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Korean Barbecued Hamburgers

Posted in About me, In The Kitchen, Recipes, Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on April 23, 2013 | Leave a Comment »

Korean Barbecued Hamburgers

Instead of eating ordinary hamburgers on a bun, take your hamburger dining experience to a whole new gastronomical level. By creatively substituting and adding different elements, you can successfully fuse together the flavors of different cultures. Last weekend I created Korean Barbecued Hamburgers for a weekend backyard barbecue. Soy sauce, sesame seeds, brown sugar, and chopped green onions flavored the hamburger meat. After grilling the patties, the fun began! Spicy kimchi topped the burgers instead of traditional pickles and a small handful of fresh pea shoots, instead of alfalfa sprouts, added a nice crunchy texture. And, in lieu of ketchup, I substituted Korean Ssamjang sauce. Ssamjang sauce is a thick spicy condiment normally made from doenjang (Korean soybean paste), gochujang (Korean chili pepper paste), sesame oil, onion, garlic and green onions. With everyone asking for MORE, these tasty burgers were deemed a huge hit!

Korean Hamburger Elements
Ingredients:
Korean barbecued hamburger patties (recipe below)
Hamburger buns
Lettuce leaves
Tomato slices
Kimchi
Pea shoots (AKA pea sprouts)
Ssamjang-Mayo sauce (recipe below)

Korean Barbecued Hamburgers
Meat recipe revised from the Favorite Island Cookery: Book II

Ingredients:
1 lb. ground beef
2 stalks green onion, chopped
1-2 cloves of garlic, minced
1½ T. soy sauce
Dash pepper
1 egg
2 tsp. brown sugar
1/2-inch piece of ginger root, minced
1 tsp. sesame seed, toasted
1 tsp. sesame seed oil

Directions:
Combine ingredients and form into patties. Broil 3 to 5 minutes on each side, pan fry or grill them on the barbecue.

Yields 3 to 4 servings

My Ssamjang-Mayo Sauce:
2 T. mayonnaise
1-2 T. Ssamjang sauce, depending on desired level of spiciness

Mix both ingredients together in a small bowl.

Assembly:
1. Spread Ssamjang-Mayo sauce on buns.
2. Add lettuce leaf to bottom portion of bun.
3. Place hamburger patty on lettuce leaf.
4. Place tomato slice on top of hamburger patty.
5. Put a few slices of kimchi on top of tomato.
6. Place a small handful of pea shoots on top of the tomato.
7. Place top portion of bun on top of shoots.

Linnell’s Notes:
1. I always double the meat recipe when serving 5 people.
2. Kimchi, Ssamjang sauce, and pea shoots can be purchased at most Asian markets. Kimchi and pea shoots can often be found at Trader Joe’s and I’ve purchased pea shoots at farmers’ markets, although they’re more expensive there.
3. If you can’t find Ssanjamg sauce, any chile garlic sauce like Sriracha can be used.
4. Recipes for two great side dishes to accompany these Korean Barbecued Hamburgers can also be found on this blog:
Asian Coleslaw
Asian Cucumber Salad

Enjoy these flavorful burgers and make sure to have plenty of napkins on hand!

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Homemade Gyros

Posted in About me, In The Kitchen, Recipes, Travel, Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on January 29, 2013 | Leave a Comment »

gyro meatloaf

Whether from a vendor on the streets of New York City or from a takeout counter in Monastiraki Square in Athens, Greece, my family loves to eat gyros. Delicious memories of warm circles of pita bread wrapped around flavorful slices of meat, tomatoes, onions and french fries, drizzled with a wonderfully refreshing Tzatziki sauce, prompted me to search for a homemade version. Normally gyro meat is slow-roasted on a vertical spit, but this recipe simplifies that by baking the meat in a loaf pan. Then, after some time in the refrigerator, the meat is thinly sliced and pan fried or grilled to give it a crispy texture – as if it’d been on a rotisserie for hours. A platter of gyro fixings would make for a fun family dinner or make great Super Bowl party fare.

Favorite Meat Loaf Gyros
Recipe from Taste of Home

Ingredients:
1 egg, lightly beaten
6 garlic cloves, minced
3 tablespoons dried oregano
1½ teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1 pound ground lamb
1 pound ground beef

TZATZIKI SAUCE:
1 cup (8 ounces) plain yogurt
1 medium cucumber, peeled, seeded and chopped
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

GYROS:
8 whole pita breads
3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
16 slices tomato
8 slices sweet onion, halved

Directions:
1. In a large bowl, combine the egg, garlic, oregano, kosher salt and pepper. Crumble lamb and beef over mixture; mix well.

2. Pat into an ungreased 9 x 5-inch loaf pan.

3. Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 60-70 minutes or until no pink remains and a meat thermometer reads 160°.

4. Cool completely on a wire rack. Refrigerate for 1-2 hours.

5. For sauce, in a small bowl, combine the yogurt, cucumber, lemon juice, garlic, salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate until serving.

6. Brush pita breads with 1 tablespoon oil; heat on a lightly greased griddle for 1 minute on each side. Keep warm.

7. Cut meat loaf into very thin slices. In a large skillet, fry meat loaf in remaining oil in batches until crisp.

8. On each pita bread, layer the tomato, onion and meat loaf slices; top with some Tzatziki sauce. Carefully fold pitas in half. Serve with remaining sauce.

Yield: 8 servings.

Linnell’s Notes:
1. This was an easy recipe, but it does require some planning ahead. The meat loaf needs to be refrigerated for a couple of hours to allow it to be firm enough to slice into thin slices.

2. Although the meat was flavorful, it seemed a tad dry to me. The next time I try this recipe, I will chop my own beef and lamb, so that the mixture is more coarse – resulting in better flavor and texture. I’d also like to try making other meat versions of gyros. Here are links to other versions to try:

Pork Gyros
Chicken Gyros

3. The next time I’ll also experiment by adding chopped onions, ground rosemary, and ground thyme to the meat mixture.

4. I fried the meat slices in a nonstick frying pan, so no additional oil was needed.

5. I doubled the recipe and gave some to my son and daughter-in-law, so they’d have one less dinner to cook during the week!

ENJOY!

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Georgia Coke Barbecue Sauce

Posted in About me, Husbands, Recipes, Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on August 28, 2012 | Leave a Comment »

Despite an effort to cut back on our consumption of meat, my husband surprised me this weekend by buying two whole tri-tip roasts. The bargain package of meat he grilled will certainly last us a while. More simply put, with only two of us at home, we each have one roast to eat up! The plus side of having so much cooked meat is I get a temporary reprieve from cooking dinner. The negative side of it is you can bet the dog is going to find beef mixed in with his low cholesterol kibble and I’m going to need to prevent sliced-tri-tip-boredom by being creative. Off the top of my head, I’m planning French Dip sandwiches and sliced beef salads. I’m also thinking of a few sauces that pair nicely with grilled beef. One obvious example is barbecue sauce. Here’s an easy recipe that uses ingredients that most of us have at home. You’ll notice that there is no sugar listed – don’t need any, thanks to the ketchup and the Coca-Cola!

Georgia Coke Barbecue Sauce
Recipe from Nathalie Dupree’s New Southern Cooking cookbook

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 bay leaf
2 cups ketchup
6 ounces Coca-Cola
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
Salt and freshly ground pepper

Directions:
Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the onion; cook 5 minutes. Do not brown. Stir in the remaining ingredients. Heat to boiling; reduce the heat. Simmer, uncovered, 20 minutes. Remove the bay leaf.

Makes 1½ cups

Linnell’s Notes:
1. Do not use diet cola! The recipe needs the original Coca-Cola for it’s flavor and sugar.
2. This barbecue sauce is good and simple to make, but if you’re wanting one with a great depth of flavor, this may not be the one for you.
3. My hubby thinks this would be great on chicken, too!

Enjoy!

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Tri-Color Potato Medley with Green Chile-Cilantro Salsa

Posted in About me, Recipes, Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , on April 17, 2012 | Leave a Comment »

The children’s counting rhyme “One potato, two potato, three potato, four . . . .” ran through my head as I wondered what to do with a five pound bag of tri-colored potatoes that my husband brought home after a quick run out to Costco. Small red, cream, and blue potatoes tumbled out of the bag as I prepared them for roasting. But before tossing out the bag, I looked at it and discovered a simple and seemingly low-calorie recipe, full of fresh flavors and a little bit of kick. Knowing that this potato salad would be a huge hit with my family, I changed course and turned off the oven!

Tri-Color Potato Medley with Green Chile-Cilantro Salsa
Recipe from RPE/Naturally Nutritious

Ingredients:
5 lbs. medley of potatoes
7.5 tbsp. cider vinegar, divided
5 fresh jalapeños, seeds and ribs removed
Juice from 1¼ fresh lime
2.5 cup fresh cilantro, coarsely chopped
2.5 shallots, coarsely chopped
3 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
2/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Directions:
1. Place potatoes in a large saucepan, cover with water and add salt. Bring to a boil and simmer potatoes until just tender, about 15-18 minutes. Potatoes will continue to cook after draining; do not overcook or they will break apart.

2. Drain potatoes and rinse under cold water until slightly cooled. Cut into bite-sized pieces while still warm and gently toss with 2.5 tablespoons vinegar. Continue to cool potatoes to room temperature.

3. While potatoes cook, coarsely chop jalapeños and pulse in a food processor with lime juice, cilantro, shallots, garlic, oil, and remaining vinegar until finely chopped.

4. When potatoes are cool, toss with pepper mixture and serve.

Makes 8 to 12 servings

Linnell’s Notes:
1. While searching for the exact recipe source, I found the potato distributor’s website and on it was the same recipe, but scaled back to serve 4 to 6 people. Here’s the link to that recipe.

2. Because the jalapeños I purchased were large and because I don’t enjoy the heat from peppers as much as the rest of my family does, I only added 2-3 jalapenos.

3. To make this recipe gluten-free, make sure to use an olive oil that has been manufactured without contamination from any wheat products. Bariani and Bertolli have been mentioned on a Celiac.com online thread as safe brands. In addition, cider vinegar is considered safe, but know that not all vinegars are gluten-free.

Enjoy!

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Shrimp and Romaine Heart Salad

Posted in In The Kitchen, Recipes, Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on March 13, 2012 | Leave a Comment »

A dinner outing with friends to a new market/deli restaurant provided me with memories of a salad that I couldn’t forget and inspired me to try making it at home. Picture half of a romaine heart sprinkled with fresh bay shrimp, bits of juicy, red, ripe tomatoes, chopped hard boiled eggs, crisp pieces of bacon, and drizzled with homemade Thousand Island dressing. It’s nothing fancy or anything original, but this salad shines on many counts. In a sense, it’s a delicious combination of a wedge salad and a chopped salad, but only better. Romaine lettuce is more nutritious than iceberg lettuce and the flat surfaces of halved romaine hearts are superior for holding toppings over a wedge. The toppings are also reminiscent of ingredients found in a chopped salad. It’s a versatile salad that can be prepared ahead of time and is beautifully served preassembled on a platter or on individual salad plates. For a larger group, this salad can be arranged as an appetizing salad bar. If you’re going the salad bar route, offer more than one salad dressing. For your convenience, I’ve included recipes for both Thousand Island and Creamy Blue Cheese dressings.

Shrimp and Romaine Heart Salad
Recipe by Linnell

Ingredients for Salad:
Romaine hearts (1/2 per person)
Hard boiled eggs, chopped
Bacon, cooked crisp and chopped
Ripe tomatoes, seeded and chopped
Fresh Bay Shrimp, rinsed and patted dry
Salad dressing (recipes for Thousand Island Dressing and Creamy Blue Cheese Dressing below)

Directions:
1. Cut romaine hearts in half lengthwise. Cut off bottoms of stems close to the ends (you want to keep as many leaves attached as possible). Cut off top leaves, so that all hearts are the same length. These tops can be washed and saved for another salad.

2. Carefully place two romaine halves at a time in a salad spinner filled with water. Let sit a bit, pour out water and spin dry.
3. Place romaine halves, cut side down, in an airtight square or rectangular container with paper towels lining the bottom. Add more romaine halves until bottom of container is covered. Cover with another paper towel and then the lid. If storing many romaine halves and the container is deep, place a layer of paper towels over the first layer of romaine halves, add more romaine halves, again cut side down on top of paper towels. Repeat this layering process until all romaine halves are carefully stored. Store container in the refrigerator.
4. Prepare salad dressing(s) and refrigerate.
5. Prepare toppings and refrigerate those that need refrigeration.
6. To plate salad, either place one romaine half on a salad plate, sprinkle toppings over it, and drizzle with salad dressing or arrange all romaine halves on a large platter and sprinkle with toppings and dressing. For a salad bar, place romaine hearts on a platter and place toppings and dressings in small bowls.

Thousand Island Dressing
Recipe from Food.com

Ingredients:
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons ketchup
1 tablespoon white vinegar
2 teaspoons sugar
2 teaspoons sweet pickle relish
1 teaspoon finely minced white onions
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 dash black pepper

Directions:
1. Combine all of the ingredients in a small bowl. Stir well.
2. Place dressing in a covered container and refrigerate for several hours, stirring occasionally, so that the sugar dissolves and the flavors blend.

Makes 5 servings

Creamy Blue Cheese Dressing
Recipe by Rachel Ray

Ingredients:
6 ounces (about 1/3 pound) double cream blue veined cheese, softened to room temperature
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup sour cream
Salt and pepper
2 pinches ground cayenne pepper

Directions:
1. Mash softened cheese with fork in a bowl.
2. Whisk in the cream and sour cream onto cheese, the consistency should be smooth with an occasional small bit of blue.
3. Season with salt and pepper and cayenne pepper. Refrigerate.

Makes 4 servings

Linnell’s Notes:
1. At a recent party I hosted, I served this salad as a salad bar. Not knowing everyone’s likes and dislikes, I felt it was better to let my guests add their own toppings. About one hour before my guests arrived, I removed the romaine halves form the storage container and arranged them on a platter. I also spooned the toppings and both salad dressings into small bowls. All were covered with plastic wrap and refrigerated until serving time.

2. Do not limit yourself to the toppings listed above. Substitute ingredients to suit your own taste and incorporate seasonal items. For example, use fresh crab meat instead of shrimp, or if fresh corn is in season, by all means use some fresh sweet corn kernels as a topping, etc.

3. I did not add very much salt to the blue cheese dressing because the cheese was already on the salty side.

Enjoy!

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