Cookbook Review: Guy Fieri Food- Giveaway!

Winner winner Chicken Dinner! Congrats to Natalie! Comment #30.

I get offers to review cookbooks all the time, but when this one came across my desk, I knew it had to be good. Man, this Guy can cook!

While reading Guy’s soon to be released first-ever cookbook- Guy Fieri Food, Himself asked me what I thought about it. “He cooks like a Guy,” I stated. Let me explain. I cook. My brother cooks. I use 5 ingredients in 3 short steps. Bro uses 38.5 ingredients and 23 steps, and it usually involves a marinade, rub, smoker, and a few power tools just because. We cook differently. Can we agree on this, or am I off base? Nothing wrong with this, it is simply my scientific observation.

Himself and I are big fans of Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives. When we hit the road, we usually key up Guy’s picks for a few of our meals and he has yet to steer us wrong. Guy lives huge and cooks huge-er. His recipes are bold, adventurous, and extremely flavorful. Recipe after recipe in his book left me saying, “I didn’t see that coming.” Some of his recipes have a laundry list of ingredients which can deter a new cook, but really what he is saying is, “have a good time people, don’t be afraid to season your food!” He places unexpected flavor in each of his dishes such as his Watermelon Pork Tacos. These tacos were fantastic with so many flavors bursting all at once in my mouth. Extremely delicious. In fact I had to stop typing this to go eat them in complete and utter concentration. Ya they’re that good.

Do you think Guy would ever get a BRK tatt just like mine? Smirk.

Watermelon Pork Tacos- Guy Fieri Food, page 220
Pork
1 pork tenderloin, silverskin removed, cut into 1-inch-thick slices
1 T. onion powder
1 tsp. red chili flakes
1 tsp. black pepper
2 T. chopped ginger
1 T. seeded, minced serrano chile
2 T. minced garlic
3 T. soy sauce
2 T. oyster sauce
1/2 teaspoon sesame oil

Combine pork with all the ingredients in a zip-top bag and marinate for 30 minutes.

Vinaigrette
2 T. rice vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
1 1/2 T. soy sauce
1/4 tsp sesame oil

While the pork is marinating, whisk together all the vinaigrette ingredients.

Salsa
1 cup watermelon cut into 1/4 inch cubes
1 cup seeded English cucumber cut into 1/4 inch cubes
1 avocado, pitted, peeled, and cut into 1/4 inch cubes

In a medium bowl, combine all the ingredients for the salsa. Very gently fold in the vinaigrette. Chill.

Back to the meat. Preheat a grill to medium. Discard the marinade. Grill the pork for 3 minutes on each side. Remove from the heat, let rest 3 minutes, and roughly chop into 1/2 inch pieces.

Trim off the soft dark green end of 1 romaine lettuce head. Cut off the rood end and separate the leaves to create 4 inch long lettuce shells. Rinse, dry, and chill the leaves. To serve, fill the lettuce shells with the pork, top with salsa and my additions ripped cilantro leaves and a squirt of fresh lime juice.

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Disclosure: William Morrow Publishers sent me Guy Fieri Food: Cookin’ It, Livin’ It, Lovin’ It for review. All opinions here are my own.

Would you like to win a copy of Guy’s book? OK we can make that happen. The publisher and I would love to put this book in the hot little hands of one of my readers. To win…

1. Leave a message stating your all-time favorite Diner Food.
2. Make sure I have a way to contact you, like your email.
3. Must be a US resident.
4. If you post this on your site with a link back, tweet it, or FB it with @bigredkitchen, you can post one more comment for each. You know the game!
5. You have until 9pm EST Friday May 13th.

Congrats to Natalie! #30. Yeah I had to take a picture of the box, could not for the life of me right click, copy, and paste. There must be a loose screw somewhere.