2 weeks Ago
A sweet-tart pomegranate and chile sauce adds “impact” to pork tenderloin. Peggy Cormary for The Washington Post; food styling by Carolyn Robb for The Washington Post Food Network star. Cookbook author.
Cat lover. Bobby Flay is many things – and he counts himself lucky for all the opportunities he’s been granted over the years – but “the restaurants are always the most important thing to me,” he said on a recent video call from his home in New York City. He had just gotten back earlier that morning from Las Vegas, where he was in the kitchen of one of his restaurants until 9 or 9:30 the night before.
Compared with other celebrity chefs who might just lend their name to dining concepts, Flay takes an active role and loves to be in the middle of the action. “When I put my apron and my chef coat on in my restaurants, it’s like my shield from the world. It’s the place that I love to be.
” Flay, who will be 60 in December, has relied on that passion for the kitchen over a decades-long career that has encompassed numerous restaurants around the country, multiple television series and, this fall, his 18th cookbook: “Bobby Flay: Chapter One.” He traces the start of his cooking career back to his sophomore year of high school. “I could not learn in a traditional sense when I was in high school or even grammar school,” he said.
“I certainly have had, and probably still have, learning disabilities at some level,” which made him not want to go to class. So he dropped out. He recalls his dad saying: “You’re not just going to go hang out with your friends.
You have to go get a job.” As fate would have it, Flay wound up at a restaurant covering for a busboy for two weeks. At the end of that stint, he was in the vestibule getting ready to leave when the chef asked if he wanted a job in the kitchen.
“I was like, ‘Sure,’ ” Flay said. “Not, like, excited. Just like, what else am I going to do today?” This was the beginning of his culinary education, Flay said.
He learned how to use a knife and make salad dressings. He was a prep cook, an essential member of any kitchen brigade but nonetheless the lowest in rank. Two months later, he remembers thinking that he couldn’t wait to go to work that day.
“When I started working with my hands, the lightbulb went off,” he said. “This is the kind of education I need to get me excited.” Some have asked whether Flay’s latest book is a memoir; he rebuts that idea.
Yes, there are a few essays about his restaurants, such as the former Mesa Grill (with locations in Las Vegas, the Bahamas and New York City) and the now-shuttered Gato in New York City, and his television experiences, including “Iron Chef America” and “Beat Bobby Flay,” “but really it’s about the dishes and how the food evolved and came to be,” which he details in the headnotes to the 100 recipes that surround these essays. Of the thousands of recipes in his personal database, “these hundred popped out at me right away as being important to me in my career.” What do these recipes all have in common? “I always use the word ‘impact’ when I talk about my food,” Flay said.
“I used to use the word ‘bold.’ But I think impact is a better word because impact can mean lots of different things, but you know it’s going to have tons of flavor.” One of his favorite ways to add flavor is with chiles.
“Their personalities are different across the board. Some are hot, some are earthy, some are smoky, etc.,” he said.
“And, obviously, levels of heat from one chile to the other are very, very different. Whether they’re dried or fresh makes a completely different flavor profile as well, and textures.” His three favorites include smoky and fiery chipotles that “make everything you add them to taste good,” fresh poblanos for their “great green pepper background flavor,” and Scotch bonnet or habanero peppers for the intense heat they bring combined with “the most flavorful fruity undertone.
” In his Pork Tenderloin Tacos With Pomegranate and Chile, the meat is coated with a spice rub of ancho chile powder and ground coriander. Flay describes ancho chile peppers, which are dried poblanos, as having a raisiny, dried fruit flavor. The cooked meat then gets tossed with a sauce of pomegranate juice and pureed chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, all in the name of balance.
The resulting combination is smoky, spicy, sweet and tart. He’s served these tacos at Mesa Grill and has made them on his shows “tons of times,” he recalled, making them a prime candidate for inclusion in “Bobby Flay: Chapter One.” “It’s kind of an ironic title, right? Because I’ve been at this for a while.
” To him, the title indicates that there’s plenty more to do. What might that include? He’s had a recent obsession with Italy and its cuisine. He also thinks about reopening Mesa Grill (or potentially some other restaurant in New York City) several times a day.
(“When I leave my apartment in Tribeca, I don’t know where to go because I usually go to one of my restaurants and start my day,” he said. “I definitely feel like I’m missing something,” and will do something at some point.) This is also the first time he doesn’t have another book already in the works.
For now, he’s giving this one – his “most important book,” he said – room to breathe. In the meantime, he continues to find new sources of inspiration to fuel his passion for cooking and further his culinary knowledge. “I’m really a cook, first and foremost.
That’s how I started – and that’s how it’s going to end.” Pork Tenderloin Tacos With Pomegranate and Chile. Peggy Cormary for The Washington Post; food styling by Carolyn Robb for The Washington Post Pork Tenderloin Tacos With Pomegranate and Chile Chef and TV host Bobby Flay’s pomegranate and chile pork tenderloin delivers tender pieces of meat that are smoky, spicy, sweet and tart.
The pork gets chopped up for tacos (or lettuce wraps) that you can enjoy however you want, but Flay suggests serving them with pickled red onions, guacamole, fresh cilantro and pomegranate seeds. 6-8 servings (makes about 5 cups of pork and pomegranate sauce) Active time: 15 minutes. Total time: 45 minutes.
Storage note: Refrigerate leftovers for up to 3 days. 2 tablespoons ancho chile powder 1 teaspoon ground coriander 1 teaspoon fine salt, plus more to taste 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste Two (1-pound) pork tenderloins 1 cup pomegranate juice 2 tablespoons pomegranate molasses 1 tablespoon chipotle in adobo, pureed or finely chopped 2 tablespoons neutral oil, such as avocado or canola Corn tortillas or lettuce leaves, for serving Pickled red onions, guacamole, fresh cilantro leaves and pomegranate seeds, for serving Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 425 degrees. In a small bowl, combine the chile powder, coriander, salt and pepper.
Rub it all over the pork, and set aside for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan over medium-high heat, combine the pomegranate juice, pomegranate molasses and chipotle and bring to a boil. Cook until reduced by half, about 15 minutes.
Taste, and season with salt and pepper, as desired. You should get about 1/2 cup; set aside 1/4 cup of the sauce for combining with the pork, and reserve the rest for serving. In a large (12-inch) cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat, heat the oil until shimmering.
Sear the pork on all sides until a crust forms, 1 to 2 minutes per side.Transfer the skillet to the oven and roast for about 10 minutes for medium-rare, or until an instant-read thermometer registers 145 degrees when inserted into the center of the thickest part of each tenderloin. Remove from the oven, transfer the meat to a cutting board and let rest for 10 minutes.
Quarter each tenderloin lengthwise, then slice crosswise into 3/4-inch dice. In a large bowl, toss the pork with the reserved 1/4 cup of the pomegranate sauce. Serve as tacos or lettuce wraps, with pickled red onions, guacamole, cilantro, pomegranate seeds and the remaining 1/4 cup of pomegranate sauce.
Nutritional information per serving (generous 1/2 cup of pork), based on 8 | 202 calories: 7g fat, 2g saturated fat, 9g carbohydrates, 354 mg sodium, 74 mg cholesterol, 23g protein, 0g fiber, 7g sugar We invite you to add your comments. We encourage a thoughtful exchange of ideas and information on this website. By joining the conversation, you are agreeing to our commenting policy and terms of use .
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