Lamb Burgers

Boston was freezing yesterday. It wasn’t just a normal winter’s chill, but a wear-your-coat indoors, bitter frostbite. It was so cold out that Alex and I were unable to turn on our grill, which was quite inconvenient, as I was making lamb burgers for dinner. In the future, I will probably stick to indoor recipes when the temperature descends below 10 degrees.

I have been hesitant to cook burgers indoors ever since a Fourth of July incident a few years ago, which involved the Cambridge Fire Department and the evacuation of our entire apartment building. Unfortunately, the grill’s malfunction left me with little choice. I ended up cooking the burgers on my stove and finishing them in the oven, a method that surprisingly did not smoke up my apartment.

The results were a great success. Jalapenos, shallots, herbs and spices created a truly flavorful dish — more of a large kofte patty than a traditional burger. With it I served a beet salsa that was delicious on its own, but didn’t blend well with the lamb. The next time I make these burgers, I will nix the beets and prepare a delicious tzatziki for a sublime meal.

Lamb Burger:

Adapted from Paul Gaylor’s recipe in Bon Appetit, July 2006

1 shallot, minced

1 jalapeno pepper, minced

1 garlic clove, minced

1 tbs cilantro, minced

1 tbs fresh mint, minced

1/2 tsp paprika

1/2 tsp cumin

1 3/4 lbs ground lamb

Stir shallot, jalapeno, garlic, cilantro, mint, paprika and cumin in a large bowl. Gently mix in lamb and form into four thick patties. Grill on medium-high heat to desired doneness, about 4 minutes per side for medium rare.

My New Favorite Cornbread

You may notice that my writing has suddenly become more stylish. This is because I am now using my new MacBook. I have promptly affected a hip persona, and find myself looking at PC users with disdain. It is a great effort for me to resist the urge to wax poetical about trendy topics like the merits of Japanese design, which is sadly outside the purview of kitchendiaries.net.

Instead, I will write about the cornbread I prepared a few days ago, which was surprisingly successful, considering it was made by a pathetic Dell user. My original plan was to serve the cornbread as an accompaniment to my Super Bowl Chili, but Whole Foods was out of cornmeal that Sunday, forcing me to settle for a nasty jalapeño-cheddar cornbread from the bakery section, which no one at the party dared touch. I knew I could do better, and was especially curious about a Cook’s Illustrated recipe that claimed to make a Southern cornbread for the northern palate.

I have given much thought to the relative merits of America’s myriad regional cornbreads. As an Ohioan living in Massachusetts, it is unsurprising that I prefer the sweeter, lighter Northern cornbread to the denser, drier Southern incarnations. However, I can’t help but feel that Northern cornbread is too cake-like to be a suitable dinner accompaniment. The Cook’s Illustrated recipe definitely was the best of both worlds: a savory cornbread that was moist and substantial. The bacon fat didn’t hurt the flavor, to be sure, but I think the dish still would have been delicious if made with butter and oil. Cook’s Illustrated has done it again with my new favorite cornbread recipe:

Southern-Style Cornbread

Adapted from Cook’s Illustrated

4 tsp bacon drippings

1 cup yellow cornmeal

2 tsp granulated sugar

1 tsp kosher salt

1 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/3 cup water (rapidly boiling)

3/4 cup buttermilk

1 large egg, lightly beaten

Adjust the oven rack to the lower middle position and heat to 450 degrees. Set 8-inch cast-iron skillet with bacon drippings in heating oven.

Measure 1/3 cup cornmeal into small bowl. Mix remaining cornmeal, sugar, salt, baking powder, and baking soda in large bowl. Set aside.

Pour boiling water all at once into the 1/3 cup cornmeal. Stir to make a stiff mush. Whisk in buttermilk gradually, breaking up lumps until smooth, then whisk in egg. When oven is preheated and skillet is smoking hot, stir dry ingredients into mush mixture until just moistened. Carefully remove skillet from oven. Pour hot bacon fat from the skillet into the batter and stir to incorporate, the quickly pour the batter into heated skillet. Bake until golden brown, about 20 minutes. Remove from oven and instantly turn cornbread onto a wire rack. Let rest for five minutes and then serve immediately.

Super Bowl Chili

 

Yesterday’s Super Bowl did not end well for Boston.  The party I attended was going strong all evening, but promptly broke up when the Patriots lost the game.  Everyone went home depressed and sullen – the dreams of a perfect season crushed by one lousy touchdown. I, too, was lamenting perfection’s elusiveness.  A loyal Browns fan to the core, I wasn’t very upset by the Patriots’ defeat, although I would have preferred their victory.  My thoughts, however, were focused on my Super Bowl chili, which while tasty, was far from perfect. 

 

I wanted to make a meaty chili using sausage and ground beef.  My mother’s recipe from The New Basics Cookbook has always been a favorite of mine, so I decided to break my moratorium on new cookbook purchases for this special occasion.  Unfortunately, my results were far inferior to my mother’s.  The recipe expects you to brown the beef after sweating the onions, which definitely did not work for me.  There was way too much liquid in the pan, causing the beef to steam and never caramelize.  I also ran out of chili powder in the middle of the recipe, and was forced to haphazardly throw in spices and hope for the best.  The results were palatable enough, but I knew I could do better.

 

Below is the recipe I will use the next time I make chili.  I took the idea of making a spice paste from a 1998 Cook’s Illustrated recipe, which completely omits all ground beef, instead favoring 1-inch cubes of chuck.  Alex is lobbying for me to replace the sausage with cubed beef, and has one year to convince me before I make chili for Super Bowl XLIII: Browns v. Patriots. 

 

Update — my brother informs me that the Browns will never play the Patriots in the Super Bowl because they are both in the AFC.  I guess I’ll be making chili for the championship game.

 

Super Bowl Chili:

 

3 medium Ancho chili pods

3 medium New Mexico Chili pods

2 tbs cumin seeds, toasted in a skillet and ground

2 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp cinnamon

1 lb sweet Italian sausage, cut into 1-inch pieces

1 lb spicy Italian sausage, cut into 1-inch pieces

2 lbs ground beef chuck¼ cup olive oil

2 cups onion, chopped5 cloves garlic, minced

6 jalapeño peppers, minced

2 red bell peppers, chopped

2 green bell peppers, chopped

2 28-oz cans whole tomatoes, drained

1 cup parsley, chopped

1 cup dry red wine

 

Toast Ancho and New Mexico chili pods in a 350 degree oven until they become fragrant and puffed, about 6 minutes.  Mix with cumin, oregano, cinnamon and ½ cup of water to form a thick paste. Set aside.

 

Brown sausage in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Set aside and drain off any extra fat.  Brown the ground chuck and set aside.

 

Place oil in large pot over medium-high heat. Cook onions until soft, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and jalapeños and cook until they begin to soften, about one minute. Add chili paste about, 2 –

3 minutes. Add bell peppers and cook until begin to soften, about 3 minutes. Add beef, wine, drained tomatoes, parsley and sausage and cook for another 10 to 15 minutes.