Where Bobby Wants to Be
One of my favorite food magazines is Food & Wine. I love how they go beyond the food … to the plates, the atmosphere, the chefs, locations around the world and more. It’s food and then some, and the May issue is no exception.
One of the feature articles is all about Food TV Network’s Bobby Flay. When Food & Wine magazine gave him the opportunity to visit any city in America, he and his actress wife, Stephanie March, named Savannah, Georgia as their desired destination without hesitation. As a way to combine her love of shopping (and voracious appetite) and his love of food, it was perfect.
Bobby’s first visit to Savannah was a few years ago when he was on location for his Food Nation show; out of all the stops he’s made around the country, the meals he had while in Savannah made the biggest impression on him, and he’s been itching to get back ever since.
The couples’ first mission when they arrived was a search for a lunch spot. They happened upon a restaurant in downtown Savannah that had a crowd gathering outside.
“Any place with a 45-minute wait at 2 o’clock on a Monday afternoon is a place I want to eat at,” Bobby said.
And the restaurant with the 45-minute wait on a Monday afternoon? None other than fellow Food TV Network celebrity chef, Paula Deen’s The Lady & Sons. And that was for the buffet! The food was so good that when Flay’s wife went back for her third helping of Southern-style fried chicken, Bobby “lowered his voice to the growl of a television policeman: ‘Stop. Put down the fork. Step away from the plate.’”
Flay was so inspired by his recent Savannah sojourn that he created his own Southern-inspired menu, including Dirty Hoppin’ John, Peel-and-Eat Shrimp with Barbecue Spices, Honey Mustard Chicken, Grilled Oysters with Spicy Tarragon Butter, Corn and Goat Cheese Grits, Swiss Chard with Smoked Bacon and Blackberry Corn Cakes with Peach-Maple Ice Cream. Flay, take me away!
Peel-and-Eat Shrimp with Barbecue Spices
TOTAL TIME: 25 MIN
SERVES: 6
During his visit to Savannah, Bobby Flay ate as much Gulf shrimp and barbecue as humanly possible, then came back to New York and created a recipe that cleverly combines them both. He loves to rub large peel-and-eat shrimp with a barbecue-inspired blend of paprika, chile powder, sugar and cumin before sautéing them.
ingredients
1 1/2 tablespoons sweet Pimentón de la Vera (Spanish smoked paprika)
1 tablespoon ancho chile powder
1 tablespoon light brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
8 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
2 pounds large shrimp, deveined but not shelled
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 scallions, thinly sliced
directions
In a large bowl, mix the paprika with the ancho chile powder, brown sugar, cumin, salt, pepper and garlic. Add the shrimp and toss to coat in the spices.
Heat 1/4 cup of the oil in 2 large skillets until shimmering. Add the shrimp to the skillets and cook over moderately high heat, stirring occasionally, until curled and white throughout, about 4 minutes. Add half of the butter and scallions to each skillet and swirl them in. Transfer the shrimp to a platter and serve.
NOTES
BEER These sweet but fiery shrimp really need a cold beer—ideally, a fresh, hoppy lager—to counter their heat. The well-known Dutch brewery Grolsch recently released a light lager with refreshingly tangy herbal notes. For something with more power and richness, look for Mahr’s Unfiltered Lager, from Germany.
If you don’t want to fuss with shells, you can use shelled shrimp. Cut the cumin in half and cook over moderate heat.
