GRILLED SHRIMP W/ GARLIC (Gambas al Ajillo)

Courtesy of Bobby Flay, "Boy Meets Grill"

3/4 cup olive oil
3 tablespoons freshly chopped thyme leaves
1 1/2 tablespoons ancho chili powder
6 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
24 large shrimp, shelled and deveined
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

-Wooden skewers soaked in water

Heat the grill to medium.

Whisk together 1/4 cup of the oil, 2 tablespoons of the thyme, ancho powder and chopped garlic in a small bowl. Skewer the shrimp and brush with marinade.

Place the remaining 1/2 cup of the oil in a small saucepan, add the sliced garlic and cook until the sliced garlic is lightly golden brown. Remove the garlic slices with a slotted spoon to a plate lined with paper towels. Reserve the oil.

Increase the heat of the grill to high.

Remove the shrimp from the marinade, season with salt and pepper and grill until golden brown on each side, about 1 1/2 minutes per side. Remove the shrimp from the skewers, transfer to a platter and drizzle with some of the reserved garlic oil and the garlic chips. Sprinkle with the remaining thyme and garnish with oregano leaves.

HILL COUNTRY SMOKED CHILI-RUBBED LAMB CHOPS
Courtesy of Celebrity Chef Elizabeth Karmel (featured in Glam Magazine)

Serves 4

Chili Rub
8 teaspoons mustard powder
8 teaspoons granulated garlic
8 teaspoons onion powder
8 teaspoons paprika
8 teaspoons cayenne pepper
12 tablespoons chili powder
3 cup dark brown sugar
1 cup Sugar in the Raw
1 cup kosher salt
1 cup white granulated sugar
1 rack of lamb, frenched

Post oak or other favorite wood chips, soaked in water

Make the rub: Mix all ingredients in a bowl and sift through a strainer or flour sifter to make sure that there are no clumps of spice or sugar and insure that it is well mixed. Set ½ cup aside and reserve the rest for another use.

Using a sharp knife, cut the rack of lamb along the bones into individual chops-you'll have about 7 chops. Pour about ½ cup of the rub onto a piece of waxed paper. Holding each chop by the bone, dredge each side of the chop through the rub to coat the entire outside of each chop.

Add soaked wood chips to a gas or charcoal grill. Once they start to smoke, place the chops in the center of the cooking grate and smoke-cook for about 15 minutes for rosy rare or a little longer for medium (pink) rare. The chops are best cooked to rare, but cook to your preferred level of doneness.

BASS WITH MINT-PARSLEY PESTO

Featured of In-Style Magazine

Serves 12

3 cups packed mint leaves
1 cup packed flat-leaf parsley leaves
4 large cloves garlic
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
2 tsp salt
2/3 cup olive oil
12 striped or sea bass fillets, 6 oz. each Salt and pepper to taste

In food processor or bowl, finely chop mint, parsley, garlic, lemon juice and salt. With machine running, pour in oil. Reserve 3/4 cup pesto; spread remaining pesto on both sides of fish. Cover with plastic wrap; refrigerate 2 hours.

Heat grill or broiler. Season fish with salt and pepper; place on grill or broiler pan. Cook 5" from heat, turning once, 3-4 min. per side until fish begins to flake when tested with a fork. Serve with reserved pesto.

GRILLED STEAK & ONIONS W/ ROSEMARY-BALSAMIC BUTTER SAUCE

Courtesy of Bon Appétit Magazine

8 tablespoons (1 stick) chilled unsalted butter, divided
1 large shallot, minced
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
2 large fresh rosemary sprigs

2 pounds mixed sweet onions, large shallots, baby leeks, and green onions
2 tablespoons olive oil

4 (1 1/4-inch-thick) New York strip steaks (each about 6 ounces)

2 tablespoons orange juice

Sauce: Melt 6 tablespoons butter in heavy small saucepan over medium heat. Add minced shallot and cook until translucent, about 2 minutes. Add vinegar and rosemary and simmer until syrupy and reduced to 1/2 cup, about 6 minutes. Remove from heat (balsamic sauce will separate as it stands).

Prepare barbecue (medium-high heat). Peel sweet onions, then cut into 1/2-inch-thick rounds. Skewer horizontally with toothpicks to keep intact. Peel shallots; cut in half lengthwise. Trim root ends of green onions and tops of leeks. Cut in half lengthwise; rinse to remove any dirt. Place sweet onions, shallots, leeks, and green onions on rimmed baking sheet and drizzle with oil; toss. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Sprinkle steaks with salt and pepper. Grill sweet onions, shallots, leeks, and green onions until tender, turning often, about 5 minutes for green onions and 10 minutes for sweet onions, shallots, and leeks. Move onions to cooler part of grill to keep warm. Grill steaks to desired doneness, about 7 minutes per side for medium-rare. Transfer steaks and onions to platter; cover.

Remove rosemary sprigs from balsamic sauce; add orange juice and bring to simmer. Remove saucepan from heat; add remaining 2 tablespoons chilled butter and whisk until melted and sauce is smooth. Season sauce to taste with salt and pepper. Drizzle some of sauce over steaks and onions. Serve!

Erin Landsberg at LA2DAY