Thought for Food

(NC)—Looking for a quick and easy way to liven up your burgers this summer? Here are two terrific recipes you can try on the barbecue. And safe? You bet, says Health Canada, as long as you cook the centre of your burger to a temperature of 71ºC (160ºF). Use an instant-read food thermometer to make sure the burgers are completely cooked. Both recipes are adapted from the Beef Information Centre and are available at www.beefinfo.org

Mexi-Grill Burgers

500 g (1 lb) lean ground beef

75 mL (1/3 cup) salsa

50 mL (1/4 cup) dry bread crumbs or small flake oatmeal

1 egg, beaten

5 mL (1 tsp) chili powder

2 mL (1/2 tsp) mustard powder

4 large flour tortillas or onion buns

Sliced onions

Shredded Cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese

Corn relish

In large bowl, lightly combine ground beef, salsa, bread crumbs, egg, chili powder, and mustard powder. Shape into 4 patties, each about 1.5 cm (1/2") thick. Preheat barbecue. Cook patties on lightly oiled grill, over medium-high heat, 5-7 minutes per side, turning only once. When patties are almost done, remove from heat and insert an instant-read food thermometer sideways into the centre of the thickest burger. If the temperature registers at least 71ºC (160ºF), the burger is done, if not, continue cooking until a minimum temperature of 71ºC (160ºF) is reached. If a thermometer is not available, do not eat ground beef that is still pink inside. Serve each burger in a flour tortilla; and top with onions, cheese and relish. Makes 4 servings.

Greek Burgers

500 g (1 lb) lean ground beef

50 mL (1/4 cup) dry bread crumbs or small flake oatmeal

1 egg, beaten

15 mL (1 Tbsp) dried oregano leaves

5 mL (1 tsp) each garlic powder and crushed dried rosemary

2 pitas (20 cm/8" size), halved or 4 hamburger buns

Crumbled feta cheese

Sliced black olives

Chopped red onions, cucumbers and tomatoes

Tzatziki sauce

In large bowl, lightly combine ground beef, bread crumbs, egg, oregano, garlic powder and rosemary. Shape into 4 patties, each about 1.5 cm (1/2") thick. Preheat barbecue. Cook patties on lightly oiled grill over medium-high heat 5-7 minutes per side, turning only once. When patties are almost done, remove from heat and insert an instant-read food thermometer sideways into the centre of the thickest burger. If the temperature registers at least 71ºC (160ºF), the burger is done; if not, continue cooking until a minimum temperature of 71ºC (160ºF) is reached. If a thermometer is not available, do not eat ground beef that is still pink inside. Serve each burger in pita pocket half and top with cheese, olives, onions, cucumber, tomatoes and sauce. Makes 4 servings.

News Canada

Posted by Ian McKenzie at 08:32 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Pita Bread
Recipe courtesy Tyler Florence and JoAnn Cianciulli

1 package active dry yeast
1 teaspoon sugar
11/2 cups warm water
1 teaspoon salt
31/2 cups bread flour, plus more for dusting
1 teaspoon olive oil

In the bowl of a heavy-duty electric mixer fitted with a dough hook, combine the yeast, sugar, and warm water; stir to blend. Let the yeast stand until foamy, about 5 to 10 minutes.

Stir in the salt. Add the flour, a little at a time, mixing at the lowest speed until all the flour has been incorporated and the dough gathers into a ball; this should take about 4 minutes.

Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead until it's smooth and elastic. Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl, turn it over to coat, and cover with plastic wrap. Allow to rise until double in size, about 1 1/2 hours.

Place a large pizza stone on the lower oven rack, pre-heat the oven (and stone) to 500 degrees F.

Punch the dough down, divide it into 8 pieces, and gather each piece into a ball; keeping all of them lightly floured and covered while you work. Allow the balls of dough to rest, covered, for 15 minutes so they will be easier to roll out.

Using a rolling pin, roll each dough ball into a circle that is about 8-inches in diameter and 1/4-inch thick. Make sure the circle is totally smooth, with no creases or seams in the dough, which can prevent the pitas from puffing up properly. Cover the disks as you roll them out, but do not stack them up. Put 2 pita rounds at a time on the hot pizza stone and bake for 3 to 4 minutes, or until the bread puffs up like a balloon and is pale golden. Watch closely; they bake fast. Remove the bread from the oven and place on a rack to cool for 5 minutes; they will naturally deflate, leaving a pocket in the centre. Wrap the pitas in a large kitchen towel to keep them soft.

Food Network: Pita Bread

Posted by Ian McKenzie at 02:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Ingredients:
3 cups of plain, unsweetened yogurt
2 medium-sized cucumbers
4 cloves of garlic
2 tbsps of olive oil
dill (fresh is great, as is a bit of cilantro, but dried dill or basil - in small quantities - will both taste good)
salt to taste

Directions:
1. Drain yogurt completely.
2. Clean and grate cucumber, then drain (in a cheesecloth or clean tea towel).
3. Crush garlic.
4. Put yogurt in a large bowl, add cucumber, garlic, dill, olive oil and salt.
5. Mix together gently.
6.Refrigerate for half an hour before serving.

Technorati Tags: Cooking, Recipes, Greek, Side Dish, Cucumber

Posted by Ian McKenzie at 01:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Makes 4 to 6 servings

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
2 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1/2 teaspoon granulated sugar
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground pepper to taste
2 cups cherry tomatoes, quartered
2 medium cucumbers, peeled, halved and cut into 1/4-inch slices
1/2 red sweet pepper, diced
1/2 green sweet pepper, diced
1/2 red onion, diced
1/4 cup black kalamata olives
1/2 cup crumbled Feta cheese
1/4 cup shredded fresh oregano

Directions:
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together vinegars, sugar, oil, salt and pepper.
Add tomatoes, peppers, olives, cucumbers, Feta cheese, and oregano. Toss well and serve.

Posted by Ian McKenzie at 04:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

1 (4 to 5-pound) boneless leg of lamb, trimmed of visible fat
5 cloves garlic, peeled and cut into 20 slivers
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano
1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
Essence
16 pita breads
Tzatziki Sauce, recipe follows
Chopped tomatoes

With a sharp knife, make 20 slits across 1 side of the lamb and insert the garlic slivers. Place in a large non-reactive dish.

In a bowl, whisk together the oil, lemon juice, garlic, oregano, rosemary, salt, and pepper. Pour over the lamb and rub evenly across the surface. Cover with plastic wrap and marinate, refrigerated, for at least 2 and up to 6 hours, turning occasionally.

Remove from the refrigerator and let come to room temperature. Season lightly on all sides with Essence. Brush a grill lightly with olive oil and preheat to medium heat.

Remove the lamb from the marinade and place on the grill. Cook, turning occasionally until the meat reaches an internal temperature of 145 degrees F for medium-rare, about 1 1/2 hours. Remove from the grill and transfer to a platter. Tent with foil and let rest for 12 minutes before carving.

Thinly slice the lamb and place the meat in the center of the pita breads. Top with Tzatziki Sauce and chopped tomatoes, and serve.

Posted by Ian McKenzie at 02:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)