Chicken Burgers with Garlic-Rosemary Mayonnaise

Who says that grilling is just a summer staple activity?  In my book, it’s done in cold weather, too.  All you need is a grilling pan.  Or, in our case, all we have is a grilling pan since we live in an apartment and that is the closest thing to a grilling mechanism that we can get our hands on.  Besides, I love to put my always reliable grilling pan to work when arctic temperatures are still looming just to get a slim whiff of what warm weather would be like, or better yet to trick myself into a summer state of mind!

These homemade Chicken Burgers with Garlic-Rosemary Mayonnaise are a year-round mouthwatering indulgence!  They were without a doubt the best part of this year’s Super Bowl.  And the fact that I cooked them on an outside grill, in freezing temperatures and a menacing snow storm made them that much more delicious and the experience way more exciting than the actual game.  Bottom line – my burgers were unbeatable, just like the Seattle Seahawks! 

These burgers will rock your house!  They are simply lip-smacking, piney and fresh, their pleasant lightness countered by the garlicky richness of the mayonnaise.  You may think that adding a disturbing amount of garlic-rosemary mayonnaise mixture to burgers is a despicable crime, but it works like a charm.  The burgers are so juicy, dressed with big flavors and nestled in between toasty challah buns smeared with more hefty dollops of the sinful mayonnaise sauce and topped with crisp mixed greens.  One word: phenomenal!     

These chicken burgers were my dinner of choice for the Super Bowl and, wait for it, Valentine’s Day.  I know, I know… a very unconventional dinner option for such a holiday but it worked beautifully and paired with this cake for dessert, it was truly unforgettable! 

Chicken Burgers with Garlic-Rosemary Mayonnaise

Adapted from Giada de Laurentiis

Makes: 4 servings

Ingredients for Mayonnaise:

·         1 cup mayonnaise

·         Scant ¼ cup chopped fresh rosemary leaves

·         1 clove garlic, minced

Ingredients for Burgers:

·         1 pound ground chicken

·         Heaped ¼ teaspoon kosher salt

·         ¼ teaspoon black pepper

·         4 sandwich rolls or burger buns (I found that challah buns work particularly well)

·         ¼ cup olive oil

·         1 cup mixed greens, divided

Instructions for the Mayonnaise:

In a small bowl, mix together the mayonnaise, garlic, and rosemary.  Set aside.

Instructions for the Burgers:

Preheat a gas or charcoal grill or place a grill pan over medium-high heat. 

In a large bowl, add the ground chicken, salt, pepper and half of the mayonnaise mixture.  Using clean hands, gently combine the ingredients and form the chicken mixture into 4 patties.  Place the burgers on the grill and cook for about 7 to 10 minutes on each side.  Transfer to paper towels and let rest for a few minutes. 

Brush the cut side of each roll with the olive oil and about 1 teaspoon of the mayonnaise mixture.  Grill for 1 to 2 minutes until slightly golden.  

Instructions to assemble the Burgers:

Spread a dollop of the remaining mayonnaise mixture on the tops and bottoms of the toasted buns.  Place the chicken burgers on the bottom halves of the buns.  Top each with ¼ cup of the mixed greens and finish with the top half of the bun.  

P.S.: I’ll be back on March 25!  It’s time for our annual trip to Romania, so Adrian and I are off to see our families for the next couple of weeks.  I won’t be able to post while away but I’ll return with stories and new recipes from good ol’ Transylvania!  Until then…

Poftă Bună! (Bon Appétit!)

Herb-Roasted Pork Loin

You probably know by now my eternal infatuation with pork.  Truth be told, it’s hard to shake it off especially since pork played such a major part into my upbringing.  Remember the Romanian Christmas traditions and all those elaborate pork dishes?  Yet sometimes, grandma Vicki would just hand me a fat slice of rustic crusty bread, heavily smeared with pork lard (yes, I know, pork lard!) and dusted with salt and paprika.  And I would be out the door and off with my playmates with a smile and messy red smudge on my face and the hunk of bread in my hand.  I’m not advocating pork fat here by any means, although I would have loved to be a judge in the Iron Chef America: Battle Pork Fat challenge a while back.  Anyway, you get the picture!       

 

So, when it comes to pork I like to go all out for big, bold and bright flavors.  This Herb-Roasted Pork Loin recipe stems from a recipe, which my grandma always makes for New Year’s or Christmas or whenever we feel like gobbling down a hulky piece of pork; and a Barefoot Contessa recipe for a tacky and garlicky herb paste.  I meant to tell you about this fabulous Herb-Roasted Pork Loin, last week, and offer you a solid choice for a celebratory Valentine’s Day dinner.  But then pain erupted, followed by an emergency trip to my dentist, and culminating with an imminent root canal.  I’ll spare you the grisly details but I can tell you that the rest of the week was pretty foggy after that.  Anyhow, I don’t think that you need a special occasion to make this fantastic meal.  But if you need one, the Oscars are just around the corner and this pork dish would be wonderful to savor before the awards; followed by a rich and nutty Walnut and Chocolate Cake and a glass of bubbly and fruity Prosecco drink!       

Seasoning the meat with salt and pepper (and maybe a pinch of paprika) would usually suffice to make a mouthwatering dish.  But then I stumbled upon this resinous and flavor packed rosemary, sage, thyme, garlic, mustard and lemon juice mélange, and I was smitten.  The pork is thickly swaddled in the mustard-garlic-herb mixture, prettily browned on all sides, then bathed in a shimmering pool of crisp white wine and roasted to perfection; it’s insanely delicious!  Slice and serve it with Sweet Green Peas or Creamed Corn and Mashed Potatoes, and spoon the pan juices over the pork slices and potatoes and you’ll be in heaven!  This phenomenal herb-roasted pork loin makes for an elegant dinner; and when cold and sliced and sandwiched between two chunks of bread makes for a quick and satiating lunch. 

And another thing – although no bird could ever replace the satisfying pork, a hefty piece of skin-on turkey breast, tied up and generously smeared with the viscous paste over and under the skin is ethereally delicious for a small crowd at Thanksgiving; and it roasts substantially faster than the whole bird.  Just saying...

 

Herb-Roasted Pork Loin

Adapted from my grandma Vicki and Barefoot Contessa

Makes: 8-10 servings

Ingredients:

·         1 (2 – 2.5 pound) boneless pork loin roast

·         3 garlic cloves, minced

·         2 teaspoons dry mustard

·         1 Tablespoon fresh rosemary leaves, chopped

·         1 Tablespoon fresh sage leaves, chopped

·         1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves, chopped

·         2 teaspoon salt

·         1 teaspoon black pepper

·         4 Tablespoon olive oil, divided

·         2 Tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

·         1 cup dry white wine

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 350°F. 

In a small bowl, combine the garlic, dry mustard, herbs, salt, pepper, 2 Tablespoons olive oil, and lemon juice to make a paste.  Smear the paste evenly all over the pork.  Reserve 1 Tablespoon of paste.  Allow the meat to marinate for about 15 minutes.   

In a large skillet, heat 2 Tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat.  Add the pork and cook until brown on all sides.  Transfer the pork loin to a roasting pan and place it skin side up.  Pour the juices and oil from the skillet over the meat.  Smear the pork with the reserved 1 Tablespoon of paste.   Pour the wine into the bottom of the roasting pan.  Cover the pan with aluminum foil.

Roast the pork for about 1 hour.  Remove the aluminum foil and roast the meat for 15 minutes longer and until an instant-read thermometer registers 170°F when inserted into the thickest and meatiest areas of the pork.  When the pork is done, cover the pan with foil and allow the pork to rest at room temperature for 15 minutes.  

P.S.: I’ll be back on March 19!  Adrian and I are off to Romania to see our families for the next couple of weeks.  I won’t be able to post while away but I’ll return with stories and most certainly new recipes from my grandma Vicki!  Until then…

Poftă Bună! (Bon Appétit!)   

Deconstructed Stuffed Pepper Stew

We’re still savoring the comfort food chapter.  I think it’s because of the frigid temperatures that I don’t feel like doing anything but cozying up to the fireplace (if only we had a real one) with a bowl of hot, homey and hearty comfort food. 

I’ve been craving Romanian comfort food, lately; something other than stuffed cabbage or pork goulash.  And to be honest, I’ve been dreaming of Grandma Vicki’s Stuffed Peppers recipe for a while.  This recipe has been on my to make list, but I wanted to somehow avoid the two inconveniences that the recipe entails: first, I wasn’t eager to waste my time in the kitchen stuffing pepper after pepper; and second, those little gypsy peppers traditionally used in this recipe are mighty hard to find in wintertime.  So, how to make a stew without having to spend an outrageous amount of time putting it together?    

But then it happened that a couple of weekends ago, Adrian and I paid a visit to our friends’ house to watch some English soccer games.  After lots of yelling and cheering while watching the games, Gretchen served us a delicious stuffed pepper stew.  The stew had all the ingredients for a stuffed peppers recipe but everything was chopped and blended together; and she called it “a deconstructed stuffed pepper stew”.  And the little lightbulb went off in my head!  Thank you Gretchen for helping me decide how to approach my grandma’s stuffed peppers recipe!  I have to admit that, once I heard the word “deconstructed” I wanted to race home and make the stew right away. 

Before attempting the impossible, I called my grandma and explained how I wanted to transform her beloved stuffed peppers recipe.  Of course, she said that I was crazy and that it would never work.  But, guess what, it worked out beautifully!  Only the aspect of the stew is radically different from my grandma’s recipe but the flavors that I love are all there.  In fact, I would say that there are various nuances and depths of flavor in this dish.  It’s also nourishing and it incorporates everything from proteins to starch and veggies. 

Of course, being a Romanian dish, I was indebted to throw in a smidge of paprika to coat the onions and meat in a mild pungency and give them that beautiful red color.  But the meat, rice, peppers and tomatoes are all able to shine through and add texture despite being engulfed in a sea of sweet, savory and tangy tomato sauce.  And then you sprinkle a few chopped leaves of parsley on top for a lovely green color and much desired freshness.  You could even argue that this stew is similar to a chili; a Romanian chili with rice but without beans.  Ultimately, this Deconstructed Stuffed Pepper Stew is a filling, flavorful and homemade Romanian comfort stew!

Deconstructed Stuffed Pepper Stew

By Simply Romanesco inspired by my Grandma Vicki

Makes: 6-8 servings

Ingredients:

·         6 Tablespoons olive oil, divided

·         1 large yellow onion, chopped

·         Salt and black pepper

·         1 Tablespoon sweet or hot paprika

·         1 pound ground pork

·         2 large red peppers, cut into ½ -inch chunks

·         1 15-ounce can of diced tomatoes

·         1 15-ounce can tomato sauce

·         2 Tablespoons sugar

·         ½ cup white rice

·         A small bunch of parsley for garnish, chopped

·         Sour cream (optional)

Instructions:

Heat 4 Tablespoons of olive oil in a large pan over medium heat.  Add the chopped onion, season with a good pinch of salt and pepper, and cook until translucent, about 5-7 minutes.  Add the paprika and stir well.  Add the ground pork, season with salt and pepper, and stir well to coat with the paprika.  Cook over medium-low heat for 10 minutes, until the meat is cooked through.  Add the red peppers and diced tomatoes and give it a good stir.  Cook for 5 minutes.

Combine the tomato sauce with ½ cup of water and pour it over the ingredients in the pan.  Season with salt and pepper.  Add the sugar and stir well.  Add ½ cup of water and stir.  Bring to a boil.  Lower the heat to medium-low and simmer uncovered for 30-40 minutes.

In the meantime, rinse the white rice in cold water.  Heat 2 Tablespoons of olive oil over high heat in a small saucepan.  Add the rice and stir.  Add 2 cups of water and season with a good pinch of salt.  Turn the heat to low and simmer uncovered until the water is absorbed and the rice is cooked.  When the rice is cooked, turn the heat off and cover the saucepan with a lid and let it sit until the stew is cooked.

When the stew is cooked, add the rice and stir well to incorporate. Check the seasonings and add more salt and sugar if necessary, for that perfect balance of savory and sweet.  Simmer for 5 more minutes.  Serve with chopped parsley and a dollop of sour cream on top.

Poftă Bună! (Bon Appétit!)        

My Romanian vacation Part 4 – What it turns out

On May 2, while Romania was still digesting its mititei and slugging down its beer, I introduced my family to Mexican food – Giada’s White Bean Chicken Chili.  Was it different?  Definitely.  Was it good?  Indisputably.  And besides, Cinco de Mayo was not far ahead either.  And on top of it I was the chef and Grandma Vicki was my sous chef.   Talking about switching responsibilities!

A few days later, everything was back to normal, my grandma was the chef again, and another meat dish made its way onto our plates.  More specifically, Pork Schnitzel, or to go with the original name – Schweine Schniztel.  To give you a little bit of background, Pork Schnitzel is a variation of the famous Wiener Schnitzel.  While the original Wiener Schnitzel is made with veal cutlets, the Pork Schnitzel is made with pork cutlets.  However, regardless of what cut of meat you’re using (it could also be chicken breast or turkey breast), it’s essential to coat it in bread crumbs and fry it; that’s what makes it a schnitzel.  

It’s not a complicated dish by any means and it’s absolutely delicious.  The most exciting part of preparing this meal was watching my grandmother carefully and meticulously cover in flour, then in egg, and then in bread crumbs, every single piece of boring pork meat.  It was so inspiring to see her showing so much love and devotion to the food like a mother to her children.  In the end, it turned out to be an unpretentious but delightful dish – just well-seasoned pork schnitzel paired with velvety golden mashed potatoes.  Once again I was reminded that you don’t need fancy ingredients to make fantastic food.  More often than not simple ingredients create sublime flavors.            

Pork Schnitzel

By Simply Romanesco inspired by my Grandma Vicki

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients:

·         4 boneless pork cutlets (about 1 pound in total)

·         Kosher salt and black pepper

·         ¾ cup all-purpose flour

·         2 eggs, beaten

·         ¾ cup plain bread crumbs

·         ½ cup vegetable oil       

Instructions:

Using a meat mallet, lightly pound the pork cutlets until about ¼ to ½ -inch thick.  Season the pork with salt and pepper on both sides.   

Using 3 shallow bowls, put the flour in one of them, beat the eggs in the second, and add the bread crumbs to the third.  Dredge the pork cutlets in flour, then dip them into the beaten eggs, and finally coat them in bread crumbs.  

In a large skillet, heat the vegetable oil over high heat.  Add the pork cutlets, turn the heat down to medium-low, and cook until golden-brown, about 5-7 minutes on each side.  Serve the Pork Schnitzel with Mashed Potatoes with Cheddar Cheese and Mixed Herbs. 

Note:  Although I love Pork Schnitzel, I sometimes like to mix it up and use chicken breast tenders instead of pork cutlets.  That way, I skip a step by not having to pound the meat.  In addition, it’s a lighter meat. 

For an extra kick of flavor and color, also season with paprika in addition to salt and pepper.  While frying the meat, drizzle some lemon juice over the schnitzel and sprinkle 2 minced garlic cloves.  You won’t regret it!

Poftă Bună! (Bon Appétit!)