Lamb Burgers over Hummus with Heirloom Tomato Salad

Sometimes, you just have to dig out that old cookbook that hides on your kitchen shelf and make a dish that may not be groundbreaking, but sure is delicious.  This one fits the bill.  These lamb burgers are adapted from a recipe in The Mediterranean Cookbook by Parragon Publishing, and are so simple, you can't help but make them effortlessly.  Christian and I made these gluten-free by substituting crushed corn chips instead of bread crumbs and by serving them on hummus instead of buns. Whether you're gluten free or gluten+, give these babies a try.  These lamb burgers are rich, savory and aromatic and are the perfect Mediterranean meal for a warm summer evening.  

Lamb Burgers over Hummus

1 lb. Ground Lamb

3/4 Onion, finely diced

1 Clove garlic, minced

1 Egg

1 T. Fresh Mint, finely chopped

1 T. Fresh Parsley, finely chopped

1/4 C. crushed corn chips (or bread crumbs for gluten+)

S&P

Olive Oil

Soft Goat Cheese

Hummus

Preheat the oven to broil (or turn the grill to high).

In a large bowl, combine the lamb, onion, garlic, egg, mint, parsley, corn chips, S&P.  Using your hands, mix the ingredients until thoroughly combined.

Form into equal sized patties, indenting the center of them slightly.

Drizzle the patties with olive oil and place on a baking sheet (or carefully onto your cleaned grill).  Cook about 5 minutes, flip and cook for another 4 minutes until browned and slightly crisp on the edges and cooked all the way through.  In the last few minutes of cooking, add a spoonful of goat cheese so that it begins to melt on top.

To serve, smear your favorite hummus on the plate, top with the burger and a sprinkle of parsley & mint.  Serve with Heirloom Tomato Salad (recipe follows) and naan.

Heirloom Tomato Salad

We found some fantastic heirloom tomatoes at the farmers market this weekend and decided to make an extremely simple salad with them to go along with our lamb burgers.  Fresh, cool and crisp, this salad is a perfect balance to any rich, hearty entree.

2 Heirloom Tomatoes, chopped

1/4 C. Kalamata Olives, pitted & halved

Parsley & Basil, ripped

Drizzle of Olive Oil

S&P

In a medium bowl, toss all the ingredients.  Yes, it's THAT easy.  

Gluten-Free Lemon Pound Cake

One of my favorite people came to visit last weekend!  My aunt Sara came in from San Francisco with my uncle Marty and my cousin Grady.  I met Sara when I was 15 – she and Marty invited me to SF for a week and I had an absolute blast!  They helped teach me to drive, took me to the Blue Man Group and Sara even taught me to make pasta from scratch.  She and I have shared recipes and food stories from the beginning and I’ve learned quite a bit from her inside and outside of the kitchen. 

This weekend, Sean and I joined Sara’s family for dinner with my aunt Mary Catherine and uncle Peter at a “fresh” restaurant called True Food.  I’ll be honest – I thought it was going to be a rough dinner because I’d heard you could only order raw food.  But, it ended up being delicious!  Everyone at the table enjoyed their meal.  I had a roasted corn and kale pizza that I’d order again in a heartbeat.  The reason we chose this restaurant is because Sara cannot eat any gluten.  The restaurant offered many options and we had a splendid time. 

The next day, Sean and I met with Sara again and this time we baked together!  Sara brought one of her favorite gluten-free recipes and Mary Catherine was kind enough to offer her kitchen.  It was so nice and relaxing to just hang in the kitchen and chat over food.  And I learned quite a bit about special flour combinations and a gluten-free diet in general. 

We made gluten-free lemon pound cake.  It was great!  The cake was light and soft.  It reminded me of sugar cookies with a hint of lemon.  Not your normal cloyingly sweet cake drenched in frosting, this cake was divine.  This recipe comes from the cookbook, The Blackbird Bakery Gluten Free 75 Recipes for Irresistible Gluten-Free Desserts and Pastries* by Karen Morgan.

Thank you for everything Sara!

1 C. Sorghum flour

½ C. Tapioca flour

½ C. Cornstarch

½ t. baking powder

¼ t. kosher salt

Zest of 1 lemon

1 C. plus 2 T. unsalted butter at room temperature

1 ¼ C. sugar

4 large eggs

2 ½ t. pure vanilla extract

Position an oven rack in the center of the oven.  Preheat the oven to 325 degrees (F).  Butter a 5-by-9-inch loaf pan. 

In a medium bowl, combine both flours, the cornstarch, baking powder and salt and stir with a whisk to blend.  Add the lemon zest to the dry ingredients. 

In a stand mixer, cream the butter and sugar on high speed for 5 minutes.  Add the eggs, one at a time and beat for a full minute after each addition stopping once or twice to beat for a full minute after each addition, stopping once or twice to scrape down the sides of the bowl.  Reduce the mixer speed to medium and add the dry ingredients all at once.  Beat for 3-5 minutes or until light and fluffy.  Beat in the vanilla.  Pour into the prepared pan, smooth the top and bake for 60-75 minutes or until the cake is lightly golden brown and a wooden skewer inserted in the center comes out clean.  Check the cake after the first 25 minutes of baking; if it has begun to darken, loosely cover with aluminum foil and resume baking. 

            

Remove from the oven and let cool completely in the pan on a wire rack.  Run a knife around the edges of the pan and unmold the cake a cutting board.  Cut into slices to serve. 

 Sara, Sean and I ate our pound cake with fresh fruit and peach and cherry sauces.  Yumm!

*http://www.amazon.com/Blackbird-Bakery-Gluten-Free-Irresistible-Desserts/dp/0811873315