's Blue Corn-Fried Chicken Salad with Cayenne-Buttermilk Dressing, and Ancho-Chile Risotto Cakes, and Pork Adobo Sandwiches with Sage Aioli.

From the White Bean and Roasted Tomato Soup to the Chocolate Polenta Souffle Cakes, more than 200 recipes are arranged into logical categories, prefaced with some great practical advice on ingredients, techniques and equipment. Included are basic definitions of terms and simple instructions on everything from rehydrating dried chilies to roasting garlic.

Some of the chilies and other ingredients like blue cornmeal may be familiar in name only if they're familiar at all, but many of the flavors that distinguish this food have been crossing into a variety of cultures and corners of America for some time: basil and cilantro, tomatillos and peppers, limes and mangoes, ginger and garlic.

What makes these recipes stand out is the way they get concocted.

Flay obviously enjoys mixing it up, and his book invites us all to do likewise. But brash as they are, neither the celebrity chef of New York's Mesa Grill and Bolo Restaurant nor his cookbook intimidate.

On Flay's first visit to the Northwest this spring, I had a chance to sample his work and chat with him during a promotional event at Fuller's Restaurant in the Sheraton Hotel downtown.

Of the several featured items, the most impressive was the filet mignon - fired with red chilies and black peppercorns, then slipped into a hot-cool pool of Wild Mushroom-Ancho Chile Sauce. After gushing profusely over the general effect, I observed that what seemed to separate truly great cooks from regular old good cooks was the ability to make sauces such as the smooth, deep-mahogany-colored one before me.

Truly, he said, it's easy if you just do what you're told to do in the book - 'til you're ready to start experimenting on your own. He invited me to try making the sauce and let him know how it turned out.

I tested the whole business on some willing family members recently, and found that going by the book actually worked.

Even "the old person" likes it, my dad reported.

And, the preparation lived up to Flay's definition of the best kind of "bold" food: "Spicy, to me, means flavorful and well balanced; it doesn't mean burn-your-mouth-out."

It's worth noting that the filet with mushroom-chile sauce is one of the more complex courses in the book. Many others are simpler - relishes and salsas, for instance, that require mostly chopping and slicing to get them into shape.

The simplicity, though, is not a substitute for elegance, much less wonderful flavor. The sultry suggestion of smoke, the snap of chilies and peppers, the fragrance of herbs - it all just keeps on surprising and satisfying you.

As we approach the edge of fall, the soups and quesadillas are beckoning. After that, who knows? Perhaps a maple-sugar-crusted apple pie for the holiday season.

I can't wait.

Kathleen Triesch Saul is an editor at The Seattle Times. Mike Siegel is a Times photographer.

------------------------------------------- CORN AND ZUCCHINI QUESADILLA WITH SMOKED TOMATO SALSA AND AVOCADO RELISH ------------------------------------------- Makes 4 first-course servings

QUESADILLA: Three (6-inch) flour tortillas, or 8-inch tortillas cut to size. 1/4 cup grated Monterey Jack cheese. 1/4 cup grated white cheddar cheese. 2 tablespoons chopped red onion. 1 small jalapeno, minced. 1/4 cup julienned zucchini. 1/4 cup fresh, raw corn kernels, cut from the cob. Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste.

------------------- SMOKED TOMATO SALSA ------------------- Makes about 2 1/2 cups

2 medium cold-smoked tomatoes, coarsely chopped (smoking process described below). 2 tablespoons finely diced red onion. 1 tablespoon minced jalapeno. 1/4 cup fresh lime juice. 1 tablespoon ancho chile powder or good-quality prepared chile powder.

-------------- AVOCADO RELISH -------------- Makes about 1 cup

1 ripe Haas avocado, coarsely chopped. 1 tablespoon finely diced red onion. 1 tablespoon minced jalapeno. 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice. 1 tablespoon coarsely chopped fresh cilantro. salt and freshly ground pepper.

1. To prepare the quesadilla: Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Place 2 of the tortillas on an ungreased baking sheet. Spread half the cheeses, onion, jalapeno, julienned zucchini and corn on each and season to taste with salt and pepper. Stack the two layers and cover with the remaining tortilla. Bake for 5 to 10 minutes (Flay says 8 to 12, but that was too long in my oven), or until the tortillas are slightly crisp and the cheese has melted. Cut into squares and serve hot, garnished with the salsa and relish. 2. To smoke the tomatoes and prepare the salsa: Rub tomatoes with oil. Prepare a wood or charcoal fire in a domed grill and let it burn down to embers. Lay chips of soaked aromatic wood over the ashes - just to get the smoke going, not start a hot fire. Place the tomatoes on the grill rack. Open the top vent slightly and cover the grill so the smoke stays inside. Smoke 10 minutes, till they are infused with the smoke flavor but not cooked. Chop, and combine with the rest of the salsa ingredients. (Can refrigerate if prepared ahead, but should be brought to room temperature before serving.) 3. To prepare the avocado relish: Combine the avocado, onion, jalapeno, lime juice and cilantro. (Keep covered and chilled, but bring to room temperature before serving.)