6 posts tagged “crusty rolls”

Veal-Sage Burgers and Lemon-Dressed Celery Salad
Yields 4 servings

Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling
2 cloves garlic, grated
1 small red onion, half grated, half thinly sliced
12 leaves sage, cut into thin strips
2 pounds ground veal
Salt and lots of freshly ground black pepper
1 pinch nutmeg, freshly grated
1/2 pound crumbled gorgonzola,
4 crusty rolls, split
1 head celery, sliced very thinly on a log angle
1/2 cup flat-leaf parsley leaves, roughly chopped
Juice of 1 lemon
2 bunches arugula, chopped
A bag of Italian-style chips

Heat a medium skillet over medium heat with olive oil. Sweat garlic, onion, and sage until soft.  Remove to a bowl and let cool.  Add veal, salt, freshly ground black pepper and the nutmeg. Mush all the veggies and meat together. Score the meat in 4 equal parts and make patties, making an indentation in the middle to prevent "burger bulge." 

In a nonstick skillet, heat olive oil until it's smoking hot, then cook the burgers for 7 minutes on each side, until cooked through.  While they're still in the skillet, top with the crumbled gorgonzola in the last minute of cooking. Tent with foil to melt the cheese and keep the burgers warm.

For the salad, combine the sliced red onion with the celery, parsley, lemon juice and a healthy drizzle of olive oil. Season with salt and pepper, toss to combine and reserve. Heat the rolls so they are crusty and warm.  Place one burger on the bottom bun – making sure not to lose the cheese.  Dress the arugula with some olive oil and salt, place on top of the burgers with it. Serve with chips and the celery salad alongside.

Spanish Sloppy Joes
Yield 4 servings

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 pound ground beef sirloin
6 large cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
24 medium-sized mushrooms, crimini or white, chopped
Coarse salt and lots of black pepper
1/2 cup dry sherry
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 14-ounce can tomato sauce
4 crusty rolls, split
2 tablespoons butter, softened for easy spreading
A handful of flat-leaf parsley, chopped
A wedge of manchego cheese, for shaving

Heat a deep skillet over medium-high heat with olive oil. Add beef and deeply brown, 6-7 minutes, breaking it up into pieces with a wooden spoon. Add garlic, onions and mushrooms, and cook until mushrooms are dark and onions tender, 7-8 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, then add the sherry to deglaze the pan. Scrape up the brown bits from the bottom of the pan and reduce liquid, 1 minute. Add Worcestershire and tomato sauce, and stir to combine. Reduce heat to low and cook 5 minutes more. Preheat broiler.

Spread rolls with softened butter and sprinkle heavily with parsley. Toast rolls until charred at edges. Top roll bottoms with sloppy mixture and some shaved manchego cheese. Set roll tops in place and serve.

Gyro Burger with Greek Salad
Yields 4 servings

2 pounds ground chicken breast or lamb
5 or 6 sprigs (about 2 tablespoons) fresh thyme, leaves removed and chopped
2 sprigs fresh oregano, leaves removed and chopped, or 1 teaspoon dried
1 tablespoon coriander
1/2 tablespoon cumin
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
3/4 cup flat-leaf parsley leaves, roughly chopped and divided
Zest of 2 lemons, divided, and juice of half
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus some for drizzling
Cavender’s Greek Seasoning, a sprinkling
4 crusty rolls
1 cup good quality, thick Greek yogurt or plain yogurt with a dollop of sour cream mixed in
1 large clove garlic, grated over the fine side of a grater or microplane, or finely chopped
1 seedless cucumber, 1/4 of it peeled and finely chopped, the rest chopped into bite-size pieces
Salt and pepper
1/4 cup sliced peperoncini
1/2 cup (about 10) kalamata olives, pitted and roughly chopped
5 plum tomatoes, seeded and chopped
1 small red onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped into bite-size pieces
1/3 pound crumbled feta cheese
2 romaine lettuce hearts, chopped
1 bag of gourmet chips

In a bowl, combine the ground chicken with the thyme, oregano, coriander, cumin cayenne pepper, 1/4 cup of the parsley, zest of one lemon, salt and pepper. Mix to combine.

With the side of your hand, score the meat in the bottom of the bowl into 4 equal portions. Form each portion into 4 patties, each about 1-inch thick. Using your palm, make a small indentation in the center of each patty to prevent dreaded burger bulge when they cook up.

Preheat a large skillet or grill pan over medium-high heat with 2 turns of the pan of olive oil, about 2 tablespoons. Sprinkle the patties with a little of the Cavender's Greek Seasoning and cook on each side for 6-7 minutes, or until cooked through.

Place the rolls in the toaster or in the oven and toast until golden brown. While the burgers are cooking make the tzatziki: For the tzatziki, combine the yogurt, garlic and the finely chopped cucumber in a bowl. Add the juice of half a lemon and season with salt and pepper. For the salad, combine the bite-sized cucumber pieces, peperoncini, olives, tomatoes, red onion, green bell pepper, the remaining parsley, crumbled feta in a bowl. Add the juice of one and half lemons, a little salt and pepper and give it a healthy drizzle of olive oil. Toss to combine. To serve, place the gyro burgers on top of the toasted buns, top with some lettuce and tzatziki. Serve with the Greek salad and some fancy chips alongside.

Caesar Salad
Serves 4

If you prefer not to use the raw egg yolk in this recipe, substitute one tablespoon of store-bought mayonnaise. The croutons are best made as close to serving time as possible.

For the croutons:
6 one-inch slices of ciabatta or another crusty white bread,cut into 3/4-inch cubes 
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 
1 teaspoon minced garlic 
1 tablespoon fresh flat-leaf parsley,minced 
Coarse salt (to taste) 

For the salad:
2 cloves of garlic,halved 
2 large egg yolks 
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard 
4 to 5 anchovies 
2 tablespoons of freshly squeezed lemon juice 
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper to taste 
6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 
2 heads romaine lettuce,washed and dried thoroughly and torn into 2-inch pieces 
Grated Parmesan cheese (to taste) 
 
1. FOR THE CROUTONS:
Preheat oven to 350°. In a medium-size bowl, toss bread cubes with remaining crouton ingredients. On a parchment-lined baking sheet, toast croutons until golden brown, 10 to 15 minutes. 

2. FOR THE SALAD:
In a large wooden bowl, using a wooden spoon, mash halved garlic cloves to a fine paste. Stir in egg yolks and Dijon mustard. Add anchovies, and grind to a paste. Add lemon juice, and season with salt and pepper. Slowly stir in olive oil until dressing is creamy 

3. Add lettuce to bowl, and toss to coat leaves thoroughly with dressing and grated Parmesan. Sprinkle croutons over salad, and serve topped with Parmesan shavings. 
 

French Country Tuna Burgers and Green Bean Salad
Yields 4 servings

4 tuna steaks, 6-8 ounces each, cut into large chunks
2 sprigs rosemary, leaves stripped and finely chopped
4 sprigs thyme, leaves stripped and chopped
Juice of 1 lemon and zest, divided
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 pound green beans, trimmed
3/4 cup pitted Nicoise olives
3 tablespoons capers
1 2-ounce tin flat anchovy filets, drained
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus some for liberal drizzling
2 vine-ripe tomatoes, cut into wedges
2 hard-boiled eggs, chopped
8 leaves of leaf lettuce
1 red onion, very thinly sliced
4 large crusty rolls, split in half

Place an inch of water in a skillet and bring to a boil. Place tuna in food processor and coarsely chop, then remove and transfer to a bowl. Add herbs and half of the lemon zest, season with salt and pepper, and combine. Form 4 large patties and reserve on a plate in the refrigerator until ready to cook.

To the boiling water, add some salt and the green beans. Cook 5 minutes, then cold-shock the beans under cold, running water. Drain and reserve. Wash the food processor bowl and return to base. Place olives, capers, anchovies, remaining lemon zest and a drizzle of olive oil in the processor and process into a smooth paste. Combine beans with tomatoes and some of the thinly sliced onion. Dress salad liberally with olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Top with the chopped hard boiled eggs.

Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Cook tuna burgers 3 minutes on each side for rare, or 6 minutes on each side to cook through completely. Spread black olive paste on the rolls and top each burger with leaf lettuce and sliced red onion. Serve the green bean salad alongside.

Italian Sloppy Joes
Yields 4 servings

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 pound ground, 90 percent lean sirloin
1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 small onion, chopped
5 large garlic cloves, chopped
1 medium portobello mushroom cap, finely chopped
1/8 teaspoon allspice
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
Coarse salt and black pepper
1/2 cup red wine
3/4 cup beef stock
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 14-ounce can crushed tomatoes
1/4 cup flat-leaf parsley, chopped
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, softened
5-8 fresh basil leaves, about 1/4 cup, chopped
1/4 cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano or Romano cheese
4 individual ciabatta rolls or any kind of crusty hoagie rolls
1 ball fresh mozzarella cheese, cut into 8 slices

Preheat the broiler to high. For the meat sauce, heat a deep skillet or a heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat with 2 tablespoons of olive oil, twice around the pan. Add the ground beef and cook until lightly browned, breaking up the meat with the back of a wooden spoon. Add green pepper, onion, 3/4 of the garlic, mushrooms, allspice, red pepper flakes and a little salt and pepper to the beef and cook for about 5-8 minutes. Add the wine and cook another minute then add the beef stock, Worcestershie and tomatoes. Bring the mixture up to a bubble, reduce the heat to medium-low and gently simmer for 10 minutes. Finish it by stirring in a handful of chopped parsley.

While the meat is simmering, combine the remaining garlic with the soft butter, basil, parmesan cheese and a little salt and pepper in a mixing bowl. Split the rolls in half lengthwise without cutting all the way through and separating the halves. Press open the rolls by flattening them out a little bit. Slather the insides with the butter and place 2 slices of the mozzarella on each roll. Toast until golden brown under the broiler, about 2-3 minutes. Top one side of the cheesy garlic rolls with a heap of meat and serve.