Chili Burgers and Slaw

It’s still HOT-HOT-HOT here on the eastern shore so this week’s dinner menus will be limited to lots of outdoor grilling with accompanying side dishes. Grenville keeps coming in with fresh veggies so I have to find more ways to use them. Last growing season, I learned that zucchini do NOT freeze well. And while baking zucchini bread is an option did I mention that it was VERY HOT here this week? And, the worst days are yet to come the next couple of days. Check out the heat index for Thursday.

Tomorrow: Mostly sunny skies. A stray afternoon thunderstorm is possible. High 96F. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph.
Tomorrow night: Isolated thunderstorms in the evening. Fair skies overnight. Muggy. Low 76F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 30%.
Thursday: Mostly sunny skies. A stray afternoon thunderstorm is possible. Heat index near 105F. High 99F. Winds WSW at 10 to 20 mph.

As you can see, it’s HOT and getting Hotter by the day so our dinner favorites for the next few days will be anything Grenville can grill and lots of salads. If you’ve been following previous posts, you know about the fresh veggies that he’s been harvesting  this week. Burgers are a favorite at the F&P and tonight’s dinner features two recipes from the U.S.A. Cookbook by Sheila Lukins (more on Ms. Lukins below). The cookbook colors went well with this post, especially the RED.

Chili Burgers
If you like chili like we do, here’s a way to spice them up. You can serve the burgers on buns with garnishes, or enjoy them “bunless”  like we did tonight. (Hint: the cole slaw recipe below goes perfect with these burgers.)

• 1 lb chopped meat
• 1 ripe tomato, seeded and diced into ¼-inch pieces
• 1/2 C pitted and chopped black olives
• 1 tsp finely minced garlic
• 1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
• 1 tbsp chili powder
• ¼ tsp dried oregano
• finely grated zest of 1 lemon
• 1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley or dill
• salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste

Garnishes -set our bowls of chili-style toppings such as sour cream, scallions, chopped tomatoes and grated Monterey Jack or Cheddar cheese. Serve the burgers on a grilled multigrain roll or eat plain.

• 1/3 C sour cream (optional)
• 3 scallions thinly sliced
• 1 C chopped ripe tomatoes
• ½ C  grated Monterey Jack or Cheddar

Prepare barbecue grill. Place beef in bowl and mix with diced tomato. olives, garlic, mustard, chili powder, basil, oregano, lemon zest, and parsley or dill. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Form mixture into 4 burgers. Grill burgers 3 to 4 minutes per side - medium-rare; 1 to 2 minutes - medium to well done. Serve on toasted buns; add garnishes as preferred.
Grilling alongside the burgers is half of a large zucchini, sliced lengthwise and marinated in olive oil and herbs (oregano, basil, parsley, garlic power, salt and pepper).

Cole Slaw
Like coleslaw? Then this recipe is one to try – it’s not only easy, but  Grenville claims, it’s the “best and creamiest coleslaw ever tried at the F&P. It’s also from the U.S.A. Cookbook.

• 1 head green cabbage (2 lbs) – remove outer leaves, grate coarsely 
• 1 large carrot -peel and coarsely grate 
• 1 green bell pepper - stem, seed and grate 
• 1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
• 1 C mayonnaise 
• 1/2 C sour cream 
• 1/2 C canola oil (our preference) or corn or vegetable oil 
• 2 tbsp milk 
• 1 tsp caraway seeds 
• salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

1. Whisk mayonnaise, sour cream, oil, milk, caraway seeds together in bowl.
2. Thinly slice cabbage and place in large bowl with carrot and bell pepper. (SEE shortcut below)
3. Toss with mayonnaise mixture and parsley.
4. Adjust seasonings to taste.
5. Refrigerate covered for a few hours. Bring to room temperature (if you like it this way) stir to mix.

Serves 6 to 8
F&P shortcut: If time is short (even if it’s not), you can skip grating your own veggies and  buy a package of the coleslaw mix in the produce/salad section of your local food store. You can add more carrot and the green pepper if you prefer, but usually the package contains carrot and red cabbage.

NOTE: Sheila Lukins, former owner of the renowned  Silver Palate food shop in NYC, died in August 2009. She owned the SP for over a decade and authored four Silver Palate cookbooks that helped usher in the new American cooking of the 1980s. In 1986, she succeeded Julia Child as food editor of PARADE magazine and wrote the “Simply Delicious”  column. The store closed in 1993, but its name continues on a line of specialty foods (sauces, condiments and oatmeal) some of which are still made per to Ms. Lukins’s recipes.

Summertime and the cooking is still easy