This is not a beginner’s recipe.  But neither is it as hard as it looks at first.  The Master, Steven Raichlen, explains everything down to the smallest detail.  So, if you can follow directions, you can make this recipe.

Enjoy.

Grilled Italian Sausage With Parmesan-Encrusted Polenta & Grilled Pepper Salad

by Steven Raichlen

This Recipe comes from Mr. Raichlen’s BBQ U TV show, Season 4, Tailgate Warriors Episode. 

Grilling Method: Direct Heat
Yield: 8

Ingredients

For the pepper salad:

• 2 red bell peppers
• 2 yellow or orange bell peppers
• 2 green bell peppers
• 1 clove garlic, chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt (kosher or sea), or more to taste
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley or slivered fresh basil

You’ll also need:

• 16 fresh Italian sausages, about 6 ounces each

For the polenta:

• 1 1-1/2 pound package commercially prepared cooked polenta
• 2 to 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary or another herb (optional)
• 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• Freshly ground black pepper

Directions

1. Set up the grill for direct grilling and preheat to medium-high.

2. When ready to cook, place all the peppers on the grate and grill until the skins are blistered and charred on all sides, 4 to 6 minutes per side (16 to 24 minutes in all), turning with tongs. Transfer the hot peppers to a baking dish and cover with plastic wrap. Let the peppers cool to room temperature, about 20 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, make the dressing. Place the garlic and salt in a nonreactive mixing bowl and mash to a paste with the back of a wooden spoon. Add the vinegar and lemon juice and whisk until the salt is dissolved. Whisk in the oil and parsley.

4. Using the tip of a paring knife, scrape the burnt skin off the peppers and cut the flesh off the core. Cut the peppers into quarters or strips and arrange them on a platter, alternating pieces of different colors. Stir the dressing and spoon it over the peppers.

You can serve it right away with the sausages and polenta, or let it sit for a few hours (refrigerated) to let the flavors blend. Bring it to room temperature before topping it with the sausages.

5. Lay the sausages on the hot grill grate, and grill 2 to 3 minutes per side (8 to 12 minutes, total) or until an instant read meat thermometer inserted in the sausage (parallel to the grill) registers 160 degrees F. Place the hot sausages on top of the prepared peppers.

6. Meanwhile, while the sausages are cooking, lay the polenta slices on the hot grill grate and cook, 2 to 4 minutes per side, rotating a quarter turn after 1 minute, to achieve an attractive crosshatch pattern of grill marks. Remove to a plate or platter, and immediately sprinkle the Parmesan cheese on top; a few grinds of black pepper are optional. Serve immediately.

All Comments to the Weekend Griller Blog are now “DO FOLLOW”

If the above statement means nothing to you, don’t worry.  It doesn’t affect you.

Recipe from BBQ USA by Steven Raichlen Copyright © by Steven Raichlen. All rights reserved. Used by permission of Workman Publishing.  A similar version can also be found on his website BarbecueBible.com.

All of the chefs on the Food Network are good. There’s no doubt. If they weren’t they wouldn’t be on for long.

But there is only one regular who is a true master chef — totally respected by his peers.

Mario Batali of course.

Shrimp Rosemary - (Spiedini Alla Romagnola)

Turn your next backyard barbecue into an Italian grill! It’s easy with the simple addition of a Piastra (Italian for “plate” or “griddle”) and a great recipe - both inspired by popular chef, Mario Batali.

Grilling alla piastra is a classic cooking technique that uses a flat griddle stone over a hot fire. It’s perfect for flatbreads, scallops, shrimp, mussels, vegetables and more.

Batali’s Piastra (new this year from Mario Batali, The Italian Kitchen by Copco) is made from granite to ensure even heat. It’s also double-sided, offering a choice of a griddle or grill. Simply preheat the Piastra on the grill, and you’re ready to cook.

Shrimp Rosemary is from Batali’s recent cookbook, “Mario Batali Italian Grill” (Harper Collins, 2007). This savory summer entrée features shrimp skewered on rosemary sprigs, accented with a parsley and basil crumb topping. Buon appetito!

For more information about Italian grilling this summer, visit the Grill Essentials section of www.italiankitchen.com.

Shrimp Rosemary - (Spiedini Alla Romagnola)

Serves 6
The rosemary skewers, which are easy to make, impart an herbal fragrance to the shrimp, and they look both rustic and elegant at the same time. Alla romagnola means that these spiedini are a specialty of Romagna, the eastern part of the region Emilia-Romagna.

Ingredients

• 12 large sturdy rosemary sprigs
• 1 bunch Italian parsley, leaves only (about 2 cups loosely packed)
• 1 bunch basil, leaves only (about 2 cups packed)
• 2 cups fresh bread crumbs
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 pounds large shrimp (21-30 per pound), peeled and deveined
• 2 lemons, cut into wedges

Directions

1. Choose large sturdy sprigs that are about 8 inches long. Pull off most of the leaves from each sprig, leaving a nice tuft of leaves at the top (use the remaining leaves in the dish you are making, or reserve for another use). Using a sharp knife, cut the bottom of the sprig on a diagonal to create a sharp point.
2. Soak in water for at least 2 hours or overnight.
3. Place parsley and basil leaves into bowl of food processor; add bread crumbs, salt, pepper, and 1/4 cup of the olive oil.
4. Process until the herbs are chopped and the bread crumbs look green.
5. Transfer to a pie plate or wide shallow bowl; add the shrimp, and toss to coat well.
6. Skewer 4 or 5 shrimp on each rosemary sprig: line up 4 or 5 shrimp at a time on a work surface and run a rosemary sprig through them; separate them slightly so they will cook evenly.
7. Dredge on both sides in the bread crumb mixture, place on a platter and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
8. Preheat a gas grill or prepare a fire in a charcoal grill.
9. Place the Piastra on the grill to preheat.
10. Brush the Piastra with the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil.
11. Place the skewers on the Piastra.
12. Cook, turning once, just until the shrimp are opaque throughout and some of the crumbs are browned, 2 to 3 minutes per side.
13. Transfer to a serving platter; serve with the lemon wedges.
14. Copco Product: Piastra - Italian Grilling Stone from Mario Batali® The Italian Kitchen by Copco

Culinary.net : Recipes - Italian Grilling in Your Own Backyard

Blogged with the Flock Browser