Girl Meets Grill: Grilling Recipes from Bobby Flay

Mesa Grill BBQ Sauce

2 tablespoons canola oil
1 large Spanish onion, coarsely chopped
5 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
3 cups canned plum tomatoes and juices, pureed
1 cup water
1/4 cup ketchup
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
¼ cup Worcestershire sauce
3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
3 tablespoons dark brown sugar
2 tablespoon honey
1/4 cup molasses
3 tablespoons ancho chile powder
3 tablespoons pasilla chile powder
2-4 canned chipotle chiles in adobo, pureed (depending on how spicy you like it)
Salt and freshly ground pepper

1. Heat the oil over medium-high heat in a heavy-bottomed medium saucepan. Add the onions and cook until soft, 3-4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the tomatoes and water bring to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes. Add the remaining ingredients and simmer for an additional 30-40 minutes until thickened, stirring occasionally.
2. Transfer the mixture to a food processor and puree until smooth, season with salt and pepper to taste. Pour into a bowl and allow to cool at room temperature. Sauce will keep for 1 week in the refrigerator stored in a tightly sealed container.

BBQ Chicken Quesadilla with Grilled Tomato Salsa & Buttermilk Dressing
Serves: 8

4 chicken thighs, bone in (about 1 pound), skin removed
3 cups Mesa BBQ sauce, divided, or your favorite bbq sauce
Salt and freshly ground pepper
24 6 inch flour tortillas
2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese
2 cups cup shredded white cheddar cheese
1 large red onion, thinly sliced
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons ancho chile powder

1. Preheat grill Place in a medium baking dish. Pour 2 cups of the barbecue sauce over chicken and let marinate for 2 hours in the refrigerator. Remove from marinade, season with salt and pepper to taste and grill for 7-8 minutes on both sides or until tender and cooked through. Transfer chicken to a plate and let cool.
2. When chicken is cool enough to handle, remove chicken from the bone and shred into pieces. Toss with the reserved 1 cup of bbq sauce. Place 8 tortilla on a flat surface and sprinkle with 2 tablespoons of each of the cheeses and onion slices. Top with some of chicken. Stack another tortilla on top and repeat. Top with the remaining 8 tortillas. Brush the top of the tortillas with oil and sprinkle with the chili powder. Grill the quesadillas oil-side down for 3-4 minutes or until golden brown. Turn over and continue grilling until golden brown and the cheese has melted.

Grilled Tomato Salsa
8 grilled plum tomatoes, coarsely chopped
1 jalapeno, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 tablespoons balsamic vinaigrette
1/4 cup coarsely chopped cilantro
Salt and freshly ground pepper

Mix all ingredients together and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Buttermilk Dressing
1/4 cup sour cream
1 cup buttermilk
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 tablespoons finely chopped red onion
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
Salt and freshly ground pepper

Mix all ingredients together and season with salt and pepper to taste.

To serve:
Place 1 quesadilla on each plate and cut into quarters. Top with a dollop of salsa and drizzle with the buttermilk dressing.

Cactus Pear Margarita
Yields: 1
2 ounces white tequila
1 ounce Cointreau
** 1 ounce cactus pear syrup
½ ounce fresh lime juice
Ice cubes
Lime wedge
Coarse salt, optional

1. Combine tequila, Cointreau, cactus pear juice, lime juice and ice cubes in a cocktail shaker and shake for 10 seconds. Strain into a chilled martini glass with or without salt rim, garnish with lime wedge.

You can also serve over ice in a rocks glass or you can blend with ice in a blender for a frozen cactus pear margarita.

** Cactus Pear Syrup (also known as Prickly Pear Syrup) can be found online at www.cherisdesertharvest.com

BBQ: Bean Chili Dogs

Barbeque Bean Chili Dogs, recipe courtesy Sandra Lee

Yield: 4 servings

Prep Time: 6 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Ease of preparation: easy

Chili:

1-cup barbeque sauce

1 (15-ounce) can kidney beans, drained and rinsed

1 (15-ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed

2 tablespoons chili seasoning

1 tablespoon packed brown sugar

1 tablespoon yellow mustard

Hot Dogs:

4 all-beef hot dogs

4 hot dog buns

1/2 medium onion, chopped, for serving

In a large saucepan over low heat stir together the barbeque sauce, beans, chili seasoning, brown sugar, and mustard. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 10 to 12 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Meanwhile, set up grill or indoor grill pan for direct cooking over medium heat. When ready to start cooking oil the grate. Place hot dogs on the hot, oiled grill. Cook for 10 minutes or until heated through, turning occasionally. Toast buns on grill, if desired. Place hot dogs in buns and top with chili. Serve hot with chopped white onions. (Reserve leftover chili for Round 2 Quesadilla recipe)

BBQ: Ale House Burgers

Ale House Burgers with Red Onion Compote, recipe courtesy Sandra Lee

Yield: 4 servings

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour and 8 minutes

Ease of preparation: easy

For Red Onion Compote

1/2-cup water

1 1/4 cups beer

1/2-cup brown sugar

2 red onions, sliced

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

For Burgers:

3 pounds ground beef

1/4-cup beer

2 tablespoons grill seasoning

1/2 cup shredded Cheddar

Romaine lettuce

4 hamburger rolls, toasted

For Red Onion Compote:

In a medium saucepan add 1/2-cup water, beer, brown sugar, and red onions. Season with salt and pepper, to taste, and stir to combine. Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer. Simmer, stirring occasionally for about 1 hour or until the mixture has thickened and has reduced to about 2 cups. Transfer to a bowl and set aside to cool completely.

For Burgers:

In a large bowl mix together the ground beef, beer and grill seasoning until well incorporated. Reserve half of the mixture for Round 2 Meatloaf recipe. Shape the remaining beef into 4 equal portions and flatten each portion. Place 2 tablespoons of cheese in the center of each and wrap the edges around the cheese to form a ball. Flatten each ball into patties. Place on platter and cover. Refrigerate if not cooking immediately.

Set up grill or indoor grill pan for direct cooking over medium-high heat. When ready to start grilling, oil the grate. Place patties on the hot oiled grill and cook 4 to 5 minutes per side for medium. Serve over lettuce on toasted buns topped with red onion compote. (Reserve leftover compote for Round 2 Meatloaf)