It's the Fourth of July............. Let's Get Ready To G-RRRumble!!!

It's that time of year again, folks! 

The time to dust the cobwebs off that grill, if you haven't already started your official grilling season, what are you waiting for? If not now then when?

Yep, it is summertime & the living is easy.

I don't know about the jumping fish or how high the cotton is.

I mean I live in San Francisco, not in Scarlett O'Hara's beloved Tara. 

Hell, I doubt if the most devoted Atlantan could tell you anything about cotton these days other than what the bid is on the commodities market, and, even then, only if they were financially inclined.

Nope, the traditional lazy, hazy days of summer don't really apply here in Bagdhad by the Bay. It feels more like November than July, but I'll be darned if we are not just as patriotic as you guys that are sweltering in the heat of the dog days of summer.

Why July 4th is incredibly meaningful to us! Sure we grumble about the frozen tundra the city is in July & August. But, hey, we get out our down jackets, our gloves & scarves and excitedly gather around the beautiful Golden Gate to watch the fireworks reflect magnificent colors off the water. 

You may wonder why choose not to look up in the air when we view these pyrotechnic marvels.

Well, that's simple. It's a three letter word that really makes you want to use as many four letter words as possible when it is in our midst. Carl Sandburgh who was probably drunk off hid gourd when he composed this little ditty, says of it:

"The fog comes

on little cat feet.

It sits looking

over harbor and city

on silent haunches

and then moves on."

Doesn't that sound lovely?

Yeah right, until your fingers are blue from it while standing in 55 degree weather motionless while the city spends a gazillion dollars of tax payer money so you can ooohh & ahhhh at the colorful reflections in the bay's dark waters. 

To make it clear to the meanest intelligence: it is too damn foggy to ever see the fireworks in San Francisco!!!

But somehow, every year throngs of thousands clog the street arteries of the Northern waterfront of the city, expectantly & exuberantly hoping for a miracle. Yes, they fervently hope that whatever deity they pray to will see fit to allow the foggy equivalent of  parting of the Red Sea, just long enough for them to see flashes of light exploding in starriest climes. Never has 25 lousy minutes meant so much to so many. 

Lucky for us we don't have to join the huddled masses yearning to be free from fog to have a spectacular view of the display (if the weather ever permits it), we can watch from the comfort of our cosy little apartment. 

I do feel, however, a pang of pity for those who drive all the way over here from some godforsaken place just to spend their holiday with us. Thinking that somehow this is the place to be for the spectacle.

Silly rabbits, Trix are for kids!

Here's what the fireworks look like on a really good clear July 4th:

Now I know most of you are looking at the pretty bridge right now. 

Fuggetaboutit! 

I'm not talking about pretty lights on the bridge. 

It's the Fourth of July, people, I want to see a dazzling light extravaganza.

I can see the lights on the Bay Bridge every night.

No!!!! I'm talking about the puffs of smoke on the left side of the picture. 

That, my friends, is the 4th of July fireworks display in a good year!

So consider yourselves forewarned. 

Do not, I repeat, DO NOT, plan a trip into San Francisco for the fourth of July unless you are a blind Eskimo because then, at least, the 50 degree weather in July won't chill the marrow of your bones &  the fact that it's too foggy to see won't bother you either. I mean you'll be able to hear it, so if you're blind this is the perfect place to experience the fireworks because you know you won't be missing anything!

Well one way you can still celebrate the same way as the rest of the country is by grilling.

This July 4th weekend, I thought would be great to grill burgers but give them a slightly  healthier twist.

 

So the hubby & I will be making: 

Chicken Jalapeno Cheddar Burgers with Chipotle Mayo

 Ingredients 

For the burgers:

• 1 lb. of ground chicken breast
  
• 4 oz. of extra sharp white cheddar or Manchego Cheese, shredded or thinly sliced
  
• 2 roasted jalapeno chilis, seeds & membrane removed and cut into small dice (blackened on the stove top or grill until blistered then cooled)
  
• 2 whole scallions, lighter green parts only, finely minced
  
• salt & pepper to taste
  
• 2 pickled jalapenos, sliced thinly (for garnish)
  
• 4 slices of Brandywine or your favorite thick juicy tomato
  
• 1/2  avocado, thinly sliced into eighths
  
• 4 hamburger buns (I like to use brioche-like buns)

For the chipotle aioli:

• 1 canned chipotle chili in adobo sauce, chopped into a paste
  
• 4 tablespoons of Best Foods Low fat Mayo (aka Hellman's on the East Coast)
  
• 1 teaspoon of lime juice
  
• 1/2 garlic clove smashed & minced into a paste.
• 1 teaspoon of extra virgin olive oil
  
• salt & fresh ground pepper to taste
  

Directions:

1. In a small bowl, whisk all the ingredients for the Chipotle Mayo in a bowl until well combined. Taste for seasonings & acidity. Adjust seasonings.
2. Then place in a serving bowl & set aside.
3. In a large stainless steel mixing bowl, add the ground chicken, scallions, roasted jalapenos, salt & fresh ground pepper & combine thoroughly but do not overmix.
4. Divide the chicken evenly into four and, using your hands, shape them into round 1/2" thick patties. Remember the patties will swell in thickness & shrink in diameter as you cook them, so shape them accordingly.
5. Set them aside until you are ready to cook them. Then prepare the shrimp & then the lamb burgers, if serving them as well.
6. Wash your hands thoroughly with soap & water.
7. Turn on your grill & preheat it for at least 20 minutes. Do the same with your broiler.
8. When you are ready to cook the chicken burgers, place them over medium heat, & cook them on one side for 5 minutes without touching them. Then give them a 1/4 turn on your grill or griddle, leaving them to cook on the same side for an additional 3-4 minutes.
9. Then flip the burgers over to the other side, cooking for an additional 3-4 minutes. After which, you will give them another 1/4 turn for the last 3-4 minutes. This will provide with pretty grill, crosshatched grill marks.
10. The chicken needs to be cooked all the way through until well-done & there is no sign of pink. When it doubt, take a peek by cutting through the center of one.
11. Remove from the heat, on a foil lined baking sheet, place your four buns, cut side up & top each half with cheddar. Broiling for 45 seconds or until the cheese is melted to your liking. Place a bottom half of the bun on a plate.
12. Place a chicken burger on the bottom half of each bun. Garnish the burger with the tomato, pickled jalapeno & avocado slices. You may want to mash the avocado slightly with a fork if you couldn't cut it into thin fans.
13. Serve with the Chipotle Aioli on the side. 

This recipe serves 4 independent-minded patriotic revelers.

You can serve with a simple mixed green salad or potato salad.

Keep it simple! 

A icy cold Corona goes well with this but so does a maragarita.

We'll be drinking a 2001 Leroy Auxey-Duresses, but it's your party & you can drink what you want to... drink what you want to.... drink what you want to...

Shrimp Scallion & Ginger Burgers with Sriracha Aioli

 

Lamb Black Olive & Feta Burgers with Tszatiki Sauce. 

All served on brioche buns & pitas with slices of Brandywine Heirloom tomatoes & slices of avocado.

Sounds weird & complicated, right?

Anything but!

BTW, all of the recipes are mine, but none of the photos are mine. 

I'll replace the food shots when I cook the burgers this weekend.

Thanks to Google images for providing a little color to the blog.

A food blog without the pics is like fireworks in the fog..... POINTLESS!

Happy Independence Day!

Long Live the Stars & Stripes!!!

Memorial Day Weekend Extravaganza For Everyone (A Redux)

Okay, maybe not EVERYONE!

I am reposting last year's Labor Day Menu because it is a classic & really great for everyone on your guest list from vegetarians to the most rabid carnivore. Not fab for vegans, I'm afraid, although you can always throw a couple of portabello mushrooms that have been marinated in a little Italian-style dressing on the grill & serve them up on great brioche with avocado & tomato for them. 

Here's a link  for the grilled portabello burger to a great food blog for vegetarians  from which the picture of this yummy portabello burger comes:  Just the Food.com 

Obviously, Labor Day and Memorial Day are three months apart and the produce for early September differs from the produce in late May, but surprisingly there are some decent Brandywine & Early Girls showing up in the Farmer's Market even this early. I was avoiding them like the plague until I could resist no more. They are not as sweet as they will be in 6 weeks but they are great for making the caponata recipe I include and will definitely work as oven-roasted tomatoes for the pizza.

To make your Memorial Day more reflective of the season:

Skip the cherry tomato/ boccaccino salad. Instead, you can add seasonal veggies like fava beans & English peas to any green salad or by themselves with a little olive oil, lemon juice, fresh cracked pepper, truffle salt & shaved pecorino romano or just parmiggiano-reggiano if you don't like the piquant flavor of the sheep's milk.

Make the ribs but replace the corn (which is definitely not edible yet) with thick fresh grilled asparagus spears.

The Warm Blackberry-Apricot Crumble with Mascarpone Ice Cream will work beautifully in May. Apricots are really yummy now. You can, as always, replace the blackberries & apricots with peaches & strawberries, if you rather. 

It's your party and you can eat want you want to... eat what you want to... eat what you want to...

Here's the link for my fabulous Labor Day Feast that will make your Memorial Day Barbecue a memorable one: 

The Fruits of Labor: A Labor day Feast for Late Summer Harvest

Here's to all the men and women who have bravely served this country:

A Yummy Cinco de Mayo: Chipotle-Grilled Bone-in Beef Ribeye with Roasted Poblano & Vanilla-scented Smashed Sweet Potatoes, Chunky Mango-Feta Salsa

America is a great place!

Especially if you're a food lover. 

Because of our multi-cultural society, a smorgasbord of culinary verisimilitude from all over the world, there is always a reason to celebrate; always a day on the calendar that encourages us to partake in other countries' days of festivities and (more importantly for gluttons like moi)partake of their comestibles.

One of these days seems to be May 5th or Cinco de Mayo as guacamole lovers everywhere like to call it. Now why a minor battle for a pueblo in Mexico should capture the imagination of Corona lovers all across the good old United States of America might be an interesting story but I can't seem to find any real corroborative evidence, so, your guess is as good as mine! In fact, when I lived there a few years ago, one of the questions Mexican locals always asked me was why we Gringos in the U.S. celebrated it as a national holiday, when no one in Mexico did, outside of that one small pueblo which won its battle. I had no good answer for them.

You would think the date for Mexican Independence, September 16th, would be a more likely candidate for celebration but maybe it's too close to Labor Day & the beginning of the school term for parents who have small children & don't want two weekends of back to back hangovers. Don't know, maybe.

Maybe, too, it has become a rite of Spring. I mean, it falls after Easter (whose weather can still be pretty hairy depending on what part of the country you live in) and before Memorial Day and people may just be hankering for any excuse to finally get out into the lovely warm weather of early May, enjoy their gardens or patios and start to practice their grilling to be in good form for the big Memorial Day weekend!

Add a few margaritas, nachos & Pacificos into the mix &, baby, Cinco de Mayo seems like a godsend for those who have been couped up because of those April showers!

Fajitas & quesadillas are a nice way to go; but, nothing says celebration to me like a good steak dinner, ranchero-style!

See what I mean? Thick, juicy, steak... yum! yum!

So go grab a movie the hubby (mine) would recommend to inspire eating this meal like "The Good, The Bad & The Ugly!" with the iconic Clint Eastwood, (undisputed king of the great Sergio Leone spaghetti westerns) pull up a tree stump & picture yourself eating this steak dinner around the campfire with that man of mystery whose steely-eyed glint spawned a thousand imitations but none better than the original.

What a man!

My husband now wants me to prepare our steaks like this every time. The adobo -marinated chipotles provide a little heat & smokiness , not much but just enough to give the meat a real depth of flavor that no other seasonings ever have for me. It was a spur of the moment inspiration that is destined to become a classic in my home. My hubby does not like too much innovation where steak & potatoes are concerned but he flipped over this preparation which is really simple.

It really is a great meal for any time of the year!

Of course, the hubby gets the bone & meaty rib part (too fatty, I guess...) & I get the "eye" (much leaner); but I'm wondering.... am I getting hornswoggled? Help, Clint, help!!!!

Here are your ingredients, all assembled and ready:

For the Chipotle-marinated Ribeye:

For the Chunky Mango Salsa:

For the Roasted Poblano Vanilla scented Smashed Sweet Potatoes:

Here are the cutest little new baby sweet potatoes I found at the market. The scale is hard to really show, but you can see some of them are not too much larger than that tiny little lime. Since they are so small they roast in the same amount of time & in the same baking sheet as the poblano chile in a 450 degree oven for 15 minutes.

Let's Cook:

Chipotle-Grilled Bone in Ribeye with Poblano & Vanilla-scented Smashed Sweet Potatoes, Chunky Mango-Feta Salsa

Note: The recipe sounds impressive, but, in fact, it is just an assembly of ingredients that are key to the success of this dish. It's pretty typical of the kind of meal you'll find at one of the more exclusive high end luxury resort restaurants in Los Cabos like Las Ventanas Grille, Pitahayas, Palmilla. (Lived at Palmilla for 9 glorious months, a few years back, miss it!). All you need is a little chill-out music which were the tunes of choice there and a glass of rioja (or a frosty margarita on ice with good tequila & lots of lime) and you'll feel like you're sitting by the Sea of Cortez.

The chipotles are key & canned in adobo. Now, those of you have read this blog know that I am anti-processed foods and yes, you can take the dried chipotles and marinade them in your own tomatoey (is that a word??) adobo sauce BUTthis product, Embasa Chipotle Peppers in adobo sauce is pretty pure & free of the usual preservatives you find in canned goods but user beware a little goes a looong way. I've provided the link for you but you should be able to pick it up at Safeway or some other national grocery chain . Even Whole Foods carries it, occasionally (or am I dreaming that they will?).

The poblanos are easy to find, if you choose to substitute them with another chili remember this golden rule: the larger the chili the milder, the smaller the chili the hotter. Please don't use serranos or habaneros as a substitute but don't go the other way & use green peppers either. If you can't find the dark green poblanos then use Anaheims a.k.a. California chiles or, if you must, a very large jalapeno.We roast them in the same pan we roast the sweet potatoes.

Here's a great online resource for everything about substituting chiles (or any other ingredient):
The Cooks Thesaurus.

***WORD TO THE WISE:
The grapeseed oil is a great neutral flavored oil for high heat cooking, if you don't have it, you can substitute other vegetable oil, BUT DO NOT USE extra-virgin olive oil. It will breakdown & burn in high heat which will ruin the flavor of your steak & waste your money & time, comprende amigos?

I also avoid the use of fresh garlic in the marinade for the same reason.
It will burn and add an unpleasant acrid taste to your dish.
If you NEED to add it, do so, but make sure you scrape every little bit of that garlic off before you grill the steak. Because of my kitchen's limitations, I use a Le Creuset grill pan to grill the steak. If you have a regular grill go for it. Just be sure to heat the grill, either way.

This recipe serves 2 Clint Eastwood wannabes.

Ingredients:For the Chipotle marinated ribeye:

1 whole chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, finely minced into a paste
1 teaspoon of adobo sauce
1 teaspoon of chili powder
1 Tablespoon of grapeseed oil, if you don't have grapeseed oil substitute another neutral flavored high flash point oil

1 2-inch thick bone-in ribeye about 1-1/4 lbs to 1-1/2 lbs (you'll have leftovers that will make a yummy fajita salad for lunch)freshly ground black pepper & sea salt to taste (go light on the salt, the adobo sauce has a good amount of sodium)
For the Roasted Poblano, Vanilla-scented Smashed Sweet Potatoes:

6 small whole baby yams, washed thoroughly dried, skin on, punctured with a knife to vent the steam

or
2 medium sized sweet potatoes, cut half length-wise & then into large chunks

1 large whole poblano chile, washed & thoroughly dried & left whole
1 teaspoon of high quality vanilla extract
2 stalks of green garlic, chopped (seasonal for Spring, substitute with scallions or green onions at other times of the year)
2 tablespoons of unsalted butter (Plugra rocks!)
1/4 cup skim milk
1/8 - 1/4 cup half & half
1/8 cup chicken of beef stock (optional)

For the chunky mango-feta salsa

1 large ripe mango, cut into large dice (remember we want this to be chunky)
1/2 pint grape or cherry tomatoes, sliced length-wise or cut into roughly the same size as the mango dice
the juice from half a lime
a handful of fresh cilantro, leaves only, finely minced2 tablespoons of green garlic, finely minced (substitute with 1 scallion a.k.a. green onion & 1/2 a garlic clove, if green garlic is out of season)
2 inch chunk of feta, chopped

Instructions:

1) Preheat oven to 450 degrees (and the grill, if unlike me, you are using a gas grill). Make sure you have removed your steak from the refrigerator an hour before grilling it. It will make for faster, more even grilling. & allow you to marinate it.

2) Prepare the marinade for the steak:

In a small mixing bowl, combine all the marinade ingredients well with a whisk. Then place steal in a Ziploc bag large enough to hold the steak & pour the marinade on top of it, sealing the bag but removing as much of the air from it as you can. Use your hands to massage the marinade into the steak from the outside of the bag & set aside. Don't leave the steak in the marinade for longer than an hour; it will change the texture & flavor for the worst, making it more like a cured beef. Not what you want to do with an excellent cut of beef.

3) While the meat marinates, roast the whole baby (or the large chunks of  skin-on) sweet potatoes  & the poblano on a foil-lined baking sheet after seasoning them with a little salt & pepper and placing the baking sheet in the top rack of the oven for 15-18 minutes until poblano is charred (you may need to turn the poblano once half-way through the roasting process) and the baby (or cut) sweet potatoes are soft. Then remove from oven, place poblano in a  clean dish towel or wrapped in paper towels to allow the steam to soften the skin & make it easier to remove. Leave the oven on but lower it to 350 degrees. Set aside while you prepare the mango salsa.

4) Prepare the mango salsa by first preparing your ingredients then combining well all the prepared ingredients (except the feta) in a glass serving bowl. When you have combined all the veggies, add the feta and gently fold it in careful not to break the feta up into pieces that are too small. Season with a sprinkling of freshly cracked pepper & very judicious use of salt (the feta is really salty enough) &  toss gently. Set aside until ready to plate.

5) Heat the grill pan (which is hopefully a Le Creuset & no, they don't pay me a dime, dammit) over medium high heat. Turn on the range hood fan & open the windows, if you're cooking inside. While the pan heats up, remove the skin from your poblano chile & chop it into a fine almost, paste-like dice. Then be sure to prep all the ingredients for your smashed potatoes. Chop the green garlic (or regular garlic  & scallions, if substituting) & set aside the butter, half & half, skim milk, & stock if you're using it.

6) Cook steak: (now these directions are for a bone-in ribeye that weighs about 2 lbs. & is 2" thick, if you have a steak that is boneless and/or thinner then you have to adjust and cook the steak for less time per side for medium rare)

When the grill is hot, remove the steak from it's marinade, scraping off the excess & place in the center of the pan. Do not touch that steak for 5 minutes. Leave it alone. Take a sip of wine.

Relax. 

After 5 minutes, using heavy tongs, lift the steak & give it a 1/4 turn counter-clockwise, leaving it on the same side to give it those nice crosshatched  grill marks, you always admire in steak houses. allow the steak to cook for an additional 5 minutes without touching it, but do turn down the heat if it seems to be getting too smoky. Repeat process on other side.

**** Word to the wise**** 

The marinade makes the kitchen a bit toxic once the cooking starts so have those windows & doors wide open & ready, if you cook inside & don't want to set off the smoke detector. The steak will not taste too spicy, I assure you but smoky flavor will be imparted & is delish.

6) After 20 minutes, check steak for doneness by either using a food thermometer placed in the center of the steak in both depth & width, away from the bone (120-125 degrees for medium rare before resting) or by using the touch test if you are a more experienced cook (using your index finger to test the springyness of the meat, it should have the same feeling of resistance to prodding as the pad of skin on your palm beneath your thumb for medium rare).

If the steak is still underdone, place it  & the grill pan in the center rack of the oven, testing for doneness every few minutes until it is done to your liking.

There really is no other way. You can smell when it's done & feel when it's done but you cannot place a definitive time for cooking it. You just have to be vigilant & cook a lot of steaks. Not a bad way to practice!

After the steak is done, let it rest in a warm spot & prepare the smashed sweet potatoes.

7) Prepare sweet potatoes:

Place a medium-sized sauce pan over medium-high heat, add butter & green garlic (or garlic-scallion combo) with 1/8 teaspoon of salt heat until butter melts,  stirring occasionally until garlic wilts. Lower heat to medium low.

Then add poblano chile, stir it in to heat & release its aroma, add skim milk, stock and half & half until warm, then add vanilla; finally, add sweet potatoes & coarsely mash with a potato masher or large fork until potatoes reach your desired texture. 

Taste potato mixture & adjust for seasoning (salt & pepper) to taste. Add more butter or liquid as desired. You're in control of the texture & consistency. Turn off heat when potatoes are done to your liking.

8) Slice steak, carving out the bone, into portions for two. (You can fight over who gets the bone) 

Serve on warm plates (stick them in the microwave or oven for a minute) with potatoes & salsa.

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Recipe to follow soon...

Fresh From the Market: Porcini Tagliolini with Fresh Prawns, Nameko Mushrooms & English Peas in a Verjus Nage

Recipe to follow soon...