Health burgers

We clipped this from Bon Appetit’s RSVP section from a reader asking for a California restaurant’s recipe. Very 1980s, no?

We toasted the nuts but made the mistake of pureeing the whole mess, resulting in a homogeneous mixture. Next time, we’ll stir chopped nuts and onion into the puréed chickpea, curry and parsley mix. In other words, we’ll follow the goddamned recipe as written. Sheesh!

NUTBURGERS

8 servings
3 15-oz cans garbanzo beans, drained, rinsed and mashed (we used 2 19 oz) or pureed
1 medium red onion, finely chopped
1/2 bunch parsley
1/2 cup chopped almonds (toasted)
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (toasted)
1/4 cup roasted sunflower seeds
1 tsp curry power
1/2 tsp vegetable salt
1 egg, lightly beaten

oil for frying
sharp cheddar slices
8 pitas
3 tomatoes, chopped
2 avocados, finely diced
1/2 bunch green leaf lettuce, chopped (we used alfalfa sprouts)

Combine beans, onion, parsley, nuts, seeds, curry powder, and salt in a large bowl. Add egg and mix well. Form into eight 3 x 3/4 inch patties.
Pour oil into heavy large skillet to depth of 1/4 inch. Place over medium high heat. When oil is hot, add patties and fry until lightly browned, about four minutes. Turn and fry the other side for four minutes, topping with cheese while the other side cooks.
Drain patties on paper towel.
Lightly spread inside of pitas with mustard. Place patty in each, add tomato, avocado and lettuce. Spoon dressing over filling.

Update: frying was a disaster so the second time we baked them at 350F on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Success! They stayed intact.

Creamy Herbal Dressing
1/2 cup mayo
1/2 cup yogurt
2 tbsp finely chopped onion
2 tbsp finely chopped parsley
1/4 tsp cider vinegar
1/4 tsp fresh lemon juice
1/4 tsp Worchestershire
1/4 tsp vegetable salt
combine in a processor or blender until smooth.

We spooned into a squeeze bottle.

Thai pizza

Hugh Carpenter’s Thai pizza

Crust:

3/4 cup warm water

11/2 tsp active dry yeast

2 teaspoons sugar

5 tablespoons olive oil

11/2 teaspoons salt

1/4 cup minced fresh basil

1 tsp crushed red chili flakes

2 cups bread flour

Topping:

3 tablespoons olive oil

125 g/4 ounces smoked chicken, slivered

8 sun-dried tomatoes, soaked in hot water 5 minutes

2 Asian eggplants, Chinese rather than Japanese variety

1 ounce EACH Asiago, goat, Marscarpone, Parmesan cheese

1/3 cup mint, chopped

1 teaspoon lime zest

2 tbsp roasted, unsalted peanuts, chopped

To prepare dough: Sprinkle yeast and sugar over warm water. When bubbles appear on top, about 5 minutes, yeast has been activated.

Stir in 2 tablespoons olive oil, salt, basil and chili. Then add yeast mixture to flour and stir until dough is formed. Lightly flour hands and knead dough until smooth and no longer sticky, about 5 minutes. Lightly oil a small bowl. Rotate dough, cover with towel and let rise about 30 minutes. Knead briefly again and let rise another 30 minutes.

Set aside each of the toppings. Cut eggplant in half lengthwise into thin strips. Brush with olive oil or marinate first in a little soy sauce, dry sherry, sesame oil and black pepper. Broil or grill until cooked, then cut into bite sized pieces.

Stretch pizza dough out with your fingers. Add toppings and let rise 10 minutes.

Preheat oven to 550ºF/290ºC. If you have one, preheat your pizza stone as well. Slide pizza onto hot stone and bake about 8 minutes or until pizza crust is golden.

Cut into wedges and serve at once.

John Bragg’s grilled shrimp and asparagus orange-ginger vinaigrette

NO, this salad does not call for garlic. Bragg says friends will think it’s a misprint, but he likes distinctive, clear flavors and this dish just didn’t seem to need it.

Orange ginger vinaigrette:

1/2 cup freshly squeezed orange juice

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

1 tablespoon soya sauce

3 tablespoons canola oil

1 teaspoon sesame oil

1 teaspoon honey

1 teaspoon grated orange rind

1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger root

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Salad:

20 pencil-thin fresh asparagus

20 large (30 to 40/pound count) fresh shrimp

1 package Fairkay Chinese egg noodles, available in supermarkets

1 small OR 1/2 large red pepper, cut into thin strips

1 small OR 1/2 large yellow pepper, cut into thin strips

2 tablespoons black sesame seeds, available in Chinese food shops

Mix vinaigrette ingredients, combining thoroughly.

Prepare asparagus by snapping off coarse ends at the point where they break naturally. Peel shrimp and thread onto water-soaked wooden skewers. Brush both asparagus and shrimp with a few teaspoons vinaigrette and grill or BBQ over high heat until JUST cooked, about 2 to 3 minutes per side – 4 to 6 minutes total. Set aside to cool; refrigerate until needed.

Cook noodles as per directions on package and cool under running water. Combine noodles, pepper strips, sesame seeds and remaining vinaigrette and marinate a few hours. Salad may be prepared ahead to this point.

Just before eating, distribute noodles and peppers evenly amongst four plates. Place shrimp and asparagus on top of noodles and serve.

Serves four as a main course.

California Sundial chicken salad

From Fetzer & Food Magazine by California chef John Ash.

Marinade:

1 cup Chardonnay

1 cup apple cider or juice

1 da4 cup minced orange zest

1 da4 cup orange juice

2 tablespoons minced green onions

11 da2 teaspoons lemon juice

11 da2 teaspoons sesame or olive oil

1 teaspoon minced garlic

1 teaspoon honey

1 teaspoon Mendocino herb blend (recipe follows)

salt and crushed red pepper flakes, to taste

6 boneless chicken breasts

1 teaspoon cornstarch mixed with 1 tablespoon water

250 g/8 ounces mixed salad greens

Combine all marinade ingredients. Pour half of marinade over chicken breasts, cover and refrigerate four hours.

Place remaining marinade in small saucepan, add cornstarch mixture and stir over moderate heat until mixture thickens slightly, about 3 minutes; cool.

To serve, arrange greens on plate. Remove chicken from marinade and pat dry. Grill or saute chicken until just done. Slice chicken thinly on the bias and arrange on top of greens. Drizzle reduced sauce over and serve immediately. Serves six.

Mendocino herb blend

Can be pre-mixed in larger quantities.

2 tbsp crushed rosemary

2 tbsp chopped basil

1 tablespoon sage

1 tablespoon summer savory

1/2 tablespoon lavender flowers, if you can find them

1/2 tablespoon crushed fennel seed

Combine all ingredients. Keep covered for future use on grilled chicken, steamed vegetables, soups or other dishes.

Calgary Herald
Wed Jul 22 1992