Live the Live ™

Some of my favorite recipes happen when I’ve got a few leftover ingredients in the fridge that I really want to use up. The challenge is to make them work together.

Burgers are easy solutions to this dilemma, because, let’s face it: just about anything can go on a burger!

My thoughts behind this recipe went to a combination of things: a little garlic bread, a little Caprese salad, and, of course, a burger.

I had some burrata in the fridge. If you thought you couldn’t improve on mozzarella cheese, get yourself some burrata. The outer shell of the burrata is mozzarella, while the inside generally contains stracciatella and cream. It can be made from milk, or if it’s really decadent: Italian buffalo milk.

I use burrata instead of mozzarella when I make my Caprese salads…a combination of the cheese, fresh basil, and ripe tomatoes, drizzle with a high-quality balsamic vinegar.

I had kaiser rolls in the freezer. I wanted to go one step further, so I slathered them with my garlic bread smear, and toasted them.

And my burgers are always grass-fed beef, seasoned with salt and pepper, and pan-seared before finishing them in the oven.

I started with the garlic bread spread first.

Pre-heat the oven to 350.

1 stick (4 oz.) unsalted butter, softened
1 large clove garlic, squeezed through a press
1/2 teaspoon granulated garlic
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon parsley

I combined these ingredients in a bowl, mixing well, then smeared them on my kaiser roll halves, toasting them in the oven.

I got a pan very hot on the stovetop (cast iron is always best) and added a little fat. I use bacon grease if I have it. Otherwise I go with a high smoke point oil like avocado oil.

I seasoned the burger with salt and pepper, and placed it in the hot pan, searing it on one side, then flipping it to the other. I just want to sear the meat. I don’t want to cook the burger in the pan or it will overcook when I place it in the oven to finish.

I cut the burrata in half (it gets a little messy), and placed half of it (cut-side-down) onto the burger.

I placed the pan in the oven to finish cooking the burger and to melt the cheese. (If your pan isn’t oven-proof, get a tray that is, and just move the burger onto it and into the oven.)

I cooked the burger until it was medium-rare and the cheese had melted.

I placed the burger on the toasted roll and added a nice slice of farm-fresh heirloom tomato. (Fresh basil is optional.) And I drizzled over the top with some good balsamic.

That took a cheeseburger to a whole new level!

I’m pretty good at keeping the zucchinis in my garden harvested on a regular basis, so they don’t get too big. But once in a while, I miss one, and it gets to be huge. That’s when it’s time to make zucchini bread.

I was recently told that zucchinis are green…summer squash is yellow.  I use the word “zucchini” interchangeably, but technically, the variety I grow is, in, fact, a zucchini…or both, depending how you look at it!

Whatever you call it, use it! And make some delicious bread!

I slice the zucchini lengthwise, and remove the center section with all the seeds, because I don’t want that in my bread. Then I grate the rest. This recipe needs about 2 1/2 cups of grated zucchini, about 16 ounces.

When it comes to baking, I use my small kitchen scale to make most of the crucial measurements, because accuracy counts. It’s much more accurate than going by volume. But this recipe has both measurements, so you can try either method.

Substituting gluten-free flour for the basic all-purpose flour, will make this recipe gluten-free. I like to use the all-purpose GF flour by Cup4Cup.

And I like using olive oil as my vegetable oil, because I love the flavor and its health benefits. But feel free to use whatever vegetable oil you like.

2 cups (227g) all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon Kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, optional

1 cup (213g) light brown sugar
1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
scant 3/4 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs, lightly beaten

2 1/2 cups grated zucchini (about 16 oz.)

Preheat the oven to 350°.

Grease an 8 x 8“ or 5″ x 10″ loaf pan with some of the vegetable oil. Then line it with parchment paper…it makes it easier to remove later.

In a bowl, mix together the first five ingredients.

In a separate bowl, combine the remaining ingredients except the zucchini.

Add the grated zucchini to the bowl with the flour mixture and toss it around to coat.

Add the dry mixture to the wet mixture and stir until it’s combined.

Pour it into the pan. 

Bake until a toothpick comes out clean, about 45 to 60 minutes…but it could be even longer. Every oven is different, and different zucchini can have different moisture levels, so you may need to cook yours longer, depending on your situation. Even with all the high-tech thermometers I have, I find the good old-fashioned toothpick method works best.

Remove the baking pan from the oven and let it cool for 15 minutes. Then turn it over on a wire rack, removing the pan, and let the zucchini bread cool completely to room temperature before slicing.

This bread is so good, I just might let the zucchini overgrow more often!

Chimichurri, as I mentioned in a previous blog, is a garlicky, herby green sauce usually used with grilled meats. This pesto-like condiment originated in Argentina and is also commonly used in Nicaragua and Uruguay. Though some recipes include cilantro, many people insist the original is made only with parsley. It also makes an excellent marinade for grilled meats.

Fresh basil from the garden.

When I posted that blog, my friend, Brenda, asked me if I’ve ever used basil in my chimichurri. I had not…and that sounded like a great idea, especially since I had an overload of basil still growing in my garden. Technically, I guess I couldn’t call it chimichurri anymore, but that’s okay. What I got was a real flavor bomb that worked beautifully as a marinade, on grilled meats, and in other applications.

1 large handful of fresh basil leaves, about 4 cups, loosely packed
1/4 cup water
1 medium onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
3–4 tablespoons fresh oregano, leaves only (or 1 tablespoon dry)
1 tablespoon paprika
1 teaspoon crushed bay leaf
1 tablespoon coarse sea salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
pinch red pepper flakes
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

Place all the basil and the water in a food processor and begin to chop, pulsing for a second at a time. When the basil is in small pieces, stop pulsing and add the remaining ingredients, except the vinegar and olive oil. Start the processor on a full run now, and slowly pour in the vinegar, then the olive oil. Try not to make it too smooth…leave some tasty bits. Allow it to rest for at least 30 minutes, but overnight in a sealed container in the fridge is best.

I used this new basil “chimi” on chicken. (The recipe is in a future blog.) But I could also see how awesome it would be tossed in a salad, especially a Caprese-style tomato and mozzarella salad, where the chimi would take the place of fresh basil leaves.

But my garden was also overflowing with shishito peppers, so rather than throwing them in a pan with olive oil and simply blistering them the way I usually do, I took a few spoons of the “chimi” and melted it in the pan, adding the shishitos, and tossing them around in it until they were blistered. The “chimi” actually blackened a bit, but in a good way, bringing out the herby flavors like a blackened Cajun dish might, and a sprinkle of finishing salt was all it needed before serving.

Slightly blackened “chimi” made these shishitos delicious!

There are many other ways to use this new “chimi,” and I’ll be trying them all!