Bobby Flay's Throwdown! (31 page)

SERVES 10 TO 12

1.
To make the matzoh balls,
whisk the eggs, chicken fat, parsley, ¼ cup water, the canola and olive oils, garlic powder, salt, and pepper in a medium bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk the matzoh meal with the baking powder. Fold the dry mixture into the wet and gently mix until combined. Cover with plastic wrap, pressed tightly against the batter, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or overnight.

2.
To make the broth,
combine the chicken pieces and stock and bring to a boil in a large pot, over medium-high heat, skimming off the foam that rises to the surface. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, partially covered, until the chicken is cooked through, about 30 minutes.

3.
Remove the chicken pieces from the broth. Discard the skin. Shred the meat into bite-size pieces and set aside. Return the bones to the broth and simmer, partially covered, for 15 to 20 minutes to further develop the broth’s flavor. Strain the broth, discarding the bones, and return it to the pot.

4.
Bring a large pot of salted water to a simmer over high heat. Moisten your hands lightly with water and form the matzoh mixture into 24 walnut-size balls. Carefully drop the matzoh balls into the water. Reduce the heat to medium and partially cover. Simmer gently until the matzoh balls are cooked through, about 40 minutes. Using a skimmer or slotted spoon, transfer the matzoh balls to a large bowl of cold water.

5.
To make the sofrito,
heat the olive oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, tomatoes, red and green bell peppers, cilantro, garlic, and saffron. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are tender but not browned, about 8 minutes. Add the hot sauce, if using.

6.
Return the broth to a simmer. Stir the sofrito and the shredded chicken into the broth. Add the matzoh balls and simmer until they are heated through, about 5 minutes. Ladle into bowls and drizzle some additional chicken fat over the top.

Name: Joe Barnett
Hometown: Washington, Georgia
Occupation: Drapery maker

I took a trip down south for one of my favorite dishes, shrimp and grits. When it comes to this southern specialty, Joe Barnett is king. My challenge: to take my shrimp and grits and win the heart of the small town of Washington, Georgia.

As meatloaf is in the North, shrimp and grits is one of the classic dishes in the southern culinary tradition. If you aren’t from the South, grits may be something of a mystery. The base of grits is corn, cooked in the same manner as Italian polenta.

Grits are made from dried corn kernels that have been ground and passed through a screen with tiny holes; the corn that goes through the screen is cornmeal and that which doesn’t go through becomes grits. I like to use a medium-coarse grind of grits that I have specially ground for use in my restaurant Bar Americain.

Joe Barnett is a custom drapery designer by trade, but this amateur chef has cleaned up in many a shrimp and grits cook-off at Georgia’s Jekyll Island Shrimp and Grits Festival. He has had a passion for making shrimp and grits since he was a child, and his spicy twist on the dish—along with his friendly persona and infectious laugh—has won him blue ribbons and fans alike, as well as a slot in Food Network’s special “Cook-off Kings.” Little did Joe know that he’d be sharing more than his signature dish…

Grits don’t have much flavor of their own, but they pick up the flavors of whatever they are cooked with, so I began my dish by cooking them in shrimp stock. I finished them with lots of aged white cheddar cheese for a little extra creaminess and a nice bite. We then sautéed shrimp in bacon fat and topped the whole thing off with a little garlic-bacon oil and lots of green onion tips for freshness and color.

I headed to Georgia with my NYC style of shrimp and grits to challenge Joe to a Throwdown. While he turned out to be a fan of mine, even cooking from my cookbooks, he said he would have no problem taking me down on this particular dish, calling me out as a “duck out of water.”

Washington’s mayor, Willie Burns, and cookbook author Karin Calloway took to the judges’ table. The mayor loved Joe’s use of country ham and the generous amount of cheese in his grits, and couldn’t get past the fact that I opted to use bacon. It seemed I didn’t have enough cheese for his liking, either. Karin liked my bacon, and while she liked Joe’s Creole seasoning, she said that my dish reminded her of something her grandmother would make. After a lot of back-and-forth, they finally made a decision and went with Joe’s. I thought that bacon made
everything
better, but it seems that wasn’t the case with these two. Oh well, I couldn’t have lost to a nicer guy. Joe, hats off to you.

SERVES 4

1.
Bring the shrimp stock and 2 teaspoons salt to a boil in a medium saucepan over high heat. Slowly whisk in the cornmeal and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium and cook, whisking every few minutes, until the grits are soft and have lost their gritty texture, 25 to 30 minutes. If the mixture becomes too thick, add a little more stock.

2.
Meanwhile, cook the bacon in a medium skillet over medium heat until it is golden brown and crisp and the fat has rendered, about 8 minutes. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon to a plate lined with paper towels.

3.
Remove all but 3 tablespoons of the bacon fat from the skillet, and return it to high heat. Season the shrimp with salt and pepper. Add the shrimp, garlic, and thyme, in batches, if necessary, to the skillet and sauté until the shrimp are light golden brown on both sides and just cooked through, 1 to 2 minutes per side. Remove the shrimp to a plate. Reserve the garlic oil left in the skillet.