Bacon Cheeseburgers on Salted Pretzel Buns

Bacon Cheeseburgers on Salted Pretzel Buns

(America)

makes 8 bacon cheeseburgers

This is an interesting take on America’s favourite burger.  It may seem time intensive but with multi-tasking many of the tasks can take place concurrently and the Bacon Jam can be made hours or even days ahead of time. The resulting burger is well worth it.  

                                                                              Prep time: 35 minutes
                                                                              Cook time: 60 minutes
                                                                              Bake time: 25 minutes
                                                                              Total time: 2 hours

Ingredients

Optional Bacon Jam:

1/2 pound bacon, cut into 1-inch strips
1/2 large yellow onion, peeled and thinly sliced
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1/4 cup cider vinegar
2 tablespoons brown sugar
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper, or to taste
¼ teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons maple syrup
3 tablespoons ketchup
¼ cup good Bourbon whiskey (optional)
¼ cup very strongly brewed black coffee

Salted Beer Pretzel Rolls:

1 (12ounce) bottle of good amber beer or non-alcoholic amber beer, warm (105° F)
1 package active dry yeast (not instant rise yeast)
2 teaspoons sugar
4-½ cups unbleached all-purpose Flour
2 teaspoons fine Kosher or sea salt
4 tablespoons unsalted Butter, melted
¼ cups baking soda
1 whole egg, lightly beaten
Coarse Kosher salt, for sprinkling

Bacon Cheeseburgers:

2 pounds ground sirloin
3 tablespoons dehydrated onion
1 small yellow onion, peeled and grated
½ pound bacon, cooked crisp but not over cooked and chopped, reserve the rendered fat
fine Kosher or sea salt, to taste
freshly ground black pepper, to taste
8 ounces smoked Gouda cheese, grated
8 slices yellow American cheese

Preparation

Optional Bacon Jam (if you’re planning to use bacon jam, prepare this ahead of time):

1.  Place bacon in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat and cook it until it browns and becomes crispy.  Transfer cooked bacon to a plate lined with paper towels to drain.

2.  Return pan to the heat and add the onions to the pan with the rendered bacon fat.  Sauté the onions, stirring occasionally, until softened and translucent. 

3.  Add the garlic to the pan and sauté for another minute, stirring; do not allow the garlic to brown. 

4.  Add the remaining ingredients, and raise the heat to high.   Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring constantly.  Allow the mixture to boil for about 2 minutes. 

5.  Turn the heat under the pan to medium-low, add the bacon and simmer, stirring occasional to avoid burning, until the mixture is reduced by about 1/2 and is thickened into syrup, about 30 minutes.   Turn off the heat, and let the mixture cool for about 10 minutes. 

6.  Pour the cooled mixture into the container of a food processor, and pulse a several times until the mixture attains a spreadable, but decidedly chunky, consistency.  Pour into a sealable container for later use.

Salted Beer Pretzel Rolls preparation:

create the pretzel dough:

Pour the warm beer into a 2 cup measuring cup, stir in the yeast and sugar and allow the yeast to proof for 5-10 minutes. The mixture will form a foam head, if it doesn’t the yeast is dead and you’ll need to start over.  

Add the flour, salt, melted butter, and the proofed yeast to the bowl of your stand mixer.  Fix with the dough hook attachment and mix using the dough hook until combined well. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and allow to rise in a warm place for 1 hour or until doubled.

form and proof the rolls:

Line a large sheet pan with parchment paper and set aside.  Punch the dough down and turn it onto a lightly floured, clean surface.   Roll the dough out into a 16-inch snake and cut the snake into 8 pieces, about 5 ounces each. 

Shape the dough into rolls by taking each piece of dough and form a round, smooth ball by pulling the sides to the center and pinching to seal. Place each formed rough ball, pinched side down, on a counter and lightly cupping your hand around the dough ball, rotate your hand in small circles lightly rolling it around the palm of your hand to form a finished roll.

Place each completed roll on the prepared baking sheet pinched seam side down, with at least 1” between each roll in a staggered formation. Cover with a damp towel and allow to proof in a warm place for 30 minutes until they rise & double.

Preheat oven to 425°F and place oven rack in the middle position.

boil the rolls:

Bring 2 quarts of water to a low boil, in a large saucepan or pasta pot.  Once the water boils, remove from heat and slowly add the baking soda (if you put it in too fast the water will foam up and overflow the pot). Place the pot back over the heat and lower to a simmer.

Place 2-3 rolls at a time into the poaching liquid, seam side down. Poach for 30 seconds and then carefully turn the roll over and poach for another 30 seconds. Remove from the poaching liquid with a slotted spoon and return to the prepared sheet pan, seam side down. Repeat this process with the remaining rolls.

bake the rolls:

Brush each roll with the beaten egg using a pastry brush, be sure the egg coats all exposed sides completely, sprinkle each with a little of the coarse salt. 

Using a very sharp straight edged blace, cut an X into the top of each roll, place the sheet in the preheated oven and bake the rolls for 15-20 minutes, until they are golden brown.  Set aside to cool.

Bacon Cheeseburger preparation:

prepare and cook the cheeseburgers:

Preheat oven to 200° F.

In a large mixing bowl combine all the cheeseburger ingredients through the shredded Gouda but not the American cheese, cover the bowl with plastic wrap and allow to rest in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

Divide the bacon cheeseburger mixture into 8 portions and form each portion into a ball then flatten each ball into the familiar hamburger patty shape.  

Heat a skillet over medium-high heat and add about 2 tablespoons of the reserved bacon grease and place as many of the patties as will fit without crowding in the skillet, allow the patties to cook about 4 minutes on the first side, flip them and cook on the second side for an additional 4 minutes (dependent on thickness and desired level of doneness).  Remove the cooked burgers to a heat proof plate and place in the oven to keep warm.  Repeat the process until all the burgers are cooked.

service:

Slice each Pretzel bun in half horizontally, place one bacon cheeseburger on the bottom half of each bun, place one slice of American cheese on top of each burger.  If you elect to use the bacon jam, spread desired amount of the jam on the bottom of the bun top and place it on the top of the burger, if not just place the bun top on the burger.   Serve accompanied by your favourite condiments, sides and cold beverage of your choice. 

Albondigas Soup

Albondigas Soup

(Mexican Meatball Soup)

serves 8

(Mexico)

                                                                              Prep time: 10 minutes
                                                                              Cook time: 50 minutes
                                                                              Total time: 1 hour

Ingredients

meatballs:

8 ounces ground beef
8 ounces raw chorizo sausage, casing removed
1 small onion, micro-planed
1/2 cup fresh cilantro, roughly chopped
1 large egg, beaten
2 cloves garlic, peeled and micro-planed
½ cup cooked rice
1/2 carrot, minced
½ teaspoon Kosher or sea salt
¼ teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon ground cumin
nonstick cooking spray

soup: 

2 cups diced onions
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons chili powder
4 cloves garlic, chopped
6 cups chicken broth
3 corn tortillas, chopped
1 16-ounce can diced tomatoes, drained of juice
2 cups sliced button mushrooms, about 8 ounces
2 cups fresh or frozen corn kernels
½ cup fresh cilantro, roughly chopped
1 pound of escarole, trimmed and cut into 1/2 strips
Kosher or sea salt, to taste
 freshly ground black pepper, to taste

service:

sour cream
½ cup roughly chopped cilantro
corn tortillas chips

Preparation

meatballs:

Preheat oven to 400° F. and coat broiler pan with nonstick cooking spray.

In a large mixing bowl combine the meatball ingredients and mix thoroughly.  Shape the meat mixture into ¾ to 1-inch diameter meatballs and place on the prepared broiler pan; you should end up with about 30 meatballs.  Bake meatballs until fully cooked, about 30 minutes.  

soup:

In a large pot over medium heat sauté the onions in the olive oil until they are softened, about 5 minutes.  Add the garlic and the chili powder and cook an additional minute.  Add the chicken broth, tortillas and half the tomatoes; simmer for 5 minutes.   

Puree the soup in a blender in two or more batches.  Take caution, only fill the container of the blender to half or less of its capacity and cover the container with a cloth when pureeing as the hot soup will expand and may overflow if the container is filled too much.  

Return the pureed soup to the pot and add the remaining tomatoes, the mushrooms, the corn, cilantro, escarole and the meatballs.  Bring the soup to a simmer and simmer for 10 minutes.  Adjust seasoning to taste with salt and pepper. 

service:

Ladle the soup into individual serving bowls or into a large bowl for family service and serve garnished with roughly chopped fresh cilantro and accompanied by sour cream, and crisp tortillas chips.

Breakfast Burritos

Breakfast Burritos

A breakfast standby in Southern California and a great way to start your day . . . scrambled eggs, cubed potatoes, and chorizo wrapped in a flour tortilla.

serves 10

(America)

                                                                            Prep time:  15 minutes
                                                                            Cook time:  20 minutes
                                                                            Total time: 35 minutes

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups potatoes, peeled and sliced into ¼-inch cubes
2 pounds ground beef, breakfast sausage, or chorizo
1/4 cup chili powder, or to taste
2 tablespoons garlic powder
1 onions, chopped
2 cups salsa
2 tablespoons Tabasco sauce (or Cholula or other Mexican hot sauce), or to taste
6 eggs, beaten
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1 cup shredded Monterey or Pepper Jack cheese
10 large flour tortillas

Preparation

prepare the potatoes:

Par boil the potato cubes in sufficient heavily salted water to cover the potatoes until they are soft, about 5 minutes after the water comes to a boil.  Drain the potatoes after they are cooked.

brown the beef:

Meanwhile, in a large sauté pan over medium heat, brown the ground beef until it is crumbly but still has a little pink.  Stir in the chili powder, the garlic powder, and onion together and cook over medium high heat until the ingredients are thoroughly combined.  Drain any accumulated grease and return to the stove.  

scramble the eggs:

Reduce the heat to medium and add the beaten eggs, cook stirring constantly as you would for cooking loose scrambled eggs.

bring it all together:

Stir in the salsa and the hot sauce and continue to cook the mixture until the onions are softened and most of the liquid has been absorbed/evaporated.  Stir in the both the cheeses and allow them to melt.  Remove the sauté pan from the heat.

prepare the tortillas:

To make the tortillas more pliable, microwave them for about 20 seconds.

construction:

Working with 1 tortillas at a time, form each burrito by placing the tortillas on a clean flat surface in front of you and place about 1 cup of the filling mixture in a line across the lower third of the tortilla, fold in the two sides and rolling the burrito up to form the familiar burrito shape*.  At this point, if you're not planning to eat the burritos immediately you may wrap each in aluminum foil prior to placing in the refrigerator or freezer for future use.  This is also the way you would save left-over burritos.  To reheat, remove the foil and microwave the frozen burrito for 2 to 3 minutes on high.

service:

Serve accompanied by sour cream, additional salsa and guacamole.  These burritos can either be treated as finger food or as a dish to be handled with a knife and fork. 

* at this point the burritos can be fried

Jamaican Beef Patties

Jamaican Beef Patties

Makes about 24 to 30 pastries

(Jamaica)

                                                                               Preparation time:  20 minutes

                                                                               Cook time:           30 minutes

                                                                               Total time:            50 minutes

Ingredients

dough (or use 2 packages of commercial 9-inch pie crust):

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons curry powder

1 dash salt

1/4 cup margarine

1/4 cup shortening

1/3 cup water

flling:

2 tablespoons butter

1 small onion, finely diced

1 ½ cups ¼-inch diced potatoes

1 pound ground beef

1 teaspoon curry powder, or to taste

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1 teaspoon Kosher or sea salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper, or to taste

1/2 cup beef broth

1/2 cup dry bread crumbs

1 egg, beaten with ¼ teaspoon curry powder

Preparation

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

cook the filling:

Par boil the diced potatoes in sufficient salted water to cover the potatoes completely.

Melt the butter in a skillet over medium heat, add the onions and diced potatoes and sauté them until the onions are soft and translucent.  Stir in the ground beef, the  curry powder, the thyme,   salt,  black pepper, and the cayenne. Cook until beef is evenly brown, stirring constantly. Stir in beef broth and bread crumbs. Simmer until liquid is absorbed. Remove from heat and allow to cool.

mix the dough and form:

In a large bowl, combine flour, 1 1/2 teaspoons curry powder, and pinch of salt.  Into those ingredients, cut in the 1/4 cup of margarine and shortening until the mixture resembles a coarse crumb.   Stir in the water until mixture comes together and forms a ball.  Shape the dough ball into a 10-inch log, and cut into 10 equal sections. Roll each section into a six inch circle (approximately 1/8 inch thick). Set aside.

                                                                       Or

One at a time, roll out each of the pie crust to about 1/8-inch thickness.  Cut the rolled out dough into as many 4 1/4-inch circles as you can, reserve the dough scraps.  Continue until all 4 9-inch crusts have been rolled out an cut into 4 ¼ -inch circles.  Gather up the dough scraps, combine them  and roll them out into a 1/8-inch sheet and cut out as many 4 ¼-inch circles as you can.  Set aside the circles of dough.

form the pastries:

Working with one of the circles of dough at a time, spoon about one tablespoon of filling into the center of the pastry circle. Fold over and press edges together, making a half circle. Using  a fork  press the edges together to seal.  Place the pastry half circle on a parchment lined cookie sheet.  Continue until all the filling and pastry circles are use up.  Brush the top of each patty with the beaten egg/curry mixture.

bake the pastries:

Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes, or until golden brown.

service:

Serve as an accompaniment to your favourite meal or as an hors d'ouvres accompanied by mango chutney or your favourite dipping sauce.

French Onion Cheese Burger

French Onion Cheese Burger

serves 4

(America)

My granddaughter, Becky has two loves (not counting me) . . . my French onion soup and hamburgers, this is my tribute to her favourites. 

Ingredients

the burger:

1 ¼ pounds ground beef

¼ cup fresh Italian parsley, roughly chopped

2 tablespoons dehydrated onion flakes

1 teaspoon Kosher or sea salt

½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

2 tablespoons all purpose flour

French onion sauce:

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

2 cups thinly sliced yellow onions

1 teaspoon white sugar

1 teaspoon granulated garlic

1 tablespoon tomato paste

2 cups good beef broth

¼ teaspoon Kosher or sea salt, or to taste

1 teaspoon fresh thyme, roughly chopped

¼ cup port wine

cheese toast

shredded Parmigiano-Reggiano, to taste

shredded Jarlsberg cheese, to taste

cheese toast:

4 ½-inch slices of Italian or French bread, sliced diagonally

2 tablespoons butter, softened

½ teaspoon minced fresh garlic

1 cup shredded Jarlsberg cheese

4 tablespoons shredded Parmigiano-Reggiano

Preparation

the burger:

1.  In a large mixing bowl combine all the burger ingredients except the flour.

2.  Divide the ground beef mixture into 4 even portions.  Shape each portion into 1-inch thick, oval hamburger patties.

3.  Construct a dredging station by placing 2 tablespoons of the flour onto a flat, shallow dish and dredge, on both sides, each of the patties in the flour.

4.  Heat the oil in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat.  When the oil reaches the ripple stage add the patties and sauté them until they are nicely browned, about 3  minutes on each side.

5.  When the burgers are nicely browned removed them from the pan.  Leave the pan on the burner and proceed to prepare the sauce.

the sauce:

1.  Add the thinly sliced onions and the sugar to the same sauté pan and sauté them  for 5 minutes.  Stir in the granulated garlic and the tomato paste and sauté until the tomato paste begins to brown, about 1 minute.  Sprinkle the remaining flour over the tomato paste and cook for an additional minute. 

2.  Add the beef broth, port, salt, and thyme and stir to thoroughly incorporate all the ingredients.

3.  Return the burgers to the pan, raise the heat and bring the sauce to a boil.  When  the sauce comes to a boil immediately reduce the heat to medium-low, cover the pan, and simmer for 20 minutes.

the cheese toast:

1.  Preheat your oven to 400° F.

2.  Place the bread slices on a rimmed baking sheet.

3.  In a small bowl combine the softened butter, garlic, and paprika.  When the ingredients are thoroughly combined spread ¼ of the mixture on one side of each of the bread slices.

4.  Evenly sprinkle ¼ of the shredded Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese on the buttered sides of each of the bread slices and do the same with the shredded Jarlsberg.

5.  Place the baking sheet on the middle rack of your oven and bake the bread slices until the bread is crisp and the cheeses are bubbly, about 10 to 15 minutes.

the service:

Place some of the sauce on each serving plate and top with one slice of the cheese toast,  then place one of the burgers on each of the cheese toasts.  Top each of the burgers  with  shredded Parmigiano-Reggiano and shredded Jarlsberg to taste, ladle ¼ of the remaining sautéed onions and sauce over each of the burgers and finally garnish each dish with chopped parsley.  Serve immediately.

Polpetta alla Sansevero

Polpetta alla Sansevero

(Meatballs Sansevero)

serves 4 to 6

(Italian/American)

Normally meatballs are fried and then added to tomato sauce and cooked long and slow, and either served as a sandwich or as an accompaniment to pasta; My wife's favourite way to eat them though is as pictured . . . directly from the frying pan . . . no sauce, no pasta, no bread; just freshly fried.  When I fry these she is usually close by for "quality control";  “. . .that one isn’t round, guess I’ll have to eat it now!”, “. . . that one's too small, guess I’ll have to dispose of it!”.

Ingredients

1 pound lean ground beef

1/2-pound ground lean pork or 1/2-pound of hot Italian sausage, removed from casing

1/2  cup fresh Italian parsley, finely chopped

1/2  cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs

2 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped

1 small yellow onion, peeled and finely chopped

1/2 cup of grated Parmesan or Romano cheese

1/4  teaspoon ground nutmeg

2 eggs, beaten

salt and pepper to taste

olive oil to fry with

Preparation

1.  In a bowl, thoroughly combine the ground beef, ground pork (or sausage meat), breadcrumbs, garlic, onion, parsley, cheese, nutmeg, egg, and salt and pepper.  Form mixture into golf ball sized meatballs; for a nicer finish roll each meatball in additional dry breadcrumb before frying, it will also give you one last opportunity to make them round.

2.  Refrigerate the completed meatballs for about 1/2 hour before frying to allow them to set up and the flavours to mix.

3.  Heat a large, heavy skillet over moderately high heat.  Add oil and fry meatballs until browned on all sides.

4.  After meatballs are browned, add them to your simmering tomato sauce and allow them to simmer for at least 1/2  to 1 hour .  Serve accompanied by sauced pasta,  as a sandwich, sliced as a pizza topping, or place 4 meatballs in an oven-proof rarebit cover with sauce, mozzarella and Parmesan cheese, bake in the oven until the mozzarella is bubbly and serve as   "Meatballs Parmesan".

Next Week's Posting:  Memphis Style Dry Rubbed Ribs

Diner Salisbury Steak

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Diner Salisbury Steak

makes 4 servings

(America)

As a transplanted "east-coaster" diners and their food hold a special place in my heart . . . the diner was one of the places where I could taste "American" food and, to an Italian American boy, Salisbury Steak was an exotic meal.  This is my homage to this diner specialty.

                                                                                                            prep time:             15 minutes

                                                                                                            steak cook time:    10 minutes

                                                                                                            gravy cook time:   8 minutes

                                                                                                            total time:            33 minutes

Ingredients

1-1/2 pounds lean ground beef

2 scallions, finely chopped

1/4 cup Italian-seasoned bread crumbs

1 tablespoon dehydrated onion

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 egg

1 tablespoon yellow mustard

1 - 12 ounce can of beef gravy

1 tablespoon tomato paste

1/2 cup water

1 1/2 tablespoons prepared,  grated horseradish

1/2 pound white mushrooms, cleaned, stems intact and thinly sliced

3 tablespoons of vegetable oil

4 servings of homemade or commercial mashed potatoes (prepared according to manufacturer's instructions)

4 servings corn niblets

Preparation

prepare the ground beef:

1.  In a medium bowl mix together the ground beef, scallions, bread crumbs, egg, dehydrated onions, garlic powder, and mustard and shape into four 1/2-inch-thick oval patties.

2.  Preheat oven to 120° F.

fry the steak:

1.  Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat and cook the patties for 3 to 4 minutes per side, or until no pink remains.  Remove from to a paper towel lined platter to drain and place platter with the Salisbury steaks in oven to keep warm.  Discard the oil in the pan and wipe clean.

2.  Return the skillet to the heat and add the gravy, the tomato paste, water, horseradish, and mushrooms and cook for 4 to 5 minutes, or until the mushrooms are tender, stirring occasionally.

3.  Return the warm steaks to the skillet, lower the heat to low and simmer for another 2 or 3 minutes.

service:

To serve, place 1 steak, serving of corn, and 1 serving of mashed potatoes on each of 4 plates and place 1/4 of the mushroom gravy over each steak.  Serve immediately.