Gourmet burgers to thrill your family
Regina Murphy
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
Today we’re talking burgers: big burgers, meaty burgers and even meatless burgers.
Bun of choice: onion, Kaiser, wheat, ciabatta, sourdough — even English muffins. The choices are endless! For me, it’s not a real burger if it doesn’t have a huge slice of tomato on it.
I’m also fond of white or red onion, although it treats me badly. The occasional sweet pickle is a nice surprise, but you can keep the dilled ones on the side.
I don’t know if you’ve ever eaten at a Chik-fil-A, but I love their sandwiches and waffle fries. Here’s a tasty vegetarian option that I strongly believe compensates for the quantity of waffle fries I normally consume.
CHICKPEA-FIL-A
BURGERS
1 1/4 cup bread crumbs
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 small onion, quartered
1/4 green bell pepper, quartered
1 (15-oz) can chickpeas (garbanzos)
1 large egg
Black pepper and salt to taste
1/3 cup all purpose flour
Using a food processor, place the minced garlic, onion, bell pepper in there and pulse until finely minced, but not mushy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
Combine the minced vegetables with the bread crumbs in a mixing bowl. Open the chickpeas and add two tablespoons of the juice to this mixture. Drain, rinse and pat dry the chickpeas (I use a double layer of paper towels). Put the chickpeas and egg in the food processor and pulse until well chopped, but not mushy — you need the texture. For that reason, I don’t recommend a blender.
Combine the chickpeas with the vegetables and season with salt and pepper as needed. Heat some oil in a skillet for cooking, and shape the burgers into four patties, gently patting them out as thinly as you can without cracking. Dredge the patties in flour and fry until golden brown, about three minutes on each side.
Serve with your normal burger condiments, or try a mayonnaise augmented with a little lime juice. You can also put thinly sliced cucumbers on there for extra crunch. This one works well with a stronger-flavored bread, like sourdough or onion rolls.
I know some of you thought I was kidding when I mentioned shark burgers last time, but I’m not! If you can get an excellent couple of shark steaks, you can make an incredibly delicious shark burger. Shark flesh is meaty, and holds together really well on a grill.
It isn’t particularly fishy in taste or smell, and not as oily as salmon. If you get the elongated pieces, use a hoagie bun. The trick is landing some shark in the middle of Kansas, but it’s worth it!
MURPHY’S SHARK BURGER
2 Shark steaks (about a pound)
Olive oil, extra virgin
Salt and pepper
4 pineapple rings
Rub each shark steak with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Place steaks on hot grill and cook for about 3 to 5 minutes per side, depending on the thickness of the steaks. Gently turn fish so it does not fall apart (a spatula is easiest). Once the flesh has become opaque and firm to the touch, it is cooked through.
Grill the pineapple rings at the same time and either serve them on the burger or to the side. I like this one with a horseradish sauce, or a wasabi-mayonnaise. It’s really good with cole slaw on top (and a big, fat summer-ripe slice of tomato).
If you like, use a can of salmon for this recipe--just pull out the spine and any skin (unless you like the skin). It’s tastier if you can get fresh salmon and cook it yourself.
YUM YUM
SALMON BURGER
1 lb. salmon filet, skinned
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/4 cup heavy cream
2 green onions, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 cup red bell pepper, chopped
1/4 tsp. each, oregano, thyme, basil, red pepper,
black pepper
1 tsp. lemon zest
1/4 cup bread crumbs
1 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley
1 Tbsp. canola oil
Steam or grill the salmon filet, and flake the flesh with a fork. Whisk together the egg, cream and spices, then combine all ingredients together to make your burger. Divide into four portions and pat out the salmon burgers. If they don’t want to hold together add a tiny bit more moisture. Fry them up in a skillet with a little oil, about five minutes on each side.
With a sun-dried tomato yogurt sauce, and thinly sliced red onion, tomato and lettuce — wow!
If you can grind it up, you can make a burger out of it. All you need is something to bind your ingredients together and you can go for it. Or, if you want to do a special cookout for friends, make a burger bar: Have your burgers ready to go at one end, and then line the table with plates of extras: slices of various cheeses, spicy mustard, blue cheese sauce, barbecue sauce, two or three lettuces, spinach, roasted bell peppers, grilled onions, and the list goes on.
Andy always makes an indentation in the top of the burger to hold the cheese when we melt it on. If you make a portabello burger, you don’t have to do that. Portabellos have a natural cup shape that will hold a lot of deliciousness without losing it to the coals. Plus, they are so meaty in texture, you’ll never know you’re not eating beef. Really.
MURPHY’S PORTABELLO BURGERS
2 large portabello mushroom caps
Olive oil, extra virgin
Salt and pepper
Balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup blue cheese
1 large bell pepper
Brush the caps free of dirt and remove the gills if you want to. Brush each side of the mushroom with olive oil and salt and pepper to taste. Get the grill going!
While you still have some flame, roast the bell pepper (or any peppers of choice. I love serranos). Use your tongs to turn them until the outsides are seared black. Pop them in a closeable container to sweat.
Grill the portabellos stem-side down for about four minutes, then flip them over. Drizzle the cap with a little basalmic vinegar, and fill them with blue cheese. Finish grilling another four minutes and they’re ready to go. While that’s happening, peel the skin of your peppers (save the juices for another project), pullout the ribs and seeds and slice into strips.
Serve your burger with huge strips of roasted pepper and thinly sliced red onion (you could grill that, too), fresh spinach leaves and either barbecue sauce or a brown mustard.
Next week we have a special column, the week after that is cookbook author Connie Freeman.
Don’t forget this Friday is “The Taste” event down at White Auditorium. Kayla Oney and Emporia Main Street are putting together quite the shindig this year featuring some local microbreweries, so you don’t want to miss out. Advance tickets are $30, or it will be $35 at the door. Live music, food, wine and beer: what a great way to spend a Friday evening! Call 340-6430 for more information. Let’s get cooking!