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Entries in Lunch (8)

Friday
24Apr2009

Lamb Burgers with Feta and Spinach

DateFriday, April 24, 2009 at 10:53AM

Mediterranean flavors in a burger, while timely for springtime themes, are good all year round; from Dave Utrata.

I was never exposed to the joys of grilling various meats when I was growing up; it was always the basic, overdone beef burger.  Happily, some things change for the better with age.  This recipe is about going beyond those basic burgers.  Not just making them prettier with flashy toppings, but actually using a different meat, in this case lamb, and blending in other flavors that go great together.  This has become a favorite request when my sons visit.

Lamb Burgers with
Feta and Spinach

Ingredients:

  • 1 lb.
    ground lamb

  • ½ - 1
    cup crumbled feta cheese

  • ½ - 1
    cup finely chopped fresh spinach

  • 5
    cloves of garlic, chopped

  • 2
    small onions (such as boiler) chopped

  • salt
    & pepper to taste

 

Directions:


  1. Combine all ingredients in a bowl.  Using a spatula is said to minimize “mashing”
    the soft lamb, and from a practical viewpoint, it also makes mixing
    easier. 

  2. Since you will be shaping this
    mixture into burgers for the grill, you may wish to keep the amount of feta and
    spinach added to the lamb to the lower amounts. 
    This will make the burgers easier to form and retain their shape, if
    that’s critical to your style.  (My sons
    and I, as well as guests I’ve served them to, prefer the taste of the higher
    amounts of the cheese and greens.)

  3. On a heated and oiled grill, cook the burgers.  Again, personal preferences can create
    variation, but I prefer these when the burger middles are pink and juicy.  As opposed to, say, 4-5 minutes per side, I
    will usually grill them for 2 minutes per side, repeating at least once.  This will also depend on burger size; this
    amount yielded four big burgers for me and the younger son (hungry teenager) this past Easter.

  4. Serve on hearty buns, such as big toasted garlic rolls.  

  5. The only condiments you will likely need are
    salt and pepper, but definitely squeeze the juice from a lemon wedge on
    them.  


Oh my, these are good!

 

AuthorDave Utrata | Comment1 Comment | Print ArticlePrint Article
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Friday
27Feb2009

Beefy Dogs in Blankets

DateFriday, February 27, 2009 at 4:26AM

Beef in blankies 011 A fun, cheater's-style dinner recipe from guest author, Heather Forsyth.



This is one of the most unsophisticated "dishes" in the world.  You can only pretend it's the slightest bit good for you if you get organic, hormone-free, uncured (etc.) all beef hot dogs.  But my craving for childhood food coincided with the need for a quick dinner lately, and this was the result. Quick enough even to make for lunch.  Fun to eat, you can dress them up with a fancy sauce (smoky bbq, dijon and honey, or the like) or just dunk 'em in plain old ketchup.  If you want to go all out with convenience food, you could make the blankies from Bisquick, but I think it's just as easy, and tastier, to make up a home-made biscuit dough. They freeze beautifully, so if you make more than you can eat in one sitting, freeze them (before baking) and then just pop them in the oven when you need a quick fix for a hungry kid or spouse, or your own inner child.


Beefy Dogs in Blankets



  • 8 "good" all-beef hot dogs
  • biscuit dough (see below)
  • 1 egg, beaten with a spash of milk, for egg wash


Preheat oven to 425.  Cut the hot dogs in half horizontally, so you have 16 shorter dogs.  Prepare biscuit dough then divide the dough in half.  Roll or pat out the first half into a round about 1/2" thick.  Cut the round into 8 wedges like a pie, then take each triangle, place a 1/2 dog on the base and roll it up toward the point.  Pinch the point a bit to make it stick, then place on a lightly greased baking sheet.  Repeat until you've used up all your triangles, and then repeat with the remaining biscuit dough and dogs.  You'll probably need 2 baking sheets.  (At this point, set aside any you plan to freeze.)  Before baking, brush a little egg wash on the dough, then bake about 12 minutes (a little longer if frozen) until they look nice and brown and slightly shiny.  The dogs are hotter than the blankies, so let them a cool a bit before giving to small children.


Quick homemade biscuit dough:  2 1/4 c. flour, 2 t. baking powder, 1 t. salt, scant 1 c. milk, 1 egg, 4 T. oil, 1/4 c. grated cheddar (optional).  Mix dry, mix wet, combine, add cheese.  Add more milk or flour until you have a dough that is soft but not sticky. 

AuthorHeather Forsyth | Comment1 Comment | Print ArticlePrint Article
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Sunday
01Feb2009

Wild Rice and Mushroom Soup

DateSunday, February 1, 2009 at 11:59AM

Soup%20001[1] Recipe by guest author, Heather Forsyth.


In my part of the world January is a challenging time to eat locally.  My calendar of what's available when shows me meat, mushrooms, eggs, pecans and spinach.  I'm feeling a little like a caveman with all the meat we've been eating lately, and I've had about all the souffles and spinach salads I can eat for awhile, too.  So I looked at the pound of beautiful shitake mushrooms I got through my local coop lately and hatched this recipe.


Wild Rice and Mushroom Soup



  • 8 oz. (1/2 lb.) fresh mushrooms, preferably Shitake, sliced
  • 2 green onions, sliced, both white and green parts
  • 3 T. butter
  • 3 T. flour
  • 3 c. vegetable or chicken broth, maybe a little more
  • 1/2 c. wild rice, or wild & brown rice mix (cooked)
  • 1 c. cream, go as light or as heavy as your conscience or your waistline dictates
  • 2 T. sherry, or white wine if you don't have sherry, but sherry really is the thing here


Saute the mushrooms and green onions in butter in a saucepan until tender.  Stir in the flour.  Add the broth gradually, stirring constantly.  Bring just to a boil, then reduce heat to low.  Stir in the wild rice, cream, sherry, and salt and pepper to taste.  Continue cooking until just heated through, stirring frequently.  Serves about 4.  (I happened to have some fresh chives so I sprinkled some on top for a pretty and tasty garnish.)


Note 1. Wild rice isn't really local (to me) but when I have to outsource, I try to make it something that packages simply and ships easily.  Rice is one of those cheat ingredients for me.  And cream of mushroom soup just doesn't have that stick to the ribs quality on its own without something like rice to give it some heft.  I think the woodsy flavor of wild rice goes especially well with the earthy, almost flowery flavor of shitakes.


Note 2. Vegetable broth is not all created equally.  Homemade is best, of course, but most people don't have the time or inclination for that.  If you can get it, the next best thing is "Better than Bouillon."  It comes in a jar.  It's sort of a thick paste, like miso, and you make broth with a ratio of about 1 tsp. to 1 c. water.  It is way, way better than those dried cube things.

AuthorHeather Forsyth | Comment2 Comments | Print ArticlePrint Article
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Tuesday
08Apr2008

Pasta with Tomatoes, Parsley and Garlic

DateTuesday, April 8, 2008 at 3:36PM

This easy one-dish meal makes a great lunch or dinner.

The television was on in
background mode today, and I caught a glimpse of Emeril making a pasta dish
that had me salivating. His version had
ham in it, which I didn't have, and he tossed in an egg at the very end, which
totally turned me off. But the pasta
part was still appealing, so I immediately went to the kitchen and made a tasty pasta dish of my
own. There are certain benefits to
working at home, and making a mess in the kitchen midday (with a hungry husband
who cleans up after) is one of them. Enjoy. 

Pasta with Tomatoes, Parsley and Garlic 

  • 1/2 pound pasta (I used a
    garlic fettuccini)

  • Salt

  • Olive oil

  • 2 garlic cloves, chopped

  • 1 shallot, chopped

  • Handful fresh thyme

  • Big splash white wine

  • 1 tomato, chopped

  • Red pepper flakes

  • Lots (about 3/4 cup) grated
    cheese (like Asiago or Parmesan)

  • Handful fresh Italian parsley

  • Pepper

Boil pasta in salted water. Meanwhile, heat olive oil in skillet, add
garlic, shallot, thyme, wine and tomato. Sprinkle with small amount red pepper. When pasta is cooked, spoon into sauce. Add a spoonful of pasta cooking water, the cheese and fresh parsley.  Stir to combine. Season again with salt and
pepper. Serve. Note that it is very hard to eat pasta
without a glass of wine.

AuthorTrevy Thomas | CommentPost a Comment | Print ArticlePrint Article
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Saturday
08Mar2008

Vegetarian Chicken Salad

DateSaturday, March 8, 2008 at 9:49AM

I usually keep a box of
vegetarian burgers in my freezer in case I need an emergency lunch. This is not something I can force on my
husband unless he's somehow convinced he's getting meat, but it's a reliable
lunch for me on days when there's nothing else except rancher food in the
fridge. Today I discovered a great way
to turn what's usually a sandwich into a delicious salad. As always, keep your mind open for variations
and the contents of your own refrigerator.

Vegetarian Chicken Salad

  • 1 frozen "chicken"
    parmesan patty

  • Handful washed lettuce

  • 1/2 cucumber, peeled &
    sliced

  • Handful mixed pitted olives

  • 1/4 cup chopped onion
    (spring, red, whatever)

  • 1/2 avocado, chopped

Dressing:

  • 1/4 lemon

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil

  • Salt & pepper

Cook patty according to
instructions, but usually 1 minute in microwave is all it takes. Tear lettuce and put in salad bowl. Add cucumber, olives, onion and avocado. Sprinkle dressing ingredients over and
toss. Slice patty into strips and serve,
hot, on top of salad.

 

AuthorTrevy Thomas | CommentPost a Comment | Print ArticlePrint Article
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