Bulgur Burgers with Lime Mayonnaise

This week while John is out of town I decided to see how I would do as a vegetarian. I would not attempt this experiment otherwise because my husband likes his meat and you should hear the complaints I get when I cook something without meat. It's now Thursday and I haven't had any meat since my ham sandwich for lunch on Saturday. So far, I'm not really missing the meat!

The situation was greatly helped by a recipe that appeared in my most recent issue of Gourmet, which arrived a week ago (how timely). It was for bulgur veggie burgers. I love bulgur and I love veggie burgers. I had almost everything I needed already and a quick trip to the Chelsea Market netted me a couple of limes, pinto beans, and some wonderful-looking multigrain buns from Ed's Bread. I decided to make the burgers for dinner on Saturday.

(Photo from Gourmet since I couldn't take a picture of my own.)

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup chopped onion, divided
• 1 Tbsp olive oil plus additional for brushing
• 1/2 cup bulgur
• 1 cup water
• 1 cup canned pinto beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 1/2 Tbsp soy sauce
• 3/4 cup walnuts (2 1/2 oz)
• 2 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
• 1/2 cup packed cilantro sprigs
• 3/4 tsp ground cumin
• 1/4 tsp cayenne
• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• 1/4 tsp grated lime zest
• 1/2 tsp fresh lime juice
• 4 slices multigrain bread or buns
  

Cook half of onion with 1/4 tsp salt in oil in a small heavy saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until golden, 5 to 7 minutes. Add bulgur and water and cook, covered, over low heat until water is absorbed, 18-20 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and stir in beans and soy sauce.

Pulse bulgur mixture, walnuts, garlic, cilantro, cumin, cayenne, a rounded 1/4 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp pepper, and remaining onion in a food processor until finely chopped. Transfer to a bowl and chill at least 20 minutes. While mixture chills, stir together mayonnaise, zest, and juice. Form rounded 1/2 cups of mixture into 4 (3 1/2-inch-diameter) patties.

Heat 1 Tbsp oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over medium heat until it shimmers, then cook patties, carefully turning once, until golden brown, about 8 minutes total.

Of course I tweaked the recipe. I used flat-leaf parsley instead of cilantro (I like the taste better), I only used 1 tbsp of soy sauce, I cooked the patties on the stove because I don't have a perforated grill sheet, and I used buns instead of making open-faced sandwiches. I also found out very fast that attempting to form the mixture into patties immediately after processing was next to impossible. The mixture is much too gummy and sticky and I ended up with a huge mess all over my hands and a misshapen glob instead of a patty. I made one patty for dinner that night and put the remainder into the fridge in a bowl. The next day I made a patty for lunch and found that the mixture, now that it was thoroughly chilled, was so much easier to handle. Thus I altered the instructions from the original recipe to include adequate chilling before making the patties.

The multigrain buns from Ed's Bread were as yummy as they looked in the store, and I toasted them while the patties cooked and spread the lime mayonnaise on them while still warm. I topped the patties with some fresh tomato slices and a couple of romaine lettuce leaves. Can I just say this was one of the most delicious things I have eaten in a long time? I had a patty for dinner on Saturday, lunch on Sunday, and dinner both Monday and Tuesday. The recipe made enough for four patties and I parsed the mixture out so I had it every day for four days. It was that good. I will definitely make this again!

Righteous Herbs

Yesterday, finally, I got the chance to work in my herb garden.

My yard is a messy tangle of random plants that receive minimal tending, but my herb garden is the one area upon which I lavish love and care. The garden was in place when we moved into this house six years ago, but since then I have moved, replanted, and altered its makeup dramatically. Only two of the original plants remain: oregano and tarragon. I have a few other perennial herbs: chives, lovage, lavender (not that I cook with it, but it sure smells nice), mint, thyme, dill, and sage. Each year I have to plant new crops of rosemary, parsley, and basil. I waited so long this year to get the basil because poor tender, fragile basil is killed by frost and we have certainly had our share of spring frosts, haven't we?

I paid my annual visit to the Potting Shed downtown and picked up this year's batch of basil, parsley, and rosemary. I scored an excellent, already well-established upright rosemary plant and flat-leaf parsley, about which I am particularly excited, because I use tons of flat-leaf parsley. The parsley went into the ground and the basil and rosemary went into their own individual pots. I would like to bring the basil and rosemary indoors for the winter which is why I keep planting them in movable pots but each year I neglect to do so before the plants are done in by frost.

I weeded and cleared the bed of old leaves and other detritus, moved the sage plants to the middle of the bed where there is more room, and watered the crap out of everything.

The lovage is already four feet high. That plant is insane! I inherited a lone lovage sprig from a plant at my parents' that had grown to large-shrub proportions and it has done quite well for itself. I just wish I knew of more dishes that used lovage. Currently I only have one, new potato salad with lovage and mustard.

The oregano is busy expanding to fill the known universe, as usual. I swear, that plant would take over the entire garden and adjacent lawn if it could. That and the mint. Those pesky mint runners are everywhere. I guess I will have to start using it in mint tea or gin smashes or something. Speaking of a gin smash, it is one mighty fine drink on a hot summer day!

Lastly, the yard contains a great abundance of catnip, which is of no use to me but is greatly loved by our two cats, resulting in the cat insanity visible here:

Excitement!

Yesterday we filled out and submitted our pork cutting order to Back Forty Acres, and within a month we will have a freezer full of pork! I am so excited.

Semolina Ghribia with Orange Flower Water Fruit Salad

I saw this recipe on 64 Sq Ft Kitchen last week and the mention of orange flower water made me anxious to try it. I had seen just such a bottle of orange flower water at Plum Market in Ann Arbor and I recall standing there looking at it wondering what I could use it for. When I saw the recipe on Warda's blog last week I thought, aha, here it is! I went to Plum Market on Friday and got the orange flower water. I popped its top when I got home and with the first inhalation I was instantly transported back to my grandparents' backyard in my hometown of Los Altos in California, sinking my face into the exhilarating fragrant blossoms of their orange tree. The memory was overwhelming. My grandparents' orange tree holds an almost sacred place in my heart. Many was the morning when I was dispatched to pick full, ripe oranges from the tree with which to make freshly-squeezed orange juice for breakfast. Nothing, and I do mean nothing one can buy in any grocery store can compare to pure, freshly-made orange juice squeezed straight from oranges plucked ripe from a tree not five minutes previously. Oh, that orange juice. Oh, those orange blossoms! This little bottle of heavenly nectar was my childhood in a bottle.


But first, the delectable little cookies that go with the fruit salad. I'm not sure whether to call them cookies or biscuits because their taste and texture is like nothing I have ever tried before. They are an Algerian specialty called ghribia and are absolutely delicious. I have never made anything like them before.

And now for something completely different!


Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup canola oil
• 1/4 cup (4 tbsp) butter
• 2 eggs
• 5 ounces powdered sugar
• 3 1/2 cups semolina flour
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• Dash of salt
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• Powdered sugar and cinnamon for dusting

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or silicone liners. Preheat the oven to 350 F. Melt the butter in the oil in a small sauce pan over medium heat. Remove from the heat when melted and allow to cool down. In a bowl, stir together the semolina flour, salt, baking powder and set aside. Beat the eggs with the powdered sugar until well blended.


Add the butter mixture and vanilla and mix until well blended. Add the dry ingredients and mix just enough to moisten the dough. The dough will look crumbly and soft.


Wet hands and shake off the excess water. Wet again as needed. Form the ghribia by pinching off balls of dough and forming a dome shape with your palms. Flatten the bottom of the cookie, arrange on the prepared baking sheet a little apart from each other, and sprinkle with a little of icing sugar and ground cinnamon.


Bake for 18-20 minutes. They should remain pale and will have a cracked top. Let them cool on a wire rack before moving them from the baking sheet.


Once the ghribia were done I turned my attention to the fruit salad. The choice of fruit is up to you. I used strawberries and blackberries that I purchased at Plum Market the other day. I can imagine using other varieties of berries depending on what is in season.

For fruit salad:

• Seasonal berries (strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, etc)
• Granulated sugar, at least 1 tbsp, maybe more depending on taste
• Orange flower water, at least 1 tbsp depending on amount of fruit used

Cut berries and place in bowl. Sprinkle with sugar and orange flower water and toss to coat. Allow to macerate for at least 1 hour, stirring occasionally. A fragrant syrup will form in the bottom of the bowl. Spoon into bowls and eat with ghribia.

Couscous with Lime-Scallion Sauce

After a major overindulgence at lunch (a catered party to celebrate someone's 10th anniversary with my company) today, I was ready for something a little lighter for dinner. I picked up two yellowfin tuna steaks at Plum Market and whipped this up as a side dish to go with the grilled fish. I just wanted something light and fluffy but with a vegetable component as well.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups water
• 1 cup couscous
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 red bell pepper, seeded and finely diced
• 1 carrot, peeled and finely diced
• 6 scallions, thinly sliced
• 1/4 cup fresh lime juice
• 1/4 cup fresh parsley, finely chopped
• 1/4 tsp ground cumin

Nothing like freshly chopped vegetables!

In a medium saucepan, bring the water to a boil; add the couscous, salt, and oil. Remove from the heat; let stand until the water is absorbed, about five minutes. Fluff with a fork. In a large bowl, combine the bell pepper, carrot, scallions, lime juice, parsley, and cumin. Add the couscous and toss to combine. Refrigerate, covered, until chilled.

I admit I did not allow the couscous to chill for the recommended three hours. We would not have eaten until 10:00 at that rate. It was fine anyway. The grilled tuna steaks came out perfectly and the meal was just what I wanted: light yet satisfying and flavorful. We had a 2006 Beaulieu Vineyards (California) Pinot Noir with our meal.

When Life Defrosts Your Freezer...Make Chili

A couple of weeks ago we suffered a major beef-related catastrophe (hereafter referred to as Meltdown '08). Somehow, the chest freezer which holds our precious cargo of beef came unplugged and over the course of several days defrosted about half of the beef left in the freezer. I discovered the mess one evening and proceeded to have a gigantic screaming fit complete with abundant cursing. Unfortunately, we were forced to dispose of a large amount of beef as it had defrosted and warmed to the point of smelling bad. Only the layers stored deepest in the freezer survived Meltdown '08. Unfortunately, the bulk of this was ground beef. All of the delicious cuts of rib steaks, T-bone steaks, the livers, and most of the chuck roasts, arm roasts, and short ribs were a total loss. I was left with all these one-pound bags of ground beef. So what does one do with 30 pounds of ground beef?

Make chili, of course! Even better, make it with one's beloved stash of Rancho Gordo beans!

Aren't they gorgeous!

I found this recipe at the Rancho Gordo Web site.

Black Bean Chili

• 1/2 lb dry black beans or 1 15-oz can black beans
  
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and finely diced (optional)
• 1/2 lb ground beef
• 1/2 lb ground pork
• 1 1/2 lbs fresh plum tomatoes, skinned and halved or 1 28-oz can of whole peeled tomatoes
  
• 1 tbsp chili powder
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp oregano
• 1 tsp salt
• Olive oil

If using dry black beans, soak and then cook beans according to package directions. Have the beans simmering and just tender and ready to add to the chili when called for.

If using fresh plum tomatoes, the skins can be easily removed by first making a shallow "X" cut on the bottom of each tomato and then blanching them in a pot of boiling water for about 30 seconds. Remove the tomatoes with a slotted spoon, slide them into an ice bath, and peel the skins off once the tomatoes are cool enough to handle.

In a large soup pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Saute the onions until lightly golden. Add the bell pepper and jalapeno and cook for about 3 minutes. Add the beef and pork and cook, stirring often, until browned. Add the tomatoes, chili powder, cumin, and salt, stirring well. Add black beans to chili base with the can juice or a small amount of simmering liquid, cover, and simmer for 1 hour. Taste and adjust seasonings as desired.

Almost ready to eat. Yum!

Serve topped with your choice of shredded cheese, sour cream, sliced scallions, corn bread, hot sauce, salsa, tortilla chips...whatever you desire!

Chuck Wagon Chili

Ever since I purchased a large amount of beans from Rancho Gordo I have been searching for excuses to use them. What better way to put my Scarlet Runner beans to good use than in a hearty beef and pork chili?

Rancho Gordo's Scarlet Runner heirloom beans. Majestic!

Before I left for work Friday morning I placed 1/2 lb of these beans in cold water to soak while I was away. I had to do something after work on Friday and I wouldn't be home in time to cook dinner before John and I had to leave for our concert in Ann Arbor. Thus, it was time for John Cooks! I gave him instructions to begin cooking the beans as soon as he got home from work so they would be tender enough to add to the chili when I got home. Things turned out beautifully.

• 2 tsp canola oil
• 1/2 lb ground lean beef
• 1/2 lb ground lean pork
• 1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 14-oz can fire-roasted crushed tomatoes
• 1/4 cup water
• 2 tsp seeded and minced jalapeno peppers (optional)
• 1 tbsp chili powder
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp dried oregano
• 1 15.5-oz can red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
• reduced-fat shredded cheddar cheese
• 3 scallions, thinly sliced
• fat-free sour cream

Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet or soup pot over medium heat. Add the beef and pork; cook, breaking up with a wooden spoon, until no longer pink, 6 minutes. Add the bell pepper, onion, and garlic; cook, stirring, until soft, 5 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes, water, jalapenos (if using), chili powder, cumin, salt, and oregano; bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, covered, stirring occasionally, 30 minutes. Stir in the beans and cook until heated through, 5 minutes. Serve with the cheese, scallions, and sour cream.

I had this with a Stone Brewing Company IPA.