Ground beef, onion and apple hamburger ... oh my!

For those of you who like your hamburgers to be ground beef and nothing else you can stop reading this now and move on to something else.

For those of you who are interested in trying something a little different with your hamburgers, here's one which you may or may not have heard of or tried:  Hamburgers made with ground beef, diced onion and diced apple.  I just made this one today.  These were gone within the first hour as the taste was the right mix of sweet and tangy and the texture a good balance of firm and soft.  

This recipe was passed to me with the recommendation of using a Granny Smith apple.  Where apples are currently in season here, I chose a local Zest Star (or Zestar) apple and a local white onion both from Dick's Market Garden.  Like the Granny Smith, the Zest Star is a firm apple, although less tart.  Think Jolly Rancher Apple Stick flavor and you have an idea of what a Zest Star tastes like.

The amounts of apple and onion are variant so use your best judgement in determining how much to use.  Also , please feel free to experiment with different types of meat, onions or apples.  

Ground beef, onion and apple hamburger

1 lb. ground beef
1/4 - 1 small onion, diced
1/4 - 1/2 apple, diced or peeled, cored and grated

In bowl, combine beef, onion and apple.  Shape into hamburger patties.  Grill or broil to desired level of doneness.  Serve.  Store any unused hamburgers in refrigerator in air tight container. 

Heirloom Tomato Salsa

Yes, I realize it's been over two months since my last post, but fear not. I did not forget any of you. I've been out and about this summer enjoying the fantastic seasonal produce all the while documenting, testing, tasting and revising all the great recipes I make using what is available locally during the summer.

With the above being said and with tomatoes, onions, jalapenos and cilantro locally available right now if you know who to go to, here is the recipe I use for salsa.

I tried this recipe for the first time in 2011 and have made it every year since. I use this recipe to teach people how to can as one batch only makes about 3 ½ – 4 ½ pints and easily demonstrates waterbath canning from start to finish in about two hours. While I will not go into the details here on what is needed for successful waterbath canning, I suggest downloading the “Getting Started Guide” from the Ball website and reading about waterbath canning if you are interested in learning more.

Don't be afraid to prepare your tomatoes, onions or jalapenos in advance. I've seeded and diced tomatoes, onions and jalapenos up to a week in advance of making this salsa. You can store unused jalapenos, diced and seeded, in freezer-safe ziploc bags for up to one year. This year's first batch contained jalapenos which were frozen last October.

Heirloom Tomato Salsa yield: approx. 3 ½ pints – 4 ½ pints

1 cup distilled white vinegar

¼ cup sugar

2 ¼ tsp kosher salt

3 pounds (6 cups) heirloom tomatoes, any variety, seeded and diced

½ pound (1 cup) onions, diced

2 jalapeno peppers, finely diced

1 cup chopped fresh cilantro (optional)

1. Bring the vinegar, sugar, and salt to a boil in a large nonreactive saucepan. Add the tomatoes, onions, and jalapenos. Return to a gentle boil for 5 minutes.

2. Cool, cover and refrigerate for up to 5 days, or can the salsa using the waterbath method in steps 3 through 5.
3. Ladle into clean, hot ½-pint canning jars, leaving ½ inch of headspace at the top of each. Stir to release trapped air.
4. Wipe the rims clean; center the lids on the jars and screw on the jar bands. Process in a waterbath canner with a rack for 15 minutes. Turn off the heat, remove the canner lid, and let the jars rest in the water for 5 minutes.
5. Remove jars with tongs and set aside for 24 hours. Check the seals and store in a cool, dark place for up to 1 year.

(Reprinted from Put 'em Up, by Sherri Brooks Vinton (Storey Publishing, 2010) in the June 2011 issue of Yoga Journal.)

Spelt Pie Crust or how I gained, lost and am working to re-gain my pie crust mojo

Cooking and baking have been loves of mine for as long as I can remember. With an insatiable sweet tooth, I baked cookies, brownies, cakes and other sugary delights to no end. However, I stayed away from pies, primarily from pies with fruit fillings which required a pie crust not already formed into the pie plate.

In 2006, the then teenage son of my friends Leslie and Stu expressed interest in making an apple pie from scratch. At this same time, I decided I should get past my fear of pie crust and make one from scratch. Together, we made an apple pie using the Classic Crisco Pie Crust. The crust came out perfect. Flaky but not crumbly. I personally found the taste of the crust a touch on the salty side. This was due to a one to one substitution of kosher salt for table salt as called for in the recipe instead of 3/8 teaspoon of kosher salt for 1/2 teaspoon of salt.

For my next attempt at apple pie with homemade pie crust, I turned to the Whole Wheat Flaky Pie Crust recipe found on the back of the Bob's Red Mill 5-pound bag of Whole Wheat Pastry Flour. I substituted organic shortening for butter and kosher salt for sea salt.

It was perfect.

Bob's Red Mill Whole Wheat Flaky Pie Crust recipe with kosher salt and organic shortening became my pie crust recipe. Everyone loved it. I found it easy to make especially where it could sit in the fridge for 1-2 days and not be problematic. I taught it to my cousin, Jenn, when she was interested in learning how to make apple pie from scratch. When I received a pastry blender as gift, making pie crust became a joy, not a fearful chore.

Then, in 2011, I began to have problems with my pie crust. It would break apart when transferring to the pie plate. It would crack and not drape over the filling. It was dry. It had no flavor. “Patchwork” became standard process to top the fruit filling.

I had lost my pie crust mojo.

Determined to get my mojo back, I decided to try a pie crust using spelt flour with a recipe found on Bob's Red Mill's website. Spelt is a whole grain and an ancient species of wheat whose taste I find similar to whole wheat.

The end result was a golden pie crust, not to sweet, but not super-flaky either.

My pie crust mojo is coming back. 

Bob's Red Mill's Spelt Pie Crust Recipe: http://juliesnekitchen.blogspot.com/2016/01/single-or-double-spelt-pie-crust-for-9.html 

Bob's Red Mill's Whole Wheat Flaky Pie Crust Recipe: http://www.bobsredmill.com/recipes.php?recipe=841

Pumpkin Banana Nut Bread

Now that spring is migrating into summer it seems I have an opportunity to move closer to my goal of trying twelve new recipes before the end of the year. This time I tried Pumpkin Banana NutBread from VeryBestBaking.com. This is the same website from which I got the Magic Cookie Bar recipe I tried back in 2010. With two very ripe bananas and all the other ingredients at hand, I made the two very tall 9” x 5” loaves as instructed. While the end result was good, it was crumbly. I think the next time I make this I will omit the walnuts and make two shorter 9” x 5” loaves and one mini-loaf.

Pumpkin Banana Nut Bread from VeryBestBaking.com: http://www.verybestbaking.com/recipes/32244/Pumpkin-Banana-Nut-Bread/detail.aspx

Pumpkin Butterscotch Cookies

I realize it's been well over a month since my last post. Things have been busy, and I a have not had the opportunity to bake, cook and blog about my cooking adventures as much as I would like.

Additionally, I am behind on my goal of trying twelve new recipes this year. I started the twelve new recipe goal in 2010 when I realized I made the same dozen or so recipes time and again. One recipe a month, how hard could that be? Quite easy for me as I would usually reach the goal by June and have keeper recipes such as Magic Cookie Bars, New York Style (Quick) Pizza Sauce and Chocolate Avocado Mousse and not ever again recipes such as Multi-Grain Muffins and Blueberry Quinoa Muffins.

Therefore, I was very happy this weekend to have the opportunity to try a new recipe to count toward my 2013 goal.

The new recipe was the Pumpkin Butterscotch Cookie recipe from veryculinary.com. This is the first recipe I've tried from veryculinary and it was a success all around. The recipe was easy, straightforward and very well written. I found it easy to substitute two tablespoons from my everyday utensil set for the #40 ice cream cookie dough scoop noted in the recipe. The house smelled fabulous, even into the next day. The end product was well received and given thumbs up.  

Pumpkin Butterscotch Cookies from veryculinary.com: 

http://www.veryculinary.com/_recipes/_treats/pumpkin-butterscotch-cookies-print.html

Winter Fruit Salad with Poppy Seed Dressing or one of Julie's favorite pot luck dishes

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This is one of my favorite pot luck dishes.  The dressing can be made a week in advance, the poppy seed can be substituted for either flax seeds or sesame seeds, the cashews can be successfully substituted with chickpeas, the pear and apple can be substituted for local seasonal fruit, which I am known for doing, and bagged ready to serve Romaine lettuce or mixed greens can be used in place of the large head of Romaine lettuce.

I happened upon this recipe at a Friend's Thanksgiving hosted by my friends, Bob and Michelle. Bob's mother brought this, and I instantly fell in love with it bringing it to countless pot lucks ever since.

While this recipe can be assembled the night before or at the pot luck, I do suggest some assembly of salad prior to heading out for the pot luck especially if you are unsure of what type of kitchen facility you'll have at your destination, which has happened to me during such gatherings. Some tips on partial pre-assembly:

• If using cubed apples, add them with the dressing to a freezer safe gallon size ziploc bag. This will keep them from turning brown and freezer safe bag's thick plastic will help guard against puncture and leaking. 
• If using cubed apples and chickpeas, add them both with the dressing to a freezer safe gallon size ziploc bag. This will keep the apples from turning brown and save you work during final assembly.
• If using cashews or swiss cheese, add these with the dried cranberries to a quart size ziploc bag. Once again, this will save you work during final assembly.
• The salad/serving bowl makes a great container to transport an unassembled or partially assembled salad, especially if you are taking public transportation to your destination.

Winter Fruit Salad with Poppy Seed Dressing (the recipe)

Dressing

½ cup sugar

1/3 cup lemon juice

2 tsp chopped onion or 1 tsp onion powder

1 tsp Dijon mustard or other spicy mustard such as Gulden's

½ tsp table salt or ¼ tsp kosher salt

2/3 cup oil, canola oil suggested

1 tbsp poppy seed, flax seed or sesame seed

If using a blender, combine sugar, lemon juice, onion, mustard and salt. Slowly add oil until it is thick and smooth. Add the poppy seed and process for a few minutes.

If mixing by hand, add lemon juice, oil and sugar to either a salad dressing shaker, salad dressing cruet or 2-cup pyrex measuring cup. Stir until blended. Add onion, salt, poppy seed, mustard. Mix until blended.

Salad

1 large head Romaine lettuce – torn into bite size pieces or 9 oz bag of ready to serve Romaine Lettuce

4 oz. Finely shredded swiss cheese (optional or serve on side if guest(s) have dairy allergy)

1 cup lightly salted cashews or 2 cups (1 – 19 oz can) of chickpeas, rinsed

¼ cup dried cranberries

1 apple, cubed

1 pear, cubed

(In summer, seasonal fruit can be substituted for interest and color variations.)

Add lettuce to large bowl followed by fruit, cranberries, chickpeas or cashews and swiss cheese. Add dressing. Toss. Serve.

Eggplant, meat and tomato with spices or Julie's version of Tongue of the Judge

While buying ground beef at a winter farmer's market yesterday, I was asked how I use the meat. In addition to the usual meatballs and sloppy joe's, I mentioned the following which is a variation of the recipe “Tongue of the Judge” from Gill Partington's The Axis of Evil Cookbook.

This is a traditional Middle Eastern dish I was first introduced to by my girlfriend, Louise, who brought it to a tea which a group of our friends have once every three to four months. Since then, both our friend, Sally, and myself have made this recipe for tea each with our own variations. So, here's my version.

Eggplant, meat and tomato with spices

I've found this to be a great make in advance recipe as it can sit in the refrigerator for 1 – 3 days prior to heating and serving. Additionally, the eggplant portion can be made in advance, refrigerated for up to 1 week or kept frozen for up to 3 months. I make the eggplant portion from local eggplant when it's in season and freeze it so it's ready for use.  If you've ever made a lasagna, you'll find the steps familiar.

1 - 2 pounds eggplant, diced

4 – 8 tablespoons olive oil, plus additional if needed.

1 - 2 teaspoons onion powder, plus additional, if needed.

1 - 2 teaspoons garlic powder, plus additional, if needed.

1 – 2 medium onions, chopped

1 pound ground beef, lamb or turkey

2 tomatoes diced or 1 - 15 oz can diced tomatoes

1 teaspoon turmeric

1 – 6 oz can tomato paste

To make the eggplant, pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees farenheit. Put diced eggplant in either a large mixing bowl or gallon-size ziploc bag. Add olive oil, onion and garlic powder, adjusting amounts for taste and amount of eggplant. Mix if using bowl. Seal ziploc bag and shake until eggplant is covered. Place eggplant in either non-stick baking dish or baking dish sprayed with non-stick cooking spray. If you are not making this in advance, place eggplant in a covered casserole dish large enough to accommodate meat portion. Bake 30 minutes to 1 hour or until the largest pieces of eggplant are easily pierced with a fork. If making eggplant in advance, cool and then store in refrigerator in air tight container if using within a week. If freezing, put eggplant in a freezer safe container and freeze. This can remain frozen for up to 3 months.

If using previously cooked and frozen eggplant, thaw eggplant so it can be evenly spread in a covered casserole dish large enough to accommodate both the eggplant and meat portions. If making eggplant and meat portions simultaneously, wait until eggplant portion has cooked, been removed from oven and put on cooling rack prior to starting meat portion.

To make the meat portion, over medium to medium-high heat, saute the onions for 1 – 3 minutes, then add ground meat, continuing to stir and saute until meat is thoroughly cooked. Lower heat and add diced tomatoes and tumeric, stirring gently until thoroughly mixed. Add tomato paste, stirring gently again until thoroughly mixed. Layer meat portion evenly atop eggplant portion in covered casserole dish.

If making eggplant and meat portions simultaneously, serve, or cool completely prior to refrigerating. To heat prior to serving, pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees farenheit and place covered casserole with meat and eggplant portions in pre-heated oven. Cook 25 – 45 minutes or until fork inserted in center is hot to touch when removed.