Whether it’s a graduation, a three-day weekend, a family reunion or any celebration, having an eclectic repertoire of dishes for outdoor entertainment is key. Chicken wings are great, but not always. When you have a variety of recipes at your fingertips, then they are customizable for any outdoor event that comes your way.
Throughout the year, some of the biggest events that happen in my backyard are birthdays. Cooking outdoors for a birthday in my family is to be expected. Why? Yes, we live in sunny California and most of our birthdays are in the warmer months, plus so many people usually come. But there’s more to me. First, I don’t want to be stuck indoors cooking when all the action is outdoors, and second, I can’t get everyone inside to get in the way of the kitchen. So outdoors it is. Food and birthdays are just a Fieri thing, and it extends beyond my family. Some people can write you a song, others can paint a picture for you, but I, I will prepare you a dinner.
It’s gotten to the point where even close friends, not family members, will ask if they can have their birthday in my backyard because it’s convenient. (Hey, it’s a big backyard and Guy is going to be cooking anyway!) From scavenger hunts to sleepovers, pool parties and mini golf excursions, the Fieri family has great birthdays. In fact, if it is the month of your birthday, the celebration will last the whole month and you will be able to make the decisions. Seriously! My mother and her best friend Fran started that tradition years ago. (She’s crazy, who would do something like that? The next thing you know, someone might start celebrating Festivus Maximus, where people from all over the country come to celebrate a week of festivities, ranging from road trips to house parties to restaurant takeovers. Who would have a party involving some of the best chefs from Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives from around the country going out to cook killer food for six or seven hundred of their closest friends? That’s pure madness. . . .) So here are some of my family’s best hits for the Backyard Bash, with preparation tips to maximize your relaxation time with family.
Cooking for the crew
.
Crispy zucchini planks with parmesan and aioli
From cookouts to back doors, if you’re going to serve a vegetable with mass appeal for all ages, and it’s not a fried onion ring, it has to be a crispy zucchini. Trust me, these will be a hot product at your next backyard party.
YIELD: 4 servings
TIME: 1 hour
YOU WILL NEED: Propane stove or burner, cast iron or other heavy frying pot, parchment paper
PREPARATION TIPS: Pan the zucchini planks, place them on a tray and refrigerate so they can be set up. Less moisture equals better frying, so leave them uncovered to dry a little. They will actually fry more crunchy and the coating will stick better when cooled. This can be done up to 8 hours in advance.
Make the aioli up to 2 days in advance and store it in the refrigerator, covered.
Canola oil, for frying
21/2 cups all-purpose flour
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2
large eggs
2 cups buttermilk 1 teaspoon dried
oregano
1
teaspoon dried thyme 1
/2 teaspoon granulated
garlic 3 cups panko (Japanese breadcrumbs
)
2 medium zucchini, thinly sliced lengthwise
Grated Parmesan cheese
, to decorate
chopped fresh flatleaf parsley
, to decorate
lemon wedges, to decorate
Aiolis, to serve (recipes go on)
1. Pour a couple of inches of oil into a large, heavy gauge or cast iron pot. Heat over medium heat until a frying thermometer reads 350°F.
2. Place the flour in a shallow medium container. Season with salt and pepper. Beat the eggs, buttermilk, oregano, thyme, and garlic in another shallow medium container. Place the panko crumbs in a third shallow container. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
3. Working in batches, dredge the zucchini strips into the flour, stroking the excess. Next, dip them in the whey mixture. Moisten thoroughly and allow excess liquid to drip. Dredge the zucchini into the panko crumbs and cover evenly. While working, place the zucchini strips on the lined baking sheet.
4. Once the oil is ready, fry the zucchini strips in batches until golden brown and crispy, 2 to 4 minutes. Transfer fried zucchini to a baking sheet lined with a draining paper towel.
5. Serve the crispy zucchini on a platter, sprinkled with parmesan and parsley. Serve with lemon slices and your choice of aioli for dipping.
Hunter’s friends are just as crazy as he is
.
Aiolis A
lot of people, like my sister from another mista Rachael Ray, aren’t big fans of food lube, and I have to say that I’m not the biggest mayonnaise fan outside the jar either. But when you want flavor and a creamy texture, nothing can beat a well-made aioli, so here are a few for you to play with.
Roasted garlic aioli Roasted garlic aioli
is a staple. You need to make a large batch and store it in the refrigerator. It’s great with potato chips, of course, but you can also serve it with roasted root vegetables, spread it on a baguette to make garlic bread, or serve it with tempura green beans or steamed broccoli. You can even use it on grilled meats like chicken breast, steaks, or pork chops.
YIELD: 11/2 cups
TIME: 1 hour
YOU WILL NEED: Food processor or blender
PREPARATION TIP: Roast the garlic up to 2 days ahead of time. Make the aioli and store it in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
2 or 3 heads garlic
Extra virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black
pepper 11/2
cups mayonnaise
1/
3 cup fresh lemon juice
2
tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
11/2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1/8 teaspoon chopped cayenne pepper
Worcestershire Chopped fresh parsley, to decorate
1. Preheat oven to 425°F.
2. Cut off the tops of the garlic heads to expose the cloves. Place them on a large piece of aluminum foil, lightly drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Wrap the aluminum foil in a tight bag and roast for 35 to 45 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool. Squeeze the pulp of the skins.
3. In a food processor or blender, combine 1/3 cup roasted garlic, mayonnaise, lemon juice, parmesan, dijon, cayenne, Worcestershire, and salt and pepper to taste. Press until well combined. Refrigerate to allow flavors to merge. Garnish with parsley.
Sriracha Aioli
This is a great sauce, salad dressing or sandwiches. It’s spicy, but not too hot!
YIELD: 11/2 cups
TIME: 5 minutes
YOU WILL NEED: Food processor or blender
PREPARATION TIP: Make the aioli and store it in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
11/2 cups mayonnaise 2
tablespoons Sriracha
1 teaspoon
smoked paprika
1
/2 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 lime juice
Kosher salt, to taste
In a food processor or blender, combine all the ingredients. Press until well mixed. Refrigerate to allow flavors to merge.
Chipotle Alioli
This is amazing in any Mexican dish where you want some spicy creaminess, as well as grilled vegetables that need some warmth
.
BRANDS: 1 cup
TIME: 5 minutes
YOU WILL NEED: Food processor or blender
PREPARATION TIP: Make the aioli and store it in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
11/2 cups mayonnaise
2
garlic cloves, chopped
Zest of 1 lime
1 tablespoon
chipotle chopped in adobo sauce
1/
4 teaspoon agave syrup 1/2 teaspoon
ground cumin
Kosher salt, to taste
2 tablespoons cilantro
Fresh chopped In a food processor or blender, combine mayonnaise, garlic, lime zest, chipotle, agave, cumin, and salt. Press until well combined. Incorporate cilantro. Refrigerate to allow flavors to merge.
Homemade
hot sauce
I am a fan of hot sauce, in a big way. Every fan has their favorite bottle, but it’s not something you usually find people making themselves. So, here’s an opportunity, if you have some free time, to create the super seasoning of your dreams and make it as spicy as you want.
HACE: About 1 cup
TIME: 35 minutes
YOU WILL NEED: Oven, food processor or blender
, bottle to store hot sauce
PREPARATION TIP: Make large batches of this hot sauce, bottle it and store it in the refrigerator. It will keep for a month as long as you use sterilized and airtight bottles.
2 habanero
peppers, stemmed, seeded and halved
10 Ash peppers, stems without stems, cut in half lengthwise, seeded and ribbed
1
medium yellow onion,
quartered 2
Roma tomatoes, quartered
3 garlic cloves
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 teaspoon salt
kosher 1/2 teaspoon
freshly ground black pepper
juice of 1
lemon
1
teaspoon paprika
21/2 tablespoons sugar
1
cup white vinegar
1. Preheat oven to 400°F.
2. Mix the habaneros, ash, onion, tomatoes and garlic with canola oil. Roast in a single layer until the vegetables are charred and tender, about 20 minutes. When it is cold enough to handle, cut all the vegetables into small pieces.
3. Put vegetables in a food processor or blender along with salt, pepper, lemon juice, paprika, and sugar. Puree until smooth. With the food processor still running, slowly pour the vinegar into a thin stream until it is fully incorporated. Try the sauce and add salt, pepper and sugar as desired.
4. Strain the mixture through a fine sieve into a clean container, using a rubber spatula to push it. Let the sieve sit on the container for up to 15 minutes to collect the drops. Transfer the sauce to a sterilized bottle and refrigerate.
Jalapeños stuffed
with pepper cheese
An arranged marriage appetizer
For the most part, pepper cheese stops at the Mississippi River border; for some reason you don’t find it much west of there. Sure, you get a little bit in Texas and in the panhandle, but most non-Southerners don’t really appreciate the delicacy that pepper cheese is. And jalapeño (and let’s do the correct pronunciation: holla-pain-yo) can be found in just about anything you can think of in the west and less often in the east. So here is the meeting of two worlds, something like an arranged marriage. It is sweet and creamy it is hot and dreamy.
I
can’t believe I just said that, I’m not even drinking
.
MAKES: 12 jalapeños
TIME: 45 minutes
YOU WILL NEED: Oven, stove, cast iron skillet or griddle
PREPARATION TIP: Make the pepper cheese mixture up to 2 days in advance. Stuff the jalapeños the day before so you’re ready to cook the day of.
11/2 chorizo bonds, tripe removed
1 tablespoon
plus 1 teaspoon canola oil
Grains of 2 small ears of corn
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
6 medium jalapeno peppers, halved lengthwise, seeded and ribs 2
ounces cream cheese, softened
1 tablespoon mayonnaise
A 4-ounce jar of chopped peppers, drained
1/
2 cup grated spicy cheddar
cheese 3/4 cup
grated pepper Jack cheese
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder 1/4
teaspoon smoked paprika
1
/
4 cup thinly sliced spring onions
1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. In a large saucepan over medium-high heat, crumble the chorizo into small pieces. Brown the meat for 8 to 10 minutes while continuing to break the pieces with the back of a wooden spoon. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the chorizo to a plate lined with a paper towel for draining. Pour the oil from the saucepan into a small bowl and set aside. When it is cold, chop the chorizo into small pieces and set aside.
3. In the same saucepan, using a teaspoon of reserved chorizo oil plus 1 teaspoon of canola oil, sauté the corn kernels until slightly charred, about 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and set aside to cool.
4. In a cast iron skillet or griddle, heat 1 tablespoon canola oil over medium-high heat. Add the peppers, cut them side down and cook until the meat is marked and slightly tenderized, 3 to 4 minutes.
5. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, combine cream cheese, mayonnaise, diced peppers, Cheddar cheese, 1/2 cup pepper jack cheese, garlic powder, smoked paprika, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Add the corn and stir to combine.
6. Remove the peppers from the heat and pour about 1 tablespoon of the cheese mixture into each half of the pepper. Sprinkle the remaining pepper cat on top. Place the pan in the oven and bake until the peppers are tender and the cheese has melted, about 12 minutes. For the last 30 to 60 seconds, roast aloft to brown the top.
7. Remove from oven, drizzle about 1/2 teaspoon of the reserved chorizo oil over each pepper, and sprinkle generously with finely chopped chorizo and some sliced green onions.
Rain or shine, kids always want to get in the pool
.
Cast Iron Beef Tenderloin with Blackberry Jalapeño Sauce I’m
not a big fan of BBQ steak because it doesn’t have a lot of fat or flavor. But for many people, serving steak is a sign of going big and celebrating. So if we are going to roast steak, then we better give it the flavor. The best way to do this is with a killer blackberry jalapeno sauce.
YIELD: 8 servings
TIME: 45 minutes
YOU WILL NEED: Oven, grill or stove, large cast iron skillet, twine, instant reading meat thermometer
PREPARATION TIP: Cook the bacon and wrap the steaks up to 5 hours in advance. Cooling will help them set up and retain their shape when you skip them.
8 slices smoked apple wood bacon
3-pound beef tenderloin,
trimmed kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Canola oil, as needed
2 shallots
, chopped 3 garlic cloves, chopped
1 jalapeño, seeded and chopped
3/4 cup wine
Port 1 pint of blackberries, pureed in a food processor, plus some blackberries to decorate
2 tablespoons
canned blackberries 2 tablespoons
aged balsamic vinegar
3
/4 cup low-sodium beef broth
2 or 3 sprigs fresh thyme
1
tablespoon cold unsalted butter
1. Preheat oven to 450°F.
2. In a large cast iron skillet, cook the bacon (in batches, if necessary), about 2 minutes per side; bacon should be flexible and uncooked. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to a plate lined with a paper towel; Leave any bacon fat in the pan to seal the steak.
3. Cut the loin into 8 thick fillets (about 6 ounces each). Season the outside of each steak with salt and pepper; Wrap 2 slices of bacon around each steak, securing it with string around the outside, this will not only keep the bacon in place, but also help the steaks maintain a nice round shape. Preheat the grill over high heat or turn a burner to high and, in the same cast iron skillet, seal the fillets on one side for 5 to 6 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium, turn the steaks over and cook another 8 to 10 minutes on the second side for a good medium-rare. When a thermometer inserted into the thickest part of a steak registers from 130°F to 135°F, it’s medium rare and ready. Transfer to a plate and rest under aluminum foil for 15 minutes.
4. Clean the pan with paper towels to dispose of any burnt or black residue. Top with canola oil and add the shallots, garlic and jalapeño to the pan. Sauté for 2 to 3 minutes. Off the heat, add the port and deglaze the pan by loosening the golden pieces, then reheat the pan and simmer. Once the liquid has been reduced to about 1 tablespoon, add the blackberry puree, preserves, vinegar, broth and thyme. Cook until reduced and thickened, 5 to 10 minutes, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Finish the sauce by stirring the cold butter.
5. Remove the string from the fillets and serve them covered with the sauce. Garnish with fresh blackberries.
Meet a butcher
. I say it in my shows and in my demos: Your contacts should include a great fishmonger, a super mixologist and a bail bondsman (ha, ha… Maybe not a bail bondsman), but a good butcher is the most important thing of all. Find a local butcher who works with organic, grass-fed meat from farm to table. We’re supposed to eat less red meat and less meat overall, so opt for quality, not quantity. And it’s worth the extra fifteen minutes to drive to the best butcher you can find because he (or she) will know what’s fresh and what’s better and can help you use the right product for the right dish. Butchers are also there to support you if your knife skills aren’t your strongest talent: they can butterfly your pork loin, French your lamb and grind your meat. I’m not trying to be too preachy here, but it really is possible and it really is important.
California Brick Chicken with Apricot Peppermint I am a Malay Apricot Chimichurri machine.
This dish is as old as possible. In Italian this is called pollo al mattone, and to do that you start by removing the spine and flattening the chicken. Then you brine it, dry it, season it and cook it with the pressure of two hot bricks on top. It sounds caveman, I know, but wait for you to try. This version has my California twist with a dry massage that has a little warmth, a little sweetness and a lotta flavor.
YIELD
: 4 to 6 servings
TIME: 30 minutes
YOU WILL NEED: Grill, 4 bricks wrapped in aluminum foil or a heavy cast iron skillet, food processor or blender, instant reading meat thermometer
ADVANCE PREPARATION TIP: Split, flatten, scrub, and refrigerate chickens a day or two before the party (or put them in a cooler if you’re headed for a different outdoor adventure). The longer they marinate in the dry massage, the better the taste, and it makes grilling easier when it’s time for the backyard party to begin.
Two whole chickens 4 to 5 pounds
of free-range 1 tablespoon
chipotle chili
powder 1 tablespoon
ancho chili
powder 2
tablespoons smoked paprika
2 teaspoons
ground fennel seeds 2 teaspoons
garlic powder 1 teaspoon onion powder 1 teaspoon
dried oregano
1
teaspoonful
sugar 1
tablespoon kosher salt
1
teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1
/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
Salsa Verde (recipe goes on)
1. Remove the spine of one of the chickens. Split the breast and press down on the chicken at all joints to flatten it. Tuck the wings underneath so that the chicken is flat. This will help it cook evenly.
