Huevos Rancheros - Brunch on the Grill

I woke up today to face a number of ill-advised promises I'd made the night before. But when MB "found" a $200 American Express card in her wallet, everything seemed more manageable. I headed down to Union Market to gather ingredients for the brunch I'd promised MB the night before. I love Union Market. Sure, the aisles are super narrow but its a grocer in Brooklyn. What are ya gonna do? Really, my only issue with the place is that the produce in the very front of the store (asparagus, avocados, and tomoatoes) always looks too good to pass up and it tends to influence my meal decisions. Today, they screamed huevos rancheros! MB sang along in unison.

I only had a few hours to prep and cook brunch before I needed to meet my friends Al and Nick up in Hell's Kitchen so I made quick work of the produce and cheese departments, grabbing some avocados, vine-ripened tomatoes, cilantro, sweet oso onions, corn, lime and Oaxacan cheese. Quickly adding some eggs, sausage, and corn tortillas to my basket, I passed through the checkout and rushed back home. If you're being lazy, huevos rancheros can take a couple of minutes to throw together but Sunday morning only comes once a week and I don't like to do a brunch unless I'm going to do it right.

MB shucked the corn and threw them in some hot water. Meanwhile, I setup the grill and got my supplies in order. As the corn and sausage went on the grill, I julienned the onion, chopped the tomatoes and cut up the cheese. The onions went in a cast iron skillet on the grill and were joined shortly thereafter by a few scrambed eggs, the corn, which I'd sliced off the cob once it was nicely charred, and the sausage, which i'd cut into bite sized chunks. As the egg mixture came together, I sliced up the avocados into thin strips. Then the tomatoes went into the mix while I flopped the tortillas onto the grill. Once I flipped the tortillas, i threw on the avocado slices and cheese. Finally, I pulled them off the grill onto our plates, added the egg mixture and topped each taco with cilantro and lime.

By that time, I had enough time to get ready for my trip into the city but not enough time to eat. It turned out to be a blessing. I had MB wrap up the tacos in some aluminum foil while I threw on a clean shirt and some sunglasses and headed to the train. By the time I opened up the foil, the steam from the egg mixture had softened the shells while the egg & cheese mixture binded together. The result, a great on-the-go meal that I could eat sans napkins - a necessity seeing as I had no napkins.

The one major failure in the dish turned out to be the decided lack of seasoning. I'd salted and peppered every part of the dish along the way but stopped MB when she'd tried to add more. Bad decision on my part. Could have also used a bit more cilantro. On the plus side, the corn was the best I'd ever prepared on the grill - every time i rotated the ears, I drizzled a little olive oil on top. Read Full Entry

Bye-bye Roasting Pan, Hello Grill

Springtime has arrived in Brooklyn

For the past 4 years, I’ve been making due with an older version of this Weber grill. Its small size has been a blessing and a curse. While easy to store, meals have been challenging when we host large gatherings. The accompanying 14.1 oz. propane canister collection was also annoying, even when they weren’t running out in the middle of a meal. But despite it all, the grill has served me well through the years. I’ve ordered a new cooking grate and heat tent so I can use it as a secondary grill for large outdoor gatherings.

My new grill was delivered on Tuesday…to my office. That elicited some fantastic banter with my fellow employees. They’ve come to expect bizarre things from me so it wasn’t altogether shocking but it is a little weird to see a grill next to a cubicle desk.

After watching my friend Ryan cook on a Coleman Roadtrip grill all last summer, I decided to buy their Roadtrip Pro SS model. The 345 sq. inch cooking surface is roughly double what I’m used to and the 20 lb. tank converter I received in the mail today is going to save me a number of sweaty trips to the hardware store over the course of the summer, not to mention start-and-stop meals.

As I fired it up for the first time to burn off any unwanted chemicals, I marveled at the grill’s efficient design. I’m most impressed with the ability to seal the lid. With both burners on high and the cover sealed shut, the easy-to-read thermometer reached well over 700 degrees in just about 15 minutes.

With the sun out and the temps in the mid-to-upper 60’s, Mary Beth and I called some friends for an impromptu Thursday night gathering. After weighing several menu options, I decided to take a page from my sister and brother-in-law’s grilling repertoire and make pizzas. We grabbed dough from our friends at nearby Pizza Plus. It was only $6 for 3 small sized balls of dough which I found remarkably cheap, especially considering the price of grain right now.

If you’ve never put pizza dough directly on a grill, the concept might be a little unnerving. If you try it, make sure your cooking surface is clean and rub the dough with olive oil. My sister uses oil that’s been sautéed with garlic and red pepper flakes; I’ll probably try that the next time around. I also like to salt my crust and add some corn meal for a little grit.

Place the dough on the grill over medium-low heat and close the lid. After a few minutes, the dough will start to take form. You need to check the bottom every once in awhile to make sure you get a nice, golden brown crust. When it reaches the right consistency, flip it over. Now its time for the toppings. I spooned some Buitoni marinara sauce on the crust and topped it with chunks of fresh mozzarella, grated parmesan, mushrooms and hand-ripped basil. Close the lid, let the cheese melt and pull it off whenever the crust reaches the consistency you’re after.

For our first attempt, I rushed to get dough on the grill and didn’t spend enough time working it out to the right thickness. The result was a doughy pizza that every one agreed was decent but not great. As I was cooking the first pie, Mary took her time working out the other two pieces of dough and by our third and final attempt, we nailed both the thickness and the cooking time.

Before the pizza, we served a brie and some guacamole chips with salsa that our friends graciously brought to the party. To drink, we had sangria (2006 Vina Borgia, Brandy, OJ, McIntosh apples, navel oranges, and lemons) and a selection of Brooklyn suds – Lager and East India Pale Ale.

All in all, it was an easy-going way to welcome spring and the grilling season.

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