Healthier Burgers for the July 4th Cookout

Buffalo Burger with gently grilled zucchini

I chose buffalo meat to make the burgers for our afternoon cookout on this most American of holidays. What’s more American than the image of free roaming buffalo nibbling on vast plains of grass? And more nutritious? Bison meat is higher in protein, B vitamins, and iron than beef. It also has far less fat than beef and, so I learned by trial and error, different cooking methods are needed. My previous attempts at bison burgers were not impressive; far too dry and bland, even after I added the usual burger pump-ups like Worcestershire sauce.

This time I hit the jackpot with a juicy and flavorful burger paired with a home-made roasted tomato basil spread. This is based on a recipe from Cooking Light, and I made my own modifications (embodying a bit of that American rebel spirit, I rarely follow a recipe to the “T”). The addition of a little olive oil gave the meat extra juiciness and the grated Parmesan helped bind the meat as well as give it flavor.

After forming the patties—I made three nice size patties from a 12 oz. package of buffalo meat—I popped them in the freezer for about 15 minutes while I grilled my veggies. I started the burgers on the flame side of the grill to sear the outside, about 3 minutes on each side. I turned the other side of the gas grill off for indirect heat grilling. When the burgers started flaming up, I quickly moved them to the indirect heat side, covered the grill and let them cook another 5-6 minutes for juicy medium burgers.

Served on a healthy multi-grain flat sandwich roll, slathered with roasted tomato basil spread, a handful of arugula, a few rings of red onion, and a slice of Havarti cheese. A burger extraordinaire! Paired with lightly grilled green and yellow zucchini strips drizzled with olive oil, Parmesan shreds, salt and pepper;  buttered corn on the cob;  and a chilled rose wine. Cold watermelon slices for dessert. Now, that’s the ideal way to celebrate blessings of liberty!

Read Full Post »

Rosemary—the perfect winter herb inspires a make-ahead side dish

I’ve made a list of side dishes to bring to my sister’s house for this year’s Italian-inspired Christmas Eve dinner. Ideally, whatever I select must meet three criteria: make-ahead (only one oven, and a big rush to get dinner on the table after the Christmas Eve mass); full-flavored to compete with the bold colors and in-your-face temperatures of the season; and pleasing to picky eaters. OK, forget the last one. At least some in the family still have an adventurous palate and the rest will be satisfied with a simple salad or green beans.

After finding Alison Kerr’s compilation of 25 different recipes from soup to nuts (well, desserts) that use fragrant Rosemary, I remembered a recipe my mother had given me many years ago that she had gotten from a friend. It is perfect for a make-ahead, room temperature side dish—Tuscan-inspired White Beans made with garlic, lemon, rosemary and parmesan. Rosemary is one of my favorite herbs. It’s robust scent and taste definitely falls into the “bountiful” category and begs for balance with other bold flavors. I’ve had a rosemary plant in my garden for several years, surviving even the record-breaking cold snowy winter of ’09-’10. This year I actually got organized enough to have a garden plan for the fall which included transitioning pots of herbs inside. They are all happy so far, even with the meager sunlight of these short winter days. If you don’t have your own rosemary plant, they are readily available this time of year at the markets, often pruned into Christmas tree shapes. [And if you are going to buy a potted one, here’s some advice on how to keep it alive.] This would make a nice gift for someone who cooks with copies of a few of the recipes from Alison’s selections attached! And maybe a small box of the Rosemary Chocolate Truffles; they sound intriguing.

Tuscan-inspired White Beans (Serves 4-6)

For the beans:

1  cup  dried white beans, such as Great Northern (to yield 3 cups cooked) or

2-15 oz. cans white beans (Cannellini beans work well)

Pinch  kosher salt

1/2  small onion, peeled

1  3” sprig fresh rosemary (you could also try sprigs of sage in the beans and the dressing to change the taste a little)

For the dressing:

¼  cup EVOO

3   cloves garlic, peeled and smashed

1 3” sprig fresh rosemary

3  whole  anchovy fillets, rinsed and roughly chopped (don’t leave these out!)

¼ cup grated Parmigiano–Reggiano cheese

¼ cup fresh lemon juice

1  grated zest of lemon

To assemble:

1 pint  cherry tomatoes, halved

1/3  cup  flat-leaf (Italian) parsley, coarsely chopped

 

Prepare the beans:

1. If using dried beans, put them in large pot with 1 ½ ts. kosher salt, onion and rosemary. Cover with 3-4 inches of water. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer. Cover and cook beans until very tender, but not falling apart, 45-90 minutes.
2. Let the beans cool in their liquid for 15 minutes. Drain beans, transfer to a large bowl and keep warm.
3. [If using canned beans, rinse well. Put in a pot large enough to hold. Drizzle with 1TB water and stir to coat beans. Add in spring of rosemary and heat gently. Beans absorb the flavor of the sauce better if they are warm.]

Make the dressing:

1. In a small saucepan or skillet, combine the olive oil, garlic and rosemary. Heat gently until rosemary starts to sizzle slightly. Remove pan from heat and let steep for 20 minutes. Discard rosemary.
2. Take garlic cloves from the oil (reserve the oil) and put them in a food processor along with the anchovies, grated cheese, ¾ ts. Kosher salt, ¼ ts., freshly ground pepper, lemon zest and juice. Process to a fairly smooth texture.

To Assemble:

1. Toss the dressing with the warm beans, using a rubber spatula to mix the dressing and beans gently so they don’t get smashed. Let the beans set for a few minutes and toss a few more times. It may seem like too much liquid at first, but the beans will gradually absorb it all.
2. Fold in the reserved infused oil, tomatoes, and parsley.
3. Taste for seasoning and serve. Sprinkle a teaspoon of finely chopped fresh rosemary on top and garnish with a few rosemary sprigs.

photo image attributed to: Peeoraro Ethnographics

Read Full Post »