Your Basic BLT

During our trip to Cedar Rapids last weekend, we stopped by the downtown farmer's market scheduled the first and third weekend of each month during farmer's market season.  We didn't buy much, but there were a few things I just couldn't pass up.   Incredibly good tomatoes, for example.

Lots and lots of vendors offered tomatoes, of course, since they're pretty much a summer staple.  The vendor we bought from had samples, though, and the samples made the sale.   She had sliced up some orange tomatoes, and I was hooked from the first bite.  Those golden tomatoes were the sweetest - and just plain best - tomatoes we've had so far this summer.

When we got home with the tomatoes, it seemed only natural that we use them to make another summer staple:  BLTs.   Other than perhaps grilled burgers or hot dogs, is there any more quintessential summer food than a bacon, lettuce and tomato sandwich?  I can't think of one.

We used our favorite bacon, Vande Rose Artisan Dry-Cured Applewood Bacon, to make our sandwiches, but instead of frying it, I used a trick I read about in a recent issue of Bon Appetit:  cooking the bacon in the oven.   The technique is simple:  Heat an oven to 375 degrees, set a wire rack on a foil-lined baking sheet and arrange the bacon on the rack.  After about 15 minutes (turning the baking sheet once during that time), you've got crisp, flat, even-sized pieces of bacon.  Since they aren't all curled up as often happens when frying bacon, the baked bacon is great for sandwiches.  Cooking it on a rack also allows a lot of the fat to drip away.

Juli here.  I LOVE baking the bacon!  I will never fry bacon again!  If you're wondering where we got the bacon rack,  it was scavenged from a Farberware chicken rotisserie that I received as a gift about 30 years ago.  The rotisserie is ancient history and is long gone, but the rotisserie rack lives on! It is the perfect size for the thick-sliced bacon we like.   I was always puzzled why someone thought I really needed a chicken rotisserie, but apparently at least part of it was destined for greater things.  Spooky.

Oh, and another little tip- you might want to have a rack dedicated to bacon-baking, or just baked meats in general.  I would be sad if you came crying to me at some future point about your bacon-flavored cookies.

While the bacon cooked, we sliced up some tomatoes, washed and dried some lettuce and toasted some bread.   Crispy bacon, delicious summer tomatoes, fresh lettuce and toast... add a bit of ranch dressing and you've achieved simple perfection. 

BLTs... part of what summer is all about.

Falafel

I love falafel.   I have for years, since I first had it at a Lebanese restaurant while in graduate school, more than two decades ago.  I used to look forward to going to the Downtown Des Moines Farmer's Markets on Saturday mornings during the spring through the fall in large part to get some of the falafel served by a vendor who, sadly, eventually moved out of the area.  What I'd never done, until fairly recently, was made falafel myself.    It was about time, and I'm glad I did.

I started by looking up a bunch of falafel recipes.  I ended up utilizing elements from a number of different recipes, attempting to create falafel with just the right texture and mixture of flavors.  I ended up going a bit heavier on the garlic than is the case with many recipes, and I also went with a bit more in the way of herbs, in order to give the falafel both a nice, green color and a more pleasant and complex mix of flavors.  

My first try was a success.  The falafel ended up looking a bit overcooked, which I attribute to probably having the oil a bit too hot (the heat I list in the recipe below is a bit lower than the temperature at which I cooked my falafel, so it should be fine), but they tasted great!   We had ours with ample servings of Tahini Sauce and thin slices of cucumber and tomato.   This made for a really pleasant, filling meal with good leftovers (leftover falafel warms up great in the microwave if covered with a slightly-damp paper towel). 

Falafel

yield =5 servings

1           cup dried chickpeas
1/2        cup chopped red onion
4           garlic cloves, chopped
1/3        cup fresh mint leaves, chopped
1/3        cup fresh parsley leaves, chopped
1/4        cup fresh cilantro leaves, chopped
3/4        teaspoon freshly-ground black pepper
1/2        teaspoon ground coriander
1/2        teaspoon ground cumin
1/2        teaspoon baking powder
1/2        teaspoon  table salt
1/8        teaspoon cayenne pepper
1           cup canola or vegetable oil
5           flatbreads or pita breads
1           recipe Tahini Sauce
             chopped tomatoes and thinly-sliced cucumbers
               or other garnishes to taste

Put the chickpeas in a medium bowl and add enough water to cover them with an inch of water.  Allow the chickpeas to soak at least overnight, but less than 24 hours.

Drain and rinse the chickpeas and add them to a food processor along with the onion and garlic.  Pulse to form a coarse puree, then add the mint, parsley, cilantro, pepper, coriander, cumin, baking powder, salt and cayenne and process into a thick, green paste.  Cover and let rest for at least 1/2 hour before cooking to allow the pase to firm up and the flavors to blend.

Form the chickpea mixture into small patties (approximately 16).  Heat oil to 365 degrees in a skillet or Dutch oven.  Add several falafel patties to the pan, making sure to not add so many that they touch.  Cook until golden-brown on one side, then flip and cook until browned on the other side.  Transfer cooked falafel to a paper-towel lined plate to drain, then repeat with the remaining patties.

Serve on pita or flatbread  along with Tahini Sauce, tomato and cucumber slices or other condiments and garnishes to taste.  Fold bread around the other ingredients to form a sandwich.

Other Serving Ideas:
If you're watching carbs, you might like an idea Juli came up with:  Skip the bread and simply spread a bit of the Tahini Sauce atop the cooked Falafel patties, then top with veggies.  These might make for a nice appetizer.

Oven-Melt Deli Sandwiches

Jeffrey is part of a major project at his office  to convert to electronic medical records.  Their computer system is being finicky,  so he's pretty much stuck at work all weekend.  That leaves the cooking and posting to me!  It feels like it's been such a long week, and I'm never much inspired to cook just for myself.  Isn't it funny how cooking for two seems ok, but cooking for one seems like a wasted effort? 

I decided to make the super-fast Oven-Melt Deli Sandwiches.  This is more a procedure than a recipe, but here is what you'll need:  Deli meat of your choice, about 1/4 pound per sandwich (or less, if you're more frugal).  I bought a pound of thin-sliced brown sugar deli ham on sale, and then splurged on 1/4 pound each of rare roast beef and mesquite turkey breast. 

Then, choose the sliced cheese of your choice:  I like a variety, so I picked up provolone, swiss, and colby jack cheese. I should point out that each sandwich only takes one slice, so if you don't think you'll use up three kinds of cheese, just pick one you like.  We don't have a problem using up any variety of cheese and were completely out of the sandwich slices, so I went ahead and got the three flavors.  The cheese slices were also on sale, which influenced my decision. You'll also need hoagie or brat buns, a package of six.

First, preheat the oven to 350 degrees (F).  Cut each bun lengthwise, if they aren't pre-cut.  Layer about 1/4 pound of meat and one slice of cheese, torn in half to fit in the bun.  If you like mustard you could add some at this point.



The assembled sandwiches

Wrap each sandwich tightly in aluminum foil, then twist the ends to close.



Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until the cheese gets nice and melty.  Serve with fresh fruit or potato chips.  Makes a nice, fast dinner!

Mesquite Turkey Oven Melt with CoJack cheese and mango slices

I like to make more sandwiches than I need, because they heat up very nicely for later lunches.  After your first meal, remove the aluminum foil and re-wrap any remaining sandwiches in plastic wrap.  When you're ready for another sandwich, re-heat in the microwave for the shortest amount of time possible- you want to just warm the sandwich, and it will get soggy if you microwave it too long.  Enjoy!







Curried Turkey Sandwiches

A few nights ago, I was in need of a quick, tasty dinner.  I was in something of a sandwich mood, but also hungry for curry, so I decided to do both.

I had planned to buy some chicken breasts, slice and pound them into cutlets and make sandwiches with those, but when I got to the store, I saw they were running a special on turkey breast cutlets.  Sounded good to me.

The recipe this time around is really simple.  Mix a few things, toss in the turkey cutlets, refrigerate them for a bit, then quick-broil them.  The result is a really tasty sandwich.   These don't take much time to make, and most of the time they do take is spent having the turkey breasts marinate in the fridge.  If you're looking for something tasty, different and quick, give these a shot.   I think you'll like the result.


Curried Turkey Sandwiches

yield = 4 sandwiches

1                cup plain yogurt
2                tablespoons lemon juice
1                tablespoon Madras curry powder
2                teaspoons minced garlic
1/2             teaspoon freshly-ground black pepper
1/2             teaspoon table salt
1/2             teaspoon onion powder
1 1/2          pounds turkey breast cutlets
4                large (tenderloin-size) sandwich buns
                  fresh lettuce, washed and dried
                  tomato slices (if desired)

Combine the yogurt, lemon juice, curry powder, garlic, pepper, salt and onion powder in a large bowl.   Stir to thoroughly mix.   Add turkey breast cutlets.  Stir to fully coat the cutlets with the curry mixture.   Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate 30 minutes.

While the turkey breast cutlets are marinating, set an oven rack 6 inches below the broiler element and heat up the oven to low broil.   Line the inside of a broiler pan with foil.  Spray the grill surface with nonstick cooking spray.

Place the turkey breast cutlets on the cooking surface of the broiler pan.  Broil for 4 minutes, flip the turkey cutlets over and cook another four minutes or until done.  The meat should be cooked through, and the curry coating should be browned in spots.

Serve turkey cutlets on sandwich buns.  Garnish with lettuce leaves (and tomato slices, if desired).

Burgers, Burgers, Burgers!

As I recently noted in another post, lately I've been getting impatient for spring, and for barbecuing weather.   I'm especially impatient for some grilled burgers.  Pan-seared burgers aren't quite as good, but I figured they'd get me past my craving.  What kind of burgers to make, though?

I ended up making three types of burgers over the course of three nights.   In each case, rather than put a lot of toppings on the burger, I mixed other flavorful ingredients into the meat, cooking them inside the burgers and letting the flavors permeate the burger.  This is a good way to add lots of things to a burger without worrying about a multitude of toppings sliding off the burger onto your plate (or lap).   That doesn't work for some toppings - lettuce, for example, but having most of the good stuff inside still allows for extra toppings outside the burger.

The first burger I made was a pretty basic bacon cheeseburger, save that the bacon and cheese ended up inside the burger rather than atop it, and that I used really, really good bacon and cheese.   The bacon was Vande Rose Farms Artisan Dry-Cured Applewood Smoked Bacon.  

This brand of bacon started showing up in our local store recently, which isn't surprising, because it is produced nearby, in Oskaloosa, Iowa.   When I saw it, I thought it was a brand new product, but it turns out Vande Rose has been supplying premium Duroc pork products to fine restaurants, gourmet retailers and private clubs all over the US for awhile now.   Their bacon has gotten rave reviews in magazines as diverse as Men's Journal, Food and Wine and Cook's Illustrated, which gave it their coveted "Highly Recommended" rating.   You can see the review here.  It is, quite simply, the best bacon I've ever had in my life.

The cheese I used in these burgers was Cabot Vermont Naturally Aged Extra Sharp Cheddar.  We purchase it in big bricks at Wal-Mart.  This is some of the best cheddar we've ever had, and at a very, very reasonable price.

The Cheesy Bacon burgers turned out great.   Juli said they were maybe the best burgers she's ever had.  I'm not ready to go quite that far, at least not until I see how they turn out on the grill, but they were pretty darn good.   They were something of a mess to clean up, though.  I cooked them in my cast-iron skillet, which is so well-seasoned that eggs slide off it better than any non-stick skillet I've ever tried, and it took so much effort to clean off the melted-on cheese that I worried I might have to get out some steel wool, strip down the pan and reseason it (thankfully, it turned out not quite so bad as to require that). 

Next I made burgers based around the flavor umami, or savoriness.  We, and we suspect many of our readers, are old enough that we learned back in school that there were four different flavors (salty, sweet, sour and bitter), but research has proven we can detect a fifth flavor, umami.   A Japanese scientist discovered this in 1908, but it was recognized in the west only comparatively recently.  Foods with strong umami flavor contain an amino acid called glutamate.  Examples include soy sauce (and the more concentrated tamari), mushrooms and aged cheese, and I included all three - including two varieties of mushroom - in my Umami Burgers (I skipped another high-glutamate ingredient, tomato paste, because I didn't want the acidic tomato taste to overwhelm the other flavors).   I liked these quite a bit, but Juli was less of a fan, finding them a bit bland.  I plan to make them again, but may tinker with the recipe a bit, toward maximizing the flavors.

Finally, I made burgers packed with southwestern flavors such as chipotle, cumin and Mexican oregano.  Not wanting to go through the same cleaning ordeal I did with the Cheesy Bacon Burgers, I decided to put the cheese (pepper jack) on top of the burgers rather than inside.  These were quite flavorful without being overly spicy.  If you try them out and would like more heat, simply boost the amount of chipotle and adobo sauce. 

Please note that the cooking time given should result in the burgers being cooked medium.  I normally prefer burgers medium-rare (about 3 1/2 minutes per side), but it is important burgers stuffed with other ingredients be cooked thoroughly.  I wrote the recipe for searing the burgers in a pan, but they'd be just as good (and probably better) grilled for an equal amount of time over direct high heat. 

Cheesy Bacon Burgers

yield = 6 servings

3             strips of bacon, diced
2 1/4       pounds ground chuck beef (85% lean)
4             ounces freshly-grated extra-sharp cheddar cheese
1             teaspoon minced garlic
3/4          teaspoon freshly-ground black pepper
1/2          teaspoon onion powder
1/4          teaspoon table salt
1/8          teaspoon cayenne pepper
6             hamburger buns, sliced
               toppings as desired

Cook the bacon in a skillet over medium heat.   Transfer cooked bacon to a paper towel-lined plate.

Add the ground beef to a large bowl, breaking it up to increase surface area for seasoning.  Add the cooked bacon pieces, cheddar cheese, garlic, pepper, onion powder, salt and cayenne and mix these ingredients with your hands.  Separate the meat mixture into six even-sized portions.  Form one portion into a ball, then flatten it into a patty. 

Press the center of the patty down with your fingertips, leaving an indentation.  Repeat with the remaining portions of the meat mixture.

Heat a heavy-bottomed skillet (preferably cast iron) over medium-high heat.  Cook the burgers in batches of three, cooking 4 minutes per side.  Transfer cooked burgers to a plate and cover with foil, then cook the rest of the burgers.  Serve immediately on buns with toppings of choice (ketchup and lettuce are my favorites for this burger).

Umami Burgers

yield = 6 servings

1/3         ounce dried porcini mushrooms
2 1/4      ounces pounds ground chuck beef (85% lean)
3            ounces button mushrooms, finely chopped
1/4         ounce grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
1            tablespoon + 1 teaspoon tamari
1            teaspoon minced garlic
1/2         teaspoon freshly-ground black pepper
6            hamburger buns, sliced
              toppings as desired

Add the dried porcini mushrooms to a bowl.  Add water to cover the mushroom pieces, then tightly cover the bowl with plastic wrap and poke three small holes in the cover to vent steam.   Microwave 90 seconds, then allow to stand five minutes.  Remove the soaked mushrooms from the liquid, squeezing lightly to release excess liquid, then finely chop.

Add the ground beef to a large bowl, breaking it up to increase surface area for seasoning.  Add the porcini and button mushrooms, Parmigiano-Reggiano, tamari, garlic and black pepper and mix these ingredients with your hands.  Separate the meat mixture into six even-sized portions.  Form one portion into a ball, then flatten it into a patty.  Press the center of the patty down with your fingertips, leaving an indentation.  Repeat with the remaining portions of the meat mixture.

Heat a heavy-bottomed skillet (preferably cast iron) over medium-high heat.  Cook the burgers in batches of three, cooking 4 minutes per side.  Transfer cooked burgers to a plate and cover with foil, then cook the rest of the burgers.  Serve immediately on buns with toppings of choice (ketchup and lettuce are my favorites for this burger).

Southwestern Burgers

yield = 6 servings

2 1/4      ounces pounds ground chuck beef (85% lean)
1            tablespoon chopped cilantro
1            teaspoon ground cumin
1            teaspoon chipotle pepper, minced
1            teaspoon adobo sauce
1/2         teaspoon Mexican oregano, crushed
1/2         teaspoon table salt
1/2         teaspoon freshly-ground black pepper
1/4         teaspoon onion powder
6            hamburger buns, sliced
6            slices pepper jack cheese
              toppings as desired

Add the ground beef to a large bowl, breaking it up to increase surface area for seasoning.  Add the cilantro, chipotle, adobo sauce, oregano, salt, pepper and onion powder and mix these ingredients with your hands.  Separate the meat mixture into six even-sized portions.  Form one portion into a ball, then flatten it into a patty.  Press the center of the patty down with your fingertips, leaving an indentation.  Repeat with the remaining portions of the meat mixture.

Heat a heavy-bottomed skillet (preferably cast iron) over medium-high heat.  Cook the burgers in batches of three, cooking 4 minutes per side.  Transfer cooked burgers to a plate and cover with foil, then cook the rest of the burgers.  Serve immediately on buns, topping each burger with one slice of the pepper jack cheese and other toppings of choice (lettuce and taco sauce are my favorites for this burger).

More Comfort Food: Fried Egg Sandwiches

A few nights ago, we got home quite late, following long days at work.  Juli hadn't gotten a chance to grab anything for supper, so she was hungry, but not in the mood to cook anything or for anything too heavy.  On the way home, she asked me to cook her one of her favorite comfort foods:  a fried egg sandwich.

This sort of sandwich used to be a comfort food for me as well, but I've got cholesterol issues.  My overall choleterol level is below average, but due to a hereditary liver condition that impairs my body's ability to metabolize the HDL or "good cholesterol", my LDL/HDL ratio is always way, way off.   While I don't avoid products including eggs, or using eggs in cooking, eating straight-up fried eggs is pushing it a bit, so I don't do that.  I introduced Juli to this particular comfort food, though, so I'm glad to keep making it for her.

They're so easy to make, it seems dumb to write up a full recipe, so here's the routine: 

1. Toast two slices of bread (plain, white bread works best, though sourdough works fine, too).  Lightly butter two surfaces of the bread.  

2.  Spray a small skillet with nonstick cooking spray and heat on medium.  

3.  Break two eggs into the skillet and use the edge of a spatula to break the yolks.   Season with freshly-ground black pepper and salt to taste, and just a pinch of garlic powder.

4.  When the egg whites have solidified and turned white, use a spatula to flip the eggs over.  Cook another two minutes or so.

5.  Make a sandwich by putting the eggs between the toast slices, buttered-sides inward.

Juli likes her sandwiches sliced crosswise into triangles, as below.

Gyro Patty Sandwiches

I've been pretty pleased with my Lodge grill pan, and last weekend was trying to come up with something to cook with it.  I recalled having seen a recipe for some grilled kebabs somewhere in one of my cooking resources, and after looking for a bit, I found the recipe for Grilled Middle Eastern-Style Ground Beef Kebabs in America's Test Kitchen 30-Minute Suppers.  This kebab recipe didn't involve chunks of meat; instead, it combined ground beef, onions and chopped parsley with Middle Eastern seasonings to make rectangular patties.   Looking at the recipe, I realized kebabs like that would cook just fine without the skewers, and that they would cook up quite well on the grill pan. 

There were some things I didn't like about that recipe - I preferred a more broad range of seasonings, and I knew a mix of ground beef and ground lamb would give a richer flavor reminiscent of gyro meat - so I took the parts I liked from that recipe and combined them with my customizations to make the recipe below.

I was quite pleased with the result.  The meat patties cooked up great on the grill pan.  They were juicy and flavorful, with nice grill marks.  Adding a minty yogurt-tomato sauce and wrapping it up in a warmed-up pita round resulted in not just a tasty sandwich, but one hearty enough to make a meal all on its own. 

Try this one out.  Grilled outside or in, I'm pretty sure you'll be happy with the result.


Gyro Patty Sandwiches

yield = 6 servings

1 1/4      cup + 3 tablespoons plain yogurt
1            tomato, cored and chopped
3            tablespoons lemon juice
3            tablespoons chopped fresh mint
3            teaspoons minced garlic
1 1/8      teaspoons salt, divided
1            teaspoon freshly-ground black pepper, divided
2            slices white bread, crusts removed and torn into pieces
1            pound ground beef
1            pound ground lamb
1/4         cup grated onion
1/3         cup chopped fresh parsley
2            teaspoons ground cumin
1/2         teaspoons Turkish oregano
6            pita breads

In a small bowl, combine 1 1/4 cup yogurt, the chopped tomato, lemon juice, chopped mint, 2 teaspoons garlic, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.  Stir to combine, cover and refrigerate.

In a large bowl, combine the bread with 3 tablespoons yogurt.   Stir and mash with a fork to make a thick paste.  Add the ground beef and lamb, grated onion, chopped parsley, cumin, oregano, 1 teaspoon garlic, 1/2 teaspoon pepper and 1/4 teaspoon salt.  Stir to combine the ingredients, then divide the meat mixture into six equal portions.  Shape into rectangular patties about 1 inch thick. 

Brush clean grilling service lightly with vegetable oil and allow to heat (for five minutes for outdoor grills, for about 3 minutes for grill pans) before adding the meat patties.  Grill for approximately 5 minutes per side over direct heat (or on medium-high, if using a stove top grill pan).  Serve on pita rounds spread with generous portions of the yogurt sauce.