Burgers & Buns on the Grill

Cheeseburgers are amazing.

Seriously, if you don't agree you might be in the wrong place.

There is something about a freshly grilled burger eaten outside on a gorgeous summer day that can't be beat.

I'm a fan of a good greasy burger from my fave burger joint, The Burger's Priest.  They are pretty transcendent, but even they don't compare with a burger made with good meat, cooked in the open air.

If you follow me on Facebook or Twitter (if you don't, get on it, you won't be sorry) you may remember a couple weeks ago lots of updates about my amazing dinner inspired by a visit to the farmer's market and the gorgeous weather. The short story is that I picked up some delicious beefsteak tomatoes and organic romaine at my local farmer's market. I know for many people that would mean a lovely salad and I'm sure it would have made a lovely salad but my mind immediately went to burgers.  I think partially because we hadn't had them in awhile, but also because I had just seen Zoe Francois' post about baking buns on the grill.  My house is a hot box in the summer, the oven is the last thing I want to turn on, it's that hot.  So the prospect of being able to make fresh baked buns on the grill was amazing.

Grilled Cheese Month: Grilled Buffalo Mozzarella & Prosciutto

As grilled cheese month marches on this entry is not my most creative, they are flavors I love, or maybe it's better to say worship.  Given the Italian spin of the this sammie and the Italian title of the blog and the fact that I post at lest one Italian recipe most months, I'm going to guess that's no big surprise.   I knew that this sandwich would make me very happy and make for an amazing lunch.  But this went so much further than that. If someone were to ask me what my ultimate sandwich is, this one would be it.  From the melty buffalo mozzarella to the slow roasted tomatoes and salty prosciutto, it's heaven on bread.  I'd happily eat this sucker once a week for the rest of my life.

As you'll see in the title and recipe I'm calling for buffalo mozzarella in this recipe.  I promise it's worth it.  If you just aren't sold on spending the extra dough or don't have easy access, you can use fior di latte (cow's milk mozzarella) which is widely available at most grocery stores.   I took the extra step to make a batch of slow roasted tomatoes, which I LOVE to just eat on bread or put in salads.  They keep for a good week in the fridge and require very little active cooking time and pack an intense flavor punch to anything you use them in.  They finish this sandwich and are part of what puts it into perfection for me.  But again, if you can't be bothered I'm sure a fresh tomato would be adequate.

Grilled Cheese Month: Grilled Brie & Pear

I can't go on enough about how much I love ooey gooey melty cheese and soft bread with a hard crust that has been grilled to golden brown in butter.  Seriously if it wasn't wildly unhealthy I'd eat it three times a day.  Lucky for me, but not my waistline, this month (also known as Grilled Cheese Month) gives me an excuse to eat grilled cheese more than I normally would.  While brainstorming ideas for different takes on this wonderful sandwich the Boy helped out with the core idea of this one¸ by suggesting pears and brie.  I took those ingredients and expanded on it with fresh baked artisan bread, thinly sliced red onion, peppery arugula and fresh cracked black pepper.

Can you use grocery store mass made bread for this? Of course. Do I recommend it? Absolutely not. The master recipe for Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day is so ridiculously easy that you really have little excuse not to make a loaf.  If that just isn't in the card for you, or you don't have the book (to which I say buy it right now) a loaf of French or Italian bread from your local bakery or even grocery store bakery will do.  When it comes to bread, always go for fresh made even if it's not from you own kitchen, it makes everything exponentially better.

Grilled Cheese Month: Grilled Ham, Cheddar & Tomato

The grilled cheese is not a fancy sandwich.  It's actually quite rustic, bread grilled in a pan with butter and some cheese.  And yet it's so fabulous that with the resurgence of comfort food in the last few years it's because quite popular.  You can get just about anything on a grilled cheese these days.  And while I love some of the crazy combinations that are out there, sometimes you just need to stick with a classic.  The ultimate classic is white bread and kraft slices, that's what I grew up on, but as an adult my classic is slightly more refined but far from fancy.  I love grilled ham & cheese with tomato.  I mean I guess I could take or leave the tomato, but I'm a firm believer that tomato makes everything better.

When I was at the grocery store yesterday I was so excited to finally find some great looking beefsteak tomatoes, that were greenhouse grown here in Canada.  Unless I need a specific veg for a specific dish that I don't want or feel I can substitute, I always try to buy vegetables that are grown in Canada.  The winters can feel pretty long living only on my stores of home canned plum tomatoes, so to see these lovely ripe tomatoes from Canada made my day.  Are they as nice as the sun kissed ones we get at the end of the summer? No, but they were damn good and made my sandwich all the better.

Happy Grilled Cheese Month!

April is my favorite month.  Yes it signals the start if Spring, by the end if it we are in full on warmer weather, flowers star blooming, we basically get out of the Winter funk.  But none of that is why April is my favorite, because the real reason is it' Grilled Cheese Month. A silly foodie holiday?  Absolutely! But it is one I will always recognize because grilled cheese is by far my favorite sandwich of all time.  Anything from bad for you whit bread and cheese slices to the mother (or should I say father) of all grilled cheese Croque Monsieur.

Because if this, you should be prepared to see lots of grilled cheese variations posted this month.  Lucky for me I'm back into a good workout routine, so I'm hoping my waistline won't suffer too much.  I'll likely amp it up even more to counterbalance all the delicious bread and cheese.  This first sandwich of the month was inspired by my love for French Onion Soup.

Meatless Monday: Portobello Burgers

Have you been to the Burger's Priest?  This question only applies if you live in Toronto or have visited in the last 6 or 7 months, but it's a very serious question.  If you are in Toronto and haven't been, go today. Go for lunch, dinner, a snack, just go.

What does a place called Burger's Priest have to do with Meatless Monday?  I mean it makes no sense, right?  Wrong!  While it is any red-blooded burger loving carnivores dream, we aren't talking about meat today.  We are talking about veggies and specifically veggie burgers.  The Priest's answer to a veggie burger is something called "The Option." Sounds vague, right?  Totally vague, but when you ask you are told it's two portobello caps, sandwiched together and filled with cheese, breaded in Panko and fried.   I don't care whether you are a meat-lover or not, you have to admit this sounds good and completely unlike any veggie burger you've ever had.  At least it did to me.

I was at the Priest earlier in the month when my friend JM was visiting.  She's is a pescatarian and having heard about The Option from me, really wanted to try it.  Now my burger was delicious, but when I say her ooey, gooey burger of mushrooms and cheese looked unreal, it's an understatement.  I mean this burger flies right in the face of anyone who thinks being a vegetarian automatically means you are eating healthier.   Recognizing that, while nice once in awhile, this is far from a healthy option I wanted to see if I could recreate "The Option" at home but in a bit healthier of a way.

Unprocessed: Homemade Roast Turkey Sandwich

When I embarked upon this unprocessed journey, one thing I knew I was going to have to figure out was sandwiches.  Now not the biggest deal, but as a sandwich is not something I'm good at planning for I knew it would take some advance thought and prep.  I'm a sandwich fan and am a fan of deli sandwiches, first because they are quick and easy but also because there is just something about a sandwich made for you by someone else.  It tastes better and if I'm not eating a deli sandwich I want one made by my father, the king of the sandwich.  You can ask my dad for sandwich thinking there is nothing good in the fridge and he will manage to put together something amazing.  The problem even with his sandwiches is that they are made with deli meat.  Well if you want to go the unprocessed route on eating virtually all deli meat is our of the question.  God only knows where the processed meat they try to pass off as turkey comes from, even if it does taste good.  So the only way I could think of to satisfy my sandwich cravings during this month and potentially moving forward is to make my own meats.  I started off with turkey.

Many people find the idea of roasting turkey or chicken a rather daunting prospect.  Well maybe not most foodies and cooks, but many of my friends.  They'd always be so surprised and impressed when I would roast a chicken for dinner.  I've roasted whole chickens and whole turkeys but never just a breast.  My one concern was for keeping the meat nice and moist.  I decided to achieve this by cooking it on a lower heat nice and slow.  Normally when I roast a chicken I bump up the heat at the end to get a nice crispy skin, but for this breast that wast the biggest concern, though I love the skin I just wanted nice juicy meat for my sandwich. 

Beef Bourguignon Burgers

I'm going to start this by saying I have never had Beef Bourguignon before. I truly know very little about it, just that it's a delicious sounds red wine and beef dish that I always see on French menus but have yet to try. About a week ago when we were driving home from the cottage the boy and I decided to do burgers for our Sunday night dinner, because it was a nice night for grilling and burgers are easy. Traditionally in our house, the boy makes burgers, not because I can't but because it's his thing. Well it's my turn now.

As I was walking around the grocery store I remembered that I had some mushrooms from our most recent Mama Earth delivery, abottle of red wine and a whole wack of fresh herbs from my new herb garden. The boy and I bought some and then his mom bought me some, I have alot of duplicates but I love fresh herbs and have very little faith in my gardening abilities so it's good for me to have extra! I remembered a few years ago seeing Rachel Ray make a burger version of Beef Bourguignon of it on her show 30-Minute Meals and from what I could tell I had all the necessary ingredients at my finger tips.

I chose not to even glance at Ms. Ray's recipe as I wanted to build this one on my own. I just looked at some Beef Bourguignon recipes and formulated my burger from there. While I know there is no cheese in Beef Bourguignon, I can't have a burger without cheese. Keeping with the French theme I decided to stuff the burgers with brie. The boy and I are on a stuffed burger kick, ever since he made the most amazing blue cheese stuffed burgers ever. I promise to post them some day, they are that good.

Beef Bourguignon Burgers
makes 3 large burgers or 5 smaller

BURGERS
1 1/4 lb lean ground beef
2 cloves garlic - minced
1/2 small onion - chopped
1 Tbsp fresh thyme - chopped
1 Tbsp fresh rosemary - chopped
1 Tbsp Montreal Steak Spice or other grill spice
2 Tbsp red wine
1/2 wedge or more brie - rind removed and cut into 1/2" cubes
3 whole wheat buns
baby spinach

TOPPING
1 lb crimini mushroom or baby bellas - sliced
2 Tbsp unsalted butter - separated
2 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup red wine
salt & pepper

1. In a large bowl mix together meat, garlic, onions, herbs and steak spice. Once incorporated work in the red wine.
2. Form meat into 6 pancake thin patties. Place 4-5 cubes of brie in the center of three of the patties. Cover with the remaining 3 patties and seal the edges. Place finished burgers in the refrigerator for 1 hour.
3. Heat olive oil and 1 Tbsp butter in a medium saute pan over medium heat. Once heated and butter is melted add in mushroom. Let cook for 2-3 minutes over medium heat then remove from heat and add in red wine. Return to heat and cook down until wine reduces by half. Salt & pepper to taste. At this point you can remove from heat until burgers come off the grill.
4. Preheat grill to medium low. Grill burgers 8-10 minutes per side for medium. Using the corner of the spatula, poke hole in top just before pulling from grill to let any steam that has accumulate with the cheese melting to escape. While grilling the burgers, lightly toast the buns.
5. To dress place a small handful of baby spinach leaves on the bottom bun, place the burger on the spinach. Then top burger with the mushroom and wine sauce and place the other half of the bun on top. Enjoy!


These burgers were bursting with flavor, from the fresh herbs and red wine and mushrooms. They were really quite easy to put together and so worth it with the richness of the flavors. The boy loved them! And being the burger connoisseur in our house, that means alot. Even though the burgers are stuffed you still get some of the delicious brie oozing out. You could melt the cheese on top but then there goes the surprise of having it stuffed. Either way you should make these burgers soon. Enjoy!

Grilled Cheese Goodness #4

Well here it is folks, my last grilled cheese of the month, this one is much like the Smoked Gouda and BBQ Chicken in that it was made from leftovers. Specifically leftover Rosemary Rubbed NY Strip with Chianti butter, stay tuned for the post to appear this week in my guest posting over at Domestic Divas. This is a super rich sammie that was inspired by the toasted roast beef subs we always had growing up. Mom with get nice pink roast beef and soft sub rolls, spread some mayo on the rolls, load up with roast beef and top with shredded mozzarella, stick it under the broiler to get the cheese all melty and devour it. I loved those sandwiches and when I has some delicious left over steak I had to try a new version of my old favorite.

Steak Grilled Cheese

Leftover steak (recipe to come for my rosemary rubbed steak)
Mozzarella cheese slices
Provolone cheese slices
Ciabatta loaf
Hellman's Olive Oil Mayo
Butter (I used Chianti butter, recipe to come with the rosemary steak)

1. Heat up panini grill according to directions, or place a fry pan over medium low heat. Slice ciabatta loaf to 1/2" thick slices. Butter one side of each slice of bread.
2. Layer sandwich in panini grill or on fry pan. Place one slice of bread butter side down, spread mayo (as much as you like), layer 1 slice of mozzarella and 1 slice of provolone (more if you want it extra cheesy), 1 layer of steak, 1 more slice of mozzarella and provolone, top with second slice of bread, butter side up.
3. Either close panini press and cook for 5 to 7 minutes until bread is toasty and cheese is melty. If using a fry pan cook on medium low until butter melts, carefully flip and repeat on other side. Cover fry pan and let sandwich slow cook until on side is golden brown and cheese begins to melt, flip cover and repeat on other side.
4. Let rest for a few minutes. Slice and enjoy.

I just received my panini press/indoor grill for Xmas, actually my brother did and realized he had no room in his shoebox of an apartment to keep it so I managed to score it. I was initially again hauling it out to use for one sandwich but it honestly makes, making a grilled cheese so much easier and faster I think it's all I'm going to use from now on. It can also apparently be used to grill meat and veggies, something I'll be trying out more next winter.

But I'm digressing, this sammie was delish and I think the perfect last post on this grilled cheese month. It would definitely work with any kind of steak, but I think there was a lot of added flavor with the rosemary rub and Chianti butter, make sure to stay tuned for the recipe on Domestic Divas. Enjoy!

Grilled Cheese Goodness #3

I'm a bit behind on my promise of a grilled cheese per week this month, working nights will do that to you. I think I made up for it with this amazingly delicious treat. I love cheese with fruit and anything sweet as is demonstrated in my first sammie of the month with the Apricot Mustard. But I especially like apples with cheese and figured what could be better in a grilled cheese than a Granny Smith. We had some Rosenberg blue cheese leftover from delicious burgers the boy made a few weeks ago and I decided to pair that with a homemade green apple chutney and since the blue cheese is so strong I toned it down with some Emanthaler cheese. All in all it was a perfectly tasty and rich sandwich.

Grilled Cheese with Green Apple Chutney
makes 2 Sandwiches

4 slices of whole wheat bread
1/2 wedge of Rosenberg Blue Cheese - cut into thin slices or crumbled
2-4 slices of Emanthaler cheese or any type of Swiss
Apple Chutney (see recipe below)

1. Preheat your panini press according to the directions for making sandwiches. Layer blue cheese and 1/2 to a whole slice of Emanthaler on 2 slices of bread. Go easy with the blue cheese as it's strong and will get very melty and spread, just be sure the slices has a nice thin layer of cheese. Top with 1/2 of the apple chutney. Top chutney with another thin layer of cheeses and remaining slices of bread.
2. Place one sandwich at a time onto the press (unless it can handle two at a time). Close press and toast for 5-7 minutes, until toasty grill marks appear. Remove from press let sit for 3 minutes, cut and serve.

Green Apple Chutney

1 medium Granny Smith apple - peeled and cut into 1/2" dice
2 slices red onion - diced
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp lemon juice
2 Tbsp dry white wine
1 cinnamon stick
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1 Tbsp sugar

1. In a small saucepan heat olive oil over medium heat. Add apples into heated pan and saute over medium heat for 5 minutes. Add in onion and saute for another 5 minutes.
2. Add in cinnamon stick, ginger, sugar lemon juice and wine. Stir to combine. Cook over low heat for 10 minutes until apples get tender and juices reduce down. The apples should be soft but still hold their shape, you don't want it to be like applesauce.
3. Remove from heat and serve or use in a fabulous grilled cheese.



I chose to use my panini press to make this sandwich because I knew I wouldn't need to butter the bread to get it all toasty and delicious. I love blue cheese and was excited to use it this way, but recognize that's it's extremely rich and didn't think the sandwich needed the additional richness from the butter. The panini press was a good call and the bread was perfectly toasty and the sandwich was perfect even without the butter. That being said if you don't have a panini press this can of course be made traditionally in a pan with buttered bread like this one. If you are in the market for a panini press check out the Breville one I have in my Amazon store, while I haven't tried it yet it can also be used to grill meats and veggies. Either way you make this sandwich will work and while it takes a bit more time than some of my others, it's still extremely easy and well worth the extra time to make the homemade chutney. Enjoy!

Grilled Cheese Goodness #2

This weeks ooey gooey grilled cheese came about based on some left overs we had, namely the Maple Whiskey Pulled Chicken. The boy was away for work last week and had to listen to me plan out different grilled cheese creations. After torturing him like that I knew once he was home, I had to make him something delicious and wanted to try something I hadn't before. Reusing leftovers was also key. I know most people hate leftovers but turning one meal into two or even three is a great way to save money and really forces you to be creative. While this use of the pulled chicken is that different from how I originally served it it's a twist that was tasty and satisfying especially if you give yourself a couple day break between.

Smoked Gouda Grilled Cheese
serves 2

4 slices Prairie Grain Raisin Bread - this is something my local grocery store bakery makes, but you can easily use any kind of honey oat bread and get the same flavors
4 1/8" thick slices of Smoked Gouda - if your deli doesn't slice it cut enough to cover each piece of bread in a thin layer
1/2 cup of Maple Whiskey Pulled Chicken
3 Tbsp butter

1. Warm up pulled chicken either in the microwave for a minute or so out in a saute pan over medium heat. Reheat until warmed all the way through.
2. Butter one side of two slices of bread. Place a small fry pan over low heat. Place one slice of bread buttered side down in warmed pan, layer 1 slice (or layer) of cheese on the bread. Top with half of the heated chicken, one more slice of smoked Gouda and the remaining slice of bread, buttered side up.
3. Cover pan and let sandwich cook on low until butter is melted. Carefully flip and cover pan and repeat on the other side. Flip again, cover and keep on low until bread is golden brown and toasty. This will take up to 5 minutes or so. Flip and repeat on the other side. Remove finished sandwich to a cutting board.
4. Repeat steps 2 and 3 with the remaining ingredients. Let each sandwich rest a minute or two before cutting.


The Smoked Gouda wasn't as melty as I had hoped, but cooking the sandwich low and slow and keeping it covered got the cheese to melt. The creaminess of the cheese really complemented the chicken and the prairie bread. The chicken is the in-your-face star of this sandwich, but the cheese is what really makes it special, the mellow smokiness completes it. Enjoy!

Maple Whiskey Pulled Chicken

If you are a regular reader of my blog you might have noticed that I use the slow cooker regularly and often use it to make pulled meats. Mostly it's been pork, but since chicken was on sale last week decided to do a twist on the BBQ Pulled Chicken I made last summer. Being in Canada it only seemed fit to use some pure Canadian maple syrup for sweetness and you can't go wrong with booze in BBQ sauce.

Maple Whiskey Pulled Chicken

2 1/2 lbs of chicken (I used 4 large boneless chicken breasts and 4 boneless chicken thighs)
1 cup of low sodium tomato sauce
1/4 cup cider vinegar
1/2 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup whiskey
1 Tbsp tomato paste
1 Tbsp smoked paprika
1/4 - 1/2 tsp cayenne
2 tsp chili powder
1 Tbsp grainy mustard
1 1/2 tsp hickory liquid smoke
1 medium onion - chopped
3 cloves garlic - minced
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp fresh cracked pepper

1. In a 6 quart slow cooker mix together all the ingredients, except the chicken. Add in chicken and cook on low for 5 hours.
2. When cook time is up, remove chicken pieces and shred with two forks. Return shredded meat to sauce and mix it all together. Serve on warmed multi-grain rolls with red onion and 3 year old cheddar.


This pulled chicken is delicious. You are hit with the heat of cayenne on your first bite, but it finishes with the sweetness of the maple syrup. It's very different from the other pulled meats I've made, mostly because I usually use chipotle peppers which give an underlying heat throughout. I like the way the heat comes first and the sweet finishes off, it's great on a sandwich and also good scrambled in with some eggs. The boy was a fan too, especially since he initially thought it was pork! It was my first time using liquid smoke and it definitely added a much need flavor element to this dish, making it taste more authentic and almost like summer.

This is a super easy slow cooker meal that you can set to cook when you leave for work and even if it turns down to warm for a few hours before you get home it just infuses the flavor in the meat that much more. Enjoy!

Grilled Cheese Goodness #1

Here we are with my first official Grilled Cheese Month post. This may be my favorite food holiday all year, so excuse me if I go a bit overboard with the posts! This first sandwich I threw together with stuff we just had on hand in the house. It's simple and basic but oh-so-delicious! The star of this sammie is a delicious semi-soft cheese out of Quebec called Oka. Its name comes from the town in Quebec where it was originally made in 1893. It's got a very pungent aroma and is soft creamy on the tongue with a slight nutty flavor. I first tried it when I was at the Toronto Wine & Cheese Show and fell in love. It's a very versatile cheese that I can't wait to use in Mac & Cheese, on pizza and who knows who knows what else! Post any ideas in the comments.

Oka & Apricot Grilled Cheese
makes 2 sandwiches

4 slices of multi-grain bread sandwich bread
3 Tbsp of room temperature butter - for easy spreading
Oka Cheese - don't have exact measurement, enough for a nice layer on the bread
Apricot Mustard (recipe below)

1. Heat a skillet over medium low heat. Spread a generous layer of Apricot Mustard on two slices of bread. Top mustard with a layer of Oka Cheese, slices should be 1/8"-1/4" thick it melts really well so you don't need a ton, just a single layer. Top with remaining slices of bread.
2. Butter top of sandwich. Carefully place in skillet, buttered side down. Butter other side of sandwich.
3. Cover skillet and cook sandwich on low just until the butter on the skillet side is completely melted. Carefully flip and repeat on other side. Flip again and bring the burner up to medium heat. Cook until ones side becomes golden brown and toasty, flip and repeat on other side.
4. Take out of skillet, let sit for 3 minutes (this step isn't necessary and really hard to do if you are hungry! but helps in the sandwich being a little less oozy than in the picture), cut in half and serve.


Apricot Mustard

Mix 1 part Dijon mustard with 1 1/2 parts apricot jam. Mix until well combined. Taste and add more jam as needed.


This sandwich was simple and oh-so-delicious! Oka is a great cheese for grilled cheese because it melts beautifully, with no oil separation. Basically most semi-soft cheese will work well in grilled cheese, but the flavor of this cheese is just amazing and the nuttiness pairs perfectly with the sweet tang of the Apricot mustard. I used a jam that had apricot chunks in it which made it all the better.

The boy is out of town for work so you don't have the benefit of his take on this one, although I made him a plain Oka grilled cheese over the weekend, which he loved. And the Apricot Mustard is similar to the dipping sauce I made with the onions rings, which he also liked. I have a feeling I'll be making this one again for him, have to go buy some more Oka.
Every cheese monger around here carries Oka, but I'm not sure how easy it is to find in the States. Not to worry though, the Springbank Cheese Co ships Oka and many other cheeses to the U.S. Enjoy!

Happy Cold Cut Day!

Since I started this blog I have learned that just about every day is some sort of National Food Holiday. It's completely random and something I chose not to play along just because I like to cook what I like to cook and it just seemed silly. Then I remembered that April is National Grilled Cheese Month something I will for sure partake in due my insane love of all things cheese. I then decided to research these food holidays a bit further to see if there were any other days I mightbe willing (or in fact really want) to celebrate. Then I came upon March 3, not only is it Mulled Wine Day (which sounds fun but I think much better suited to December) but it is also Cold Cut Day! Check out this article on The Nibble for a listing of some of the most random food holidays you could ever imagine. Like Cheese Doodle Day or my favorite Turkey Neck Soup Day, and these are just a for March!

Anyway, I decided to celebrate Cold Cut Day because the boy loves all things deli meat and sandwiches AND I have been wanting to make a Muffaletta sandwich for awhile. I thought about it last week for Mardi Gras, but since I wanted to make the olive salad and it takes a week to get right, I just didn't have enough time. I had the time for National Cold Cut Day and figured what better a sandwich to make for this day than a massive one chock full of meat and cheese? The one inauthentic thing in my sandwich was the bread. I contemplated making my own muffaletta bread (like Fabio did on Top Chef) but I have not had much luck with homemade bread and I need some better equipment and more practice before attempting another bread. So I went with what was on hand at our local grocery store. Which, by the way, has a wonderful selection of artisinal breads. Although they didn't have a muffaletta loaf with sesame seeds they had a beautiful round Calabrese.



Olive Salad
from Nola Cuisine

1 1/cup Green Olives - pitted
1/2 cup Kalamata Olives - pitted
1 cup Gardiniera (pickeld cauliflower, carrots, celery pepperoncini)
1 Tbsp capers
3 garlic cloves - thinly sliced
1/8 cup celery - thinly sliced
1 Tbsp flat leaf parsley - chopped
1 Tbsp fresh oregano or 2 tsp dried
1 tsp crushed red pepper
3 Tbsp red wine vinegar
1/4 cup roasted red peppers
1 Tbsp green onions - thinly sliced
salt & fresh ground pepper to taste
1 1/2 cups or more Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Crush each olive on a cutting board with your hand. Combine all ingredients. Cover with Extra Virgin Olive Oil. Put into a bowl or jar, cover and let flavor marry for 1 week.


For the meats and how the sandwich is assembled I went with some guidance from NoLa Cusine and also from a show I saw on the Food Network about Muffaletta.



Muffaletta

100g Mortadella
100g Capicola
100g Genoa Salami
100g Swiss cheese
100g Provolone cheese
100g Mozarella
1 10" round of Muffaletta bread or something similar
Olive Salad

1. Preheat oven to 300F. Slice the loaf of bread in half horizontally.
2. On the bottom half press as much of the Olive Salad as will fit to cover, letting the oil seep into the bread.
3. On the top half place the meats and cheeses in the following layers, using all of the meat. Salami, Provolone, Capicola, Swiss Mortadella, Mozarella.
4. Carefully flip the top onto the bottom. Place on a cookie sheet and warm in the oven for 5 minutes. Cut into quarters and serve.

This truly is the ultimate sandwich and with such little effort won me major brownie points with the boy. The one complaint was the very crusty bread I used. I normally love crusty bread, but with the size of this sandwich it was just a bit too much and quite tough to eat. That being said, it was well worth the effort eating it! The combination of the meats and cheeses with the delicious olive salad was perfect. With any leftover salad you can easily make some garlic toasts and make a tasty bruschetta.

Once my bread making skills improve I plan to try to make my own muffaletta bread or maybe I'll get to New Orleans before then and have a legit Muffaletta from the world famous Central Grocery. Enjoy!

Leftover Ideas

Last week I made tasty Chipotle Mango Pulled Pork. I made it using a 3.5 lb pork shoulder. That's alot of meat for 2 people, which meant I had to get creative with the leftovers. Yes we could've just kept having pulled pork sandwiches, but where's the fun in that? Besides I come from a family, well more specifically I have a father who is AMAZING with leftovers. He is that person that always takes leftovers home from a restaurant and makes them even better than the were originally. It's always a culinary adventure at my parents' house because you can look in the fridge and see nothing appealing and Dad will go in there and create the tastiest meal. This is a skill that we could all benefit from these days what with rising food costs and the overall financial difficulties most of us are living with. With that in mind I took on the challenge to see how many different ways I could reuse my delectable pulled pork.

My first dish was something I've been craving for quite some time, enchiladas. The one stumbling block was the difficulty in finding soft corn tortillas in Toronto. I've only found one grocery store between work and home that carries them and I just couldn't get over there before my planned meal. But I recently saw Ingrid Hoffman (on her Food Network show Simply Delcioso) make quick and easy chicken enchiladas using flour tortillas. I figured if they were good enough for Ingrid than I could sure try them, plus I think the whole wheat tortillas are much better for you than the corn.

Pulled Pork Enchiladas
serves 3

2 cups of leftover pulled pork - heated in the microwave or a skillet
1 small onion chopped
1 15 oz can of diced tomatoes with onions & peppers
1 small can diced green chiles
2-3 cups shredded cheddar cheese
6 whole wheat tortillas

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Lightly oil or spray with cooking spray an 11x17 baking dish.
2. In a bowl mix together warmed pork, onions and 1 cup shredded cheese. In another bowl mix together the diced tomatoes and chiles.
3. Taking one tortilla at a time place 1/3 cup of pork mixture in a line down the center, fold the tortilla over the pork and place seam down in the prepared baking dish. Repeat with the rest of the tortillas.
4. Pour the tomato chile mixture over the rolled tortillas and top with the rest of the shredded cheddar cheese.
5. Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes or until the cheese has all melted and the filling and sauce is bubbly. Serve with sour cream and a side of black beans.

The boy really enjoyed this, I was less than impressed. I just felt that with the sauce in the pork and the sauce on top the flour tortillas just became too doughy. I still prefer the corn tortillas for my enchiladas but will try to flour tortillas again in a pinch and maybe with a different filling. This was a super easy meal which was my favorite part of it. Even better was that I cooked dry beans all day in my slow cooker. They were not perfect which is why I am not posting them. But another great cost saving measure is to buy dried beans as opposed to canned. They are much less expensive for the amount you get. They take longer to cook but if you make a bunch over the weekend they keep for almost a week in the fridge or you can try the slow cooker method.

On to the other leftover recipes. I didn't take pictures of these next two simply because I was starving when I made each. Lame excuse I know, but it's the truth.

Pulled Pork Panini
makes 1 panini

1/2 cup or more pulled pork - heated in microwave or skillet (just so it's not iced cold from the fridge)
1 thick cut slice of extra sharp cheddar cheese
1/4 cup of leftover coleslaw (from when we originally had the pork)
2 slices of multi-grain bread

1. Heat up panini press/indoor grill, I have this grill.
2. On one slice of bread, layer pork, coleslaw, cheese and top with 2nd slice of bread. Carefully place sandwich in the grill and press down for approx 5 minutes, until cheese is melted and you get nice grill marks on the sandwich.
IF YOU DON'T HAVE A PANINI PRESS: This is a sandwich that can easily be made the same way you would make a grilled cheese. Just butter the outside of the assembled sandwich and grill in a skillet over medium low heat until nice and toasty.

I made this sandwich for Saturday brunch. The boy worked late Friday night and slept in on Saturday and I ran errands until he woke up and forgot to eat until I made this around 1pm. Hence my being too starving to take the time to photograph it. While it's just a sandwich with the gooey cheese and toasty bread it was quite a different experience than traditional pulled pork on a roll.

And on to the final recipe:

Pulled Pork Quesadillas with Guacamole
serves 2-3

Pulled pork - I used whatever we had left for this, I'm guessing it was approx 1-2 cups, heated in microwave or skillet
6 whole wheat tortillas
2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
cooking spray
2 avocados - cubed
1 tomato - pulp removed and diced
1/2 small onion diced
1 glove garlic minced
1/4 jalapeno - deveined and seeded and minced
lime juice - from 1 lime
salt & pepper

1. Make the guacamole first so it has time to set and the flavors can meld. In a medium bowl mash together the avocado, garlic, jalapeno & lime juice, keeping the mixture slightly chunky. Carefully mix in the tomatoes and onions. Add salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.
2. Preheat oven to 350F. Heat a skillet over medium heat. Spray with cooking spray. Toast both sides of each tortilla until slightly golden. Set aside on a plate. When all tortillas are toasted. Place 1 tortilla on a cookie sheet. top with shredded cheese, a thin layer of pulled pork, more shredded cheese and a second tortilla. Repeat with remaining tortillas and meat to make 3 quesadillas.
3. Place cookie sheet in heated over and bake for 12-15 minutes until cheese is melted. Remove from oven and cut with a pizza cutter. Serve with guacamole and a green salad with lettuce tomato and a vinaigrette dressing.

This was by far my favorite re-use of the pulled pork. I love quesadillas and this method to make them was so simple. I borrowed it from another one of my favorite bloggers, the Pioneer Woman, she is suggesting it for Superbowl Sunday and I inclined to agree. Whether you are reusing pulled pork or just about any leftover meat or using all veggies like the Pioneer Woman it's a tasty and satisfying treat.

Enjoy!

Chipotle Mango Pulled Pork

Now let me start of by saying this is not the most SB Friendly meal. It's not the worst, but the SB Diet generally tells you to stay away from fattier cuts of meat, i.e. pork shoulder. I supposed I could've have made this with a pork tenderloin but it just didn't seem to be the best use of pork tenderloin, plus pork shoulder was on sale last week and I'm a sucker for a sale especially when it's something that I know I can use the leftovers for another fabulous meal (stay tuned for this pulled pork in another dish this weekend). That being said I think I did a good job, save for the cut of meat in keeping this as a fairly healthy meal otherwise.

Now that I've cleared my conscious about my little diet break, let me say that I think this is the perfect recipe for this blog. Why, you ask? Well because it is a wonderful combination of spicy and sweet and a great homage to all things Piccante Dolce. This one is my own and completely a function of what we had in the house and what was on sale this past week (pork shoulder and mangoes). Chipotle peppers are one of my favorites because they add a nice mellow heat to everything. They are the kind of canned ingredient I always have on hand (along with canned tomatoes and white beans) and I just thought would go perfectly with mango. Here you go:

Chipotle Mango Pulled Pork

1 3-4 lb pork shoulder - trimmed of any excess fat (trying to be SB conscious)
1 - 2 large mangoes - cubed
1 large onion - diced
4 cloves of garlic - minced
2-4 chipotle chilis canned in adobo - seeded deveined and chopped (depending on how much heat you want)
1 Tbsp adobo from the canned chilis
1/3 cup red wine vinegar
1/3 cup ketchup
1/4 cup whiskey
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
2 tsp chili powder
2 tsp paprika
1 1/2 tsp mustard powder
salt & pepper
buns or bread of your choice
sliced avocado for garnish - optional

1. Place pork shoulder in slow cooker and cover with vinegar, ketchup, whiskey, mango, onions, garlic, chilis, adobo and spices. Set to cook for 8 hours on high.
2. At the end of the cook time, carefully remove the pro shoulder from the slow cooker and shred with two forks. Return to the slow cooker and stir with the remaining liquid.
3. Serve on toasted buns topped with sliced avocado and cole slaw on the side.

This was such and easy meal and perfect for a day I knew I'd be working late. I threw it all in the slow cooker before work and hen I got home I shredded the pork while the boy threw together the cole slaw (SB friendly slaw). I think the cole slaw would be great on the sandwiches but we both really wanted to just get the flavor of the pork, so opted for it on the side.

Boy did the pork have serious flavor! It was pretty spicy but in that nice mellow chipotle way. If you are sensitive to spice I'd suggest using only 2 or 3 peppers, I used 4 and we both loved it. The boy thought the heat was perfect (it was one of the first things he said). I only used 1 mango and kicked myself for not add the 1/2 I had leftover after making mango salsa a few nights earlier. There was a definite sweetness to the pork but I would've liked just a bit more mango flavor [NOTE: THE NEXT DAY THE PORK HAD THE PERFECT AMOUNT OF SWEETNESS AND SPICE, SO I TAKE BACK MY COMMENT ABOUT ADDING MORE MANGO]. But all in all this was a winner with layers of flavor a mild sweetness at first followed up with the spice and heat. Since we aren't eating a ton of carbs at home I opted not to buy buns just for this one meal and we just used toasted whole grain bread (Dempsters Ancient Grains is awesome!) for our sandwiches. I topped the sandwiches with some sliced avocado and found that it offered just the right amount of freshness to really balance out the spicy sweet pork. Enjoy!

Egg Sandwich

Breakfast it my favorite meal of the day and the boy makes the BEST breakfast ever. While we were living 3,000 miles apart I was only able to have his tasty breakfast treats once in awhile, so I would make my version of his egg sandwich. I was craving one this morning and since he had to work today (even though it's Saturday, crazy film business) I made it myself. Here you go:

Egg Sandwich

2 slices of bread (I prefer multi grain, but we only had light rye)
Extra Sharp Cheddar cheese (singles if you have them or slices from a block)
1/2 Roma tomato - sliced
1 Tbsp mayonnaise
1 Tbsp butter
2 large eggs
2 strips bacon (I didn't have this today but it's the preferred way to have it)

1. Heat skillet to medium heat. Lay bacon strips in and fry until crispy. Remove to paper-towel lined plate to drain.
2. Put bread in toaster and toast to a night golden brown.
3. As the toast is toasting, keeping just a bit of bacon fat reserved in the skillet heat it over medium low heat. Place eggs in skillet, sprinkle with salt & pepper and cover skillet. Letting eggs cook on low, covered for a few minutes until to desired doneness, I recommend medium.
4. Take finished toast out of toaster, spread mayonnaise on one slice and butter on the other.
5. Assemble sandwich with eggs on buttered toast, top with bacon, tomatoes, cheese and the slice of toast with mayonnaise. Cut in half and enjoy.

The first time the boy made this for me, I said no mayo, but he promised I would like it and I do. It totally adds something extra to the sandwich and you should try it too. I made mine this morning without bacon, but if you have it and want to splurge, go for it. I also used Hellman's Olive Oil mayonnaise, which is my new favorite and just a bit healthier than regular mayo. Enjoy!

Grown-up Grilled Cheese

I figured since I made tomato soup yesterday, that there really is no better follow-up than grilled cheese. Since I made a rich and flavorful soup, I decided I needed a grilled cheese that was more than just white bread and American cheese. What I came up with was the tastiest grilled cheese sandwich, I've ever made at home. It was absolutely perfect dunked in yesterday's soup.

Grown-up Grilled Cheese
serves 1

2 slices whole wheat bread
1 1/2 slices white extra sharp cheddar (if you don't buy sandwich slices, enough thin slices from a block of cheese to cover a slice of bread 1 1/2 times)
1 1/2 slices Asiago cheese (if you don't buy sandwich slices, enough thin slices from a block of cheese to cover a slice of bread 1 1/2 times)
1 slice Gruyere (if you don't buy sandwich slices, enough thin slices from a block of cheese to cover a slice of bread 1 time)
1 tbsp unsalted butter

1. Heat nonstick pan over medium-low heat. Butter 1 side of each bread slice.
2. place one slice of bread, buttered side down in heat pan. Place on top of bread one layer of cheddar, one layer of Asiago, one layer of Gruyere and top with remaining cheddar and Asiago. Top the whole thing with last slice of bread, buttered side up. Cover skillet and let cook slowly for approx. 5 minutes or until bread becomes golden.
3. Carefully flip sandwich and cover, letting the other side grill to a nice golden color, approx 5 minutes.
4. Flip sandwich again, lower heat to low, cover and let cook for 5 more minutes. Repeat on other side. This step is to help melt the cheese without toasting the bread anymore.
5. Finally bring heat back up to medium, giving each side a blast of heat while covered to crisp up the bread. Approx 2 minutes per side. Cheese should be oozing out the side of the sandwich now.
6. Remove to cutting board and carefully cut in half. Serve with this tomato soup.

I love all kinds of things on grilled cheese...tomato, bacon, ham, avocado, but I have to say this one stands alone really well, especially with the soup. If you aren't having soup with it, go crazy with whatever fillings you like. This sandwich with tomato soup is the ultimate comfort food, in my opinion. It's not low-fat or low-calorie but every once in awhile it does the trick!

Pulled Chicken Sandwiches

Last night I hosted my monthly book club. We always do a pot luck with whoever is hosting making the main dish. I love having the girls over, but hate to rush home and cook something, so I was determined to use my slow cooker to make things easier. I wanted to do something with chicken and something that was relatively simple, but flavorful. I came across this recipe from Eating Well for BBQ Pulled Chicken. I love pulled pork, but know not everyone eats pork, so doing a version with chicken is a great and healthy alternative. This dish was one of the easiest things I've ever made. I threw all the ingredients into the slow cooker before I went to work, set it on low and when I came home the house smelled of BBQ and dinner was almost ready! The only changes I made was using a combination of thigh and breast meat and I have a whole jar of molasses from my grilled peaches so I decided to use that in place of honey.

BBQ Pulled Chicken

from Eating Well
serves 8

1 8-ounce can reduced-sodium tomato sauce
1 4-ounce can chopped green chiles, drained
3 tablespoons cider vinegar
2 tablespoons honey (I subbed molasses for the honey)
1 tablespoon sweet or smoked paprika
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
2 teaspoons dry mustard
1 teaspoon ground chipotle chile
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs, trimmed of fat (I used 1.75 lbs of thigh and .75 lbs of breast)
1 small onion, finely chopped1 clove garlic, minced

1. Stir tomato sauce, chiles, vinegar, honey, paprika, tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, ground chipotle and salt in a 6-quart slow cooker until smooth. Add chicken, onion and garlic; stir to combine.
2. Put the lid on and cook on low until the chicken can be pulled apart, about 5 hours.
3. Transfer the chicken to a cutting board and shred with a fork. Return the chicken to the sauce, stir well and serve.

The chicken was great on a Whole Wheat Honey bun with a bit of red onion. The ground chipotle added some nice mellow heat to the dish, but as I like spice in these kinds of things I think I'll add a bit more next time.

Everyone really seemed to enjoy this and it went well with the treats everyone brought. We had a bevy of tasty picnic-type sides: Mac & Cheese (Trader Joe's frozen mac is surprisingly quite tasty!), Garlic Fries, Potato Salad, Cole Slaw, Mixed green salad with heirloom tomatoes & red onion and it was all finished off with tasty cupcakes from Crumbs. So we had a tasty feast, talked about the book quite a bit and the entire group recommends it, which doesn't always happen. If you are looking for a quick and fun read (and haven't read it already) check out Twilight by Stephanie Meyer.

The Perfect Summer Sunday Supper

This past weekend was beautiful here in LA and while I spent some time on Sunday reading on my roof deck, I decided it was the perfect day for a traditional summer meal of burgers and potato salad, cole slaw or some kind of cold salad. The July issue of Bon Appetit magazine is their BBQ Issue and is chock full of awesome grill recipes (I'm sure I'll be trying more of them in the coming weeks). They did a whole article on burgers and I decided that I must try one of them out. There were lamb burgers, pork burgers, fish burgers, but I decided I was really craving a traditional beef burger. Plus Sundays at the grocery store tend to be insane and I was not in the mood to try and track down ground lamb or pork. I was going to make a Honey Dijon Potato salad that I saw Rachel Ray do on 30 Minutes Meals (I know she is so over exposed but I still love this show), but I am trying to be conscious of carbs and decided that a nice, fresh green bean salad would be great. So I hopped on the Food Network's website and low and behold there was a Rachel Ray recipe for a green bean salad, that looked simple and tasty.

Recipes are below and as always my edits/comments are in red.

CHEDDAR BURGER WITH BALSAMIC ONIONS AND CHIPOTLE KETCHUP
from Bon Appetit Magazine July 2008
serves 6

ONIONS
1 lb red onions cut crosswise into 1/3 to 1/2 inch thick rounds
3/4 tsp course Kosher salt
1/2 tsp coarsely ground black pepper
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar

1. Heat the grill to Medium-High heat
2. Arrange the onion rounds on a baking sheet. (I advise using a tooth pick to hold the onion rounds together as they cook, I lost a few rings in my grill and will definitely do this next time) Brush with oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
3. Transfer onion rounds to grill rack and close the cover.
4. Cook until grill marks appear, approx 204 minutes per side
5. Reduce heat or move onions to a cooler part of the grill (I moved mine up to the top rack) Close cover and cook until onions are tender, approx 10 mins.
6. Transfer to bowl and bowl with vinegar (remove toothpick at this point) Can be made up to 3 days ahead
7. Cover and chill.

CHIPOTLE KETCHUP
1 cup ketchup
1 1/2 tsp chopped chipotle chiles from canned chipotles in adobo
2 tbsp adobo from canned chiles
2 tsp or more balsamic vinegar

1. Mix ketchup, chiles, adobo sauce and balsamic vinegar in a small bowl.
2. Season with salt and more vinegar, if desired. Can be made 3 days ahead.
3. Cover and chill.

BURGERS
2 1/4 lbs ground beef
6 thick slices sharp cheddar cheese (I chose to use a chipotle cheddar)
6 large English muffins
6 tomato slices (optional)
2 cups fresh spinach leaves
Approx 2 tbsp Montreal Steak Seasoning or any other grill spice blend

1. Heat grill to Medium-High heat
2. Mix meat with grill spice and shape into 6 1/2 inch thick patties.
3. Cook burgers to desired doneness, approx 3 mins per side for medium rare.
4. Grill English muffins cut side down. Top burgers with cheese and close cover to melt.
5. Assemble burgers with muffins, ketchup, onions, spinach leaves and tomatoes if desired (we didn't have tomatoes and I didn't miss them at all)

This was a very easy recipe and the little bit of extra time it took to make the onions and ketchup were well worth it. They added alot of good flavors to a traditional burger. My brother would prefer I not use the chipotle cheddar next time, but I liked it, so I guess it just depends on your preference. I also really enjoyed the spinach leaves in place of lettuce.


GREEN BEAN SALAD
from Rachel Ray and the Food Network

1 pound fresh green beans, washed and trimmed
1/4 red onion, sliced thin
1/4 European cucumber, cut into thin sticks resembling shape and size of green beans
1/2 pint grape tomatoes, halved
Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling
1/2 lemon, juiced
Coarse salt and pepper

1. Steam green beans in 1/2 inch boiling water covered for 3 or 4 minutes. Cold shock beans by running under cold water and drain well.
2. Place beans in a bowl and combine with onions, cucumber and tomato.
3. Dress salad with a generous drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil and the juice of 1/2 lemon.
4. Season salad with coarse salt and pepper, to taste.

This salad couldn't have been any easier or any tastier. I followed the recipe almost exactly (considering I never measure anything) and it was the perfect complement to the hearty & spicy burger.

Overall this meal was a total success, especially when paired with a nice cold beer, I will definitely be making both dishes again.