Recipes From Steven

THE GREAT AMERICAN HAMBURGER

American-Burger.jpg
Source: The Barbecue Bible by Steven Raichlen (Workman, 2008)
Method: Direct grilling
Serves: 6

For the burgers:

2-1/4 pounds ground beef (preferably ground chuck)
6 slices (each 1/2-inch thick) Vidalia or other sweet onion (optional)
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, or 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
6 hamburger buns

For the toppings– any or all:

Iceberg lettuce leaves
Sliced ripe tomatoes
Sliced dill pickles or sweet pickles
Cooked bacon (2 slices per burger)
Ketchup, Mustard, and Mayonnaise

Divide the meat into six equal portions. Lightly wet your hands with
cold water, then form each portion of meat into a round patty about 4
inches across.

Set up the grill for direct grilling and preheat to high.

When ready to cook, brush and oil the grill grate.

If using onion slices, brush them on both sides with melted butter and
season with salt and pepper. Place the onion on the hot grate and
grill until nicely browned, about 4 minutes per side, then transfer to
a plate.

Brush one side of the meat patties lightly with melted butter and
season with salt and pepper. Arrange the burgers, buttered side down,
on the hot grate and grill until the bottoms are nicely browned, 4 to
5 minutes. Brush the tops lightly with some of the melted butter and
season them with salt and pepper. Using a spatula, turn the burgers
and grill until they are browned and cooked to taste, 4 to 5 minutes
longer for medium. Meanwhile, brush the cut sides of the buns with the
remaining melted butter and toast them, cut sides down, on the grill
during the last 2 minutes the burgers cook.

Set out the toppings. Put the burgers and onion slices on buns and serve.

WASABI GOAT CHEESE LAMB-BURGER

Source: Recipe courtesy of Steven Raichlen
Method: Direct grilling
Serves: 6

2-1/2 pounds ground lamb
1 3-inch log of goat cheese, chilled
Coarse salt (kosher or sea) and freshly ground black pepper
6 pita breads
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Wasabi Cream for serving (recipe follows)

Lightly wet your hands with cold water and divide the ground lamb into
12 equal portions. Form each into a round patty about 1/2 inch thick.
Cut the goat cheese into six equal rounds.

Place a round of goat cheese on a lamb patty; top with another patty
and seal the edges.

Set up the grill for direct grilling and preheat to high.

When ready to cook, brush and oil the grill grate. Brush one side of
the lamb patties lightly with olive oil and season with salt and
pepper. Arrange the burgers, oiled side down, on the hot grate and
grill until the bottoms are nicely browned, 4 to 5 minutes. Brush the
tops lightly with olive oil and season them with salt and pepper.
Using a spatula, turn the burgers and grill until they are browned and
cooked to taste, 4 to 5 minutes longer for medium. Meanwhile, brush
the pita breads with the remaining olive oil and toast them on the
grill during the last 2 minutes the burgers cook.

Split or slice the pita breads to accommodate the burgers. Serve with
Wasabi Cream.

Wasabi Cream

Makes about 1 cup

1 to 2 tablespoons wasabi powder, or more to taste
1 tablespoon lemon juice (or more as needed)
1 cup mayonnaise (Hellmann's preferred)

Combine the wasabi powder and lemon juice and mix until a smooth paste
is formed. Let sit for 5 minutes for the flavors to develop. Add the
mayonnaise and whisk to combine. Refrigerate until serving time.

Birthday

My birthday was pretty good. I heard from a lot of people and I felt
really loved. I am having to cancel my bbq plans for tomorrow at my
mom's request, and there is no schedule to have them some other time.
I'm not happy with that, but c'est la vi...

Memorial Day Addendum

So I don't forget, I am proud to say that Robert, Cassie, Matt,
Michael Anne, Justin, Cymeron, Tim, Jamie, Jackson, Jake, John, Kevin,
Russell, Greg, Trent, Chuck, and my mom all made it to the party, and
it was my pleasure and honor to cook for all of them.

Memorial Day

Super late blog follows:

Memorial day was awesome. Almost everyone chipped in. I've never in my
life cooked a brisket with all the extras for so cheap. Only 60 bucks
and the whole party of 17 - 19 people was fed to stuffed.

I made the best brisket in my life, which was surprising. I overcooked
it a little, so the meat was a bit tough, but the seasoning was the
best I've ever done. But I also did something else special.. instead
of just slicing it, all of it, including awkwardly slicing the tip.. I
chopped the tip up to make chopped beef sandwiches with, which turned
out AMAZING. People loved the brisket, but the sandwiches were even
more impressive and they were devoured incredibly quickly.

Kevin FINALLY brought the potato salad that his mom makes that he is
always bragging about. And.. I really have to say, it was every bit as
good as he described. It was the mustard kind, which is my favorite.
I've only had his mom's cooking a few times, but she is very good.

Robert made it, and he brought some lemon souffles, which were
delicious! I loved them, and learned how to make them on wednesday
after a long day at work. I really like Chefs 2b.

The parties are going really well there, and I'm having lots of fun
doing them. I particularly like making the cupcakes, because the
batter tastes so good.

Anywho, I don't remember all the events, but Rock Band went VERY well
that night, I made a breakthrough on the drums and I can beat almost
every song on medium now. Soon on to hard. Everyone played a lot.

It was awesome, Jake managed to come over even though he was very
tired from a weekend of partying at a relative's reunion.

Okay, tomorrow is my birthday and tonight my mom is taking me out to
eat, so I am out of here. I don't know what we're eating, but I can't
wait to find out.

War

If you consider that there has been an average of 160,000 troops in the Iraq
theatre of operations during the last 22 months, and a total of 2,112
deaths, that gives a firearm death rate of 60 per 10,000 soldiers.

The firearm death rate in Washington D.C. is 80.6 per 10,000 for the same
period.

That means that you are about 25% more likely to be shot and killed in
theU.S. Capitol, which has some of the strictest gun control laws in the
nation, than you are in Iraq.

Conclusion: The U.S. should pull out of Washington immediately.

Indiana Jones

Pretty good movie. Saw it Wednesday night, and I was pretty impressed. Very old school. Not absolutely amazing, but very enjoyable.

I also started playing the Penny Arcade game, beautifully named "On the Rain Slick Precipice of Darkness: Episode One", which I have already finished and found IMMENSELY wonderful, so much so that I am VERY eagerly awaiting Episode Two. The characters were beautifully done, the transitions between animation and 3d were excellently performed, the combat well balanced, and the pacing of the entire experience very precisely executed for a very superbly paced experience.

Also, the cooking classes at Chefs 2b are getting much better, today I was on time, well paced, the only mistake I made was not filling up the cupcake papers high enough and wasting a little batter, but next time I will do better. When I talk to Robert, now that he's back from his honeymoon, I'm going to ask him if Jeannette, who has been wonderful.

My free HD DVDs from Toshiba arrived in the mail. Only got one of the ones I asked for, Aeon Flux. They sent me a copy of The Departed, which I already own, The Order of the Phoenix, which I'm not interested in owning, Casino, which, admittedly, I've never seen before, Mission Impossible 2, which I disliked entirely. So.. I got one good movie and one that may be good. Pretty lame deal.

I really shouldn't try to catch up three or four weeks of not blogging regularly with one post. I'm barely scratching the last few weeks surface, because even being swamped at work I've managed to completely fill my spare time.

Oh well. It's good that I'm busy.

I have another kids party for Chefs 2b tomorrow.

Fun Stuff

Should Animals Be Doing More For The Animal Rights Movement?

Recipes

PERUVIAN-STYLE CHICKEN

Insanely popular in Lima and in Peruvian communities in the U.S. For
maximum crispness and to speed up the cooking process, the chicken is
spatchcocked (butterflied). Note: in Peru, you'd use a fiery yellow
chili called aji amarillo (use 1 to 2). This recipe approximates the
flavor by mixing yellow bell pepper and habanero.

Method: Direct grilling
Serves: 2 to 4
Advance Preparation: 2 to 12 hours for marinating the chicken

For the marinade and sauce:
1 yellow or orange bell pepper
1 habanero pepper, or 2 jalapeno peppers, or more to taste
One small onion, peeled and roughly chopped
1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves
2 to 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice, or to taste
2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
1 teaspoon coarse salt (kosher or sea), or to taste
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 cup mayonnaise (Hellmann's preferred)

For the chicken:
1 whole chicken (about 3-1/2 to 4 pounds)

Stem, seed, and devein the bell pepper and the habanero and chop
roughly. Combine in a blender container with the onion, cilantro, lime
juice, garlic, salt, pepper, cumin, turmeric, and vegetable oil. Blend
until fairly smooth. In a small bowl, combine 3 tablespoons of the
marinade mixture (reserve the remainder) with the mayonnaise and stir
to combine. Cover and refrigerate the mayonnaise mixture until ready
to serve.

Place the chicken, breast side down, on a cutting board. Using poultry
shears or a sharp knife, cut through the flesh and bone along both
sides of the backbone. Cut from the tail end to the head end and
completely remove the backbone.

Open out the chicken (like opening a book) by gently pulling the
halves apart. Using a sharp paring knife, lightly score the top of the
breastbone. Run your thumbs along and under the sides of the
breastbone and attached cartilage and pop them out. Spread the bird
out flat.

Turn the bird over. Using a sharp knife, make a slit in the skin
between the lower end of the breastbone and the leg, on each side,
approximately 1/2 inch long (you're trying to accommodate the end of
the drumstick). Stick the end of the drumstick on that side through
the slit.

Put the spatchcocked chicken into a nonreactive baking dish and pour
the marinade over it, turning to coat completely. Cover with plastic
wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or as long as overnight.

Set up the grill for direct grilling and preheat to medium. When ready
to cook, brush and oil the grill grate. Arrange the chicken on the
grate, skin-side down. Grill for 12 to 15 minutes per side, turning
once with tongs and a spatula. The chickens can be a little awkward to
turn; you'll need to use both utensils. If the skin browns too much,
lower the heat or move the chicken to a cooler section of the grill.
The chicken is done when an instant-read meat thermometer inserted
into the thickest part of a thigh (but not touching the bone)
registers 170 degrees F. Or to play it safe, you can indirect grill
the bird—in which case, place it skin side up on the grill and
indirect grill for about 40 minutes.

Let the bird rest for 3 to 5 minutes, then carve and serve with the
mayonnaise sauce.

PLJESKAVICA
(BOSNIAN BURGERS)

These spicy flat burgers turn up throughout the Balkans, especially in
Bosnia-Herzegovina. Flatten the burger to the thickness and size of a
pita bread. The easiest way to do this is to flatten it on a metal or
stone work surface, then pry it off with a slender metal spatula.

Method: Direct grilling
Serves: Serves 4
Advance Preparation: 1/2 to 1 hour for letting the meat rest

12 ounces ground beef, preferably ground chuck
12 ounces ground veal (or substitute more ground beef)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 medium onion, minced
1 to 2 serrano peppers, stemmed, seeded, and minced (see Note)
1/4 cup parsley, minced
1-1/2 teaspoons coarse salt (kosher or sea), or more to taste
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or more to taste
Grilled pita bread for serving
Tomato slices and lemon wedges for serving (optional)

Combine the beef, veal, garlic, onion, serrano pepper(s), parsley,
salt, and black pepper in a large bowl. Knead the mixture gently with
your hands until thoroughly blended. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap
and refrigerate for 30 minutes to 1 hour.

Divide the meat in four equal portions. Mold each into a large flat
disk, like a pita bread, on the back of a metal baking sheet or stone
countertop. Each burger should be about 6 inches across and 1/4-inch
thick.

Set up your grill for direct grilling and preheat to high. Brush and
grill the grill grate.

Loosen the burger from the baking sheet, sliding a slender metal
spatula under it. Transfer it to the grill. Grill until cooked
through, 2 to 3 minutes per side. The internal temperature on an
instant read meat thermometer inserted through the side will be at
least 160 degrees.

Transfer to a large plate or platter and serve at once with pita,
tomato slices, and lemon wedges for squeezing.

Note: For a hotter pljeskavica, leave the seeds in.

Strange Dream

I dreamed that my grandma, grandpa, sister, and a stranger showed up
at work, and I thought they were bringing work for me, but instead
they wanted me to bring rock band and wario ware to my dad's house to
play later. My sister never said anything.

Poetry

My troubled mind engaged in midnight pondering,
focused on a distant shore.
A sleepless night of troubled and thoughtful wandering,
dreaming of the night before.

Carnal visions mark my soul,
marks and scrapes adorn my skin.
From a room as dark as velvet and coal,
my new obsession did begin.

Beer and Cooking

I don't really have a lot of time to go into all the details.. but
this weekend.. was rough...

I didn't sleep at all on friday night, and I didn't get much sleep on saturday.

Saw my dad in misery in the hospital.

I witnessed Zac's mom get the most horrible wound I've ever seen on
her shin... I feel so bad for her.

The cooking class that I taught on sunday was a disaster, a real
disaster, filled with all kinds of smaller disasters. I really don't
want to go into it, but I wish I had done much better since it was my
first time. They still want me to teach again, though.

There were 3 good things... The concert was pretty good. I got to
spend a good amount of time hanging out with friends among whom were
Mike and Newman, both of whom I have missed a great deal. And finally,
the beer we brewed on sunday was the most flawlessly executed beer day
we've ever had. We cooled down the wort at a record speed, we mixed it
right, we did the boil perfectly and quickly, with less than a quarter
of a gallon of evaporation loss. We have never so smoothly and
skillfully brewed and fermented a wort, I can only hope that the beer
is good.

The Long Stretch of Road

I'm turning the corner for the long weekend. And I don't mean the type
of long weekend where I get extra days off. My weekend plans started
at 5:45 this morning, and included working early so I'd have time for
everything. On top of my obligations to visit Zac and my dad, and
trying to visit Mike, then the foodites on saturday morning, and
cooking class on saturday evening, I could end up spending sunday
brewing, which, since Mike has never been a part of it, should be fun
for him. Can't wait to see what he has to say about our beers. I think
that they have turned out to be tremendously superb.

I am going to need a VERY good night's sleep come monday night after I
do this whole routine of coming to work early to acomodate plans for
monday evening. I really hope that I'm qualified to teach these
classes, since I've never done it before, I'm quite nervous. How much
do I let the kids do? How much do I trust them not to cut themselves
with the knives? How old are they? Will I remember exactly how to make
the strawberry shortcake dough right? I get nervous like this, it's
amazing that I don't get too paralyzed to do things like this when the
time comes. It's terrifying.

Oh, yeah, and... on a last minute whim I saw the midnight pre-release
showing of Iron Man last night.. at like 9:30, the showing after the
8:00 showing.. before the 11:00.. none of which were actually AT
midnight. They're really getting slack on their definitions.

I'm not going to complain about that, though, I had to wake up at
5:45, so... fine by me.. get out, get home, get to sleep asap was my
motto for the movie last night.

Commentary on the times of midnight releases aside, it was a brilliant
and fun movie, Robert Downey Jr is just fun to watch, he's like a
sarcastic Tom Hanks. As great as the story, the graphics, the fights,
and the other characters are, his one liners are what really separated
this gem from the crowd of action flicks this year... and this is only
the beginning.. Indiana Jones, Batman, Wall-E, Chronicles of Narnia,
and I know there are others that I can't remember off the top of my
head.. going to be a big summer. Biggest ever, I think, as far as
movies that I like go...

My girl is the best. She writes beautiful poetry that expresses an amazing soul.

Something New

Well, it's early to bed tonight, and early to rise tomorrow. I hope
that the next two days goes well. Concert tomorrow night, and then
Lasagna party at Chefs 2b saturday night.

It's been a long slow day that I've spent doing some thinking. I
really need a new job. Pretty badly. I need to have my resume turned
into Continental by sunday night.

Blogging for Blogging Sake

I found out my dad was in the hospital today. That's twice in
something like 3 weeks. This time it's worse and better at the same
time. I'm really worried about him. I heard he was in a lot of pain
and that they are giving him morphine.

I really want GTA IV. Really badly. It's a challenge to not buy it
even though I have other games, and no money.

Pregnancy, Wow

Well, turns out my old girlfriend Gabrielle is pregnant. She just
found out this weekend, and... the only thing I know how to say is
that I'm very happy for her.. but very sad for me. I remember wanting
to marry her. I remember being absolutely nuts about her. She would
make me smile all the time, we would play games, and.. yeah. And it
was a good time in my life, followed by some not so great times.

Not too long ago I had some really good times again. I can't tell
anymore if they're mostly over or if they are really only just
beginning, but they have been some VERY good times, and I am a better
person for the girl I love now.

But it still kindof wrecks up my heart to see one more ex pregnant and
starting a family with a love she found after ditching me. It makes me
feel quite a bit like dead weight. Like maybe I'm what girls date
before moving on to a better life. It's a pretty solid blow to my self
esteem.

Anyway, I weary of this subject. Martian Child is a really great
movie, I love every minute of it.

What Dreams May Come is a lousy book. Unless you view it from the
perspective that the characters are in their own personal hell devised
by their inability to wait any length of time, willing to hurt
themselves and anyone around them who cares about them rather than
display the patience to wait, and be comforted by their friends and
family.

I'm going to go... um... I don't know. Do something...

Prisma Pencils

Awesome Day

I got to go to the best Greek restaurant in all of houston today. It
was an amazing treat, but what I liked even more than the food, which
was divine, was the server.. he was wonderful, and funny, and just
great to talk to about the food with.

After that, we went back to my place and played Rock Band for 5 hours
straight, and it was so amazing with four people. I'd write so much
more about today, but, it's late, I'm very very tired. The only thing
I can imagine that would have made this day better is if I'd been able
to share it with my best friend.

Good night, all...

Car Repairs

460$ to get my clutch fixed for the same problem I paid 1500 a year
and a half ago and endured through horrendous pains at the hands of
the hideous Car Car One nazis to get repaired. I am never going to
Domestic Auto Experts again. They have a lot of image, but it's always
been overpriced, I think they do a lot of un-necessary work.

Don't know what I'm doing tonight, may be going to the movies with my
mom or playing rock band, I haven't decided which.

I am so in love with someone.

Re: Women

What does it take to make yourself appealing to a woman who has you
totally and completely wrapped around her thumb? Why are women so
starved for attention that they aren't happy without so many men
wrapped around their thumb?

It's maddening and perplexing, I've tried time after time and I can't
do it. How does anyone infatuate someone with a beautiful heart, mind,
and soul, for a lifetime? It's been done before, I've seen it done.
I've tried being mysterious, smart, worldly, erotic, entertaining,
funny, sly, dashing, charming, honest, and all for naught. I always
lose. Always to other guys.

I'm really tired of it. I've wasted too much of my life on girls who
don't return the affection that I give.

I'm seriously starting to think that women are only good for a couple
of weeks of fun, and then you need to get bored of them before they
can get bored of you.

Wow

Okay, so, I've tried out a few other journal sites, but I'm back here. Nobody read my stuff anywhere else, and really, this should be a personal journey anyway. I'm going to be posting here regularly every day again.

http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/04/18/encyclopedia-britannica-now-free-for-bloggers/

This is actually pretty awesome. I can see the marketing value in it, and EB certainly does have its advantages over Wikipedia. No contested articles from disreputable sources attempting to change entries for unsavory reasons. And some of the features are pretty impressive. And, used as a tool by bloggers with the features mentioned in that article, it could be a powerful tool for spreading information.

I think I'm going to check it out.

Tonight, though, I am really looking forward to going to a satyr meal with my mother to celebrate passover. After that, Keda and I might watch episode 14 of deathnote.