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.  

Honey Butter Pork Tenderloin

Last weekend, my parents visited me in Columbus for the first time and we had an absolute blast!  I was able to show them all around my new city and introduce them to the my closest friends.  All in all, it was a fabulous weekend.  And because we're O'Gara's, you can rest assured that our entire weekend revolved around food!  We shared appetizers and cocktails at Hubbard Grill and swooned over sinful desserts at Pistacia Vera.  I also took my parents on a tour of North Market where we found perfumed honey from a local beekeeper, which became the inspiration for our Sunday Family Dinner.

We made a fantastic (if we do say so ourselves) pork tenderloin that we ate with oven roasted potatoes, onion and fennel, as well as a fun, cheesy pull-apart bread.  Our pork tenderloin turned out so well, I figured it just had to be the next blog post.  This Honey Butter Pork Tenderloin is juicy and flavorful with a crisp, sweet crust that is perfect for a special Sunday dinner.

Honey Butter Pork Tenderloin

2 small pork tenderloins
Salt & Pepper
3 T. Cinnamon honey (or another flavored, local honey)
1/2 C. Butter
1/4 Onion, thinly sliced
1 T. Fresh thyme, chopped

Preheat the oven to 400.

Rub the pork tenderloin with salt and pepper so they are evenly and fully coated.

In a large non-stick skillet, melt the butter and honey over medium high heat.  Stir constantly until the honey and butter come together in a quick bubble.  Carefully place the pork tenderloin into the honey butter mixture.  Allow the pork to sit for about a minute without turning it so that it gets a good sear.  Turn and repeat until all of the pork has a crisp, dark crust.

Remove the meat from the skillet and place in an oven safe baking dish.  Add the onion to the honey butter sauce and toss until the onions darken, about 2 minutes.  Carefully pour these caramelized onions and sauce on top of the pork tenderloin.  Sprinkle with thyme and place in the oven.

Bake for 15 minutes or until the pork is cooked all the way through.  Remove the pork from the oven and allow it to sit for about 5 minutes so all those juices can redistribute.

Slice the pork on a diagonal (it looks nicer) and serve with oven-roasted vegetables.

*Local honey contains local pollen and can be helpful in warding off seasonal allergies.  Plus, you get to support a local farmer instead of a grocery conglomerate!  Check out Brad's Bees at https://www.facebook.com/BradsBees.

BLT's with Basil Mayo

 Sometimes, I find there’s nothing quite as sating as a BLT.  

Bacon.  Who can resist that?  Warm, crunchy and chewy freshly baked bread.  Yes, please!  Lettuce and tomato.  Okay, fresh crisp veggies never hurt anyone!  I was craving this perfect combination of ingredients a few days ago and thought I’d make an herb mayo to compliment all the flavors.  Basil just seemed to fit perfectly.  Slightly sweet and incredibly aromatic, this mayo will give your BLT’s (or any other sandwich for that matter) the extra ummmmmmph that we all need from time to time. 

4 slices of cooked bacon (I like chewy bacon for these BLT’s versus crunchy)

1 tomato, sliced thinly

Iceberg lettuce, torn

2 slices of fresh Sourdough bread

Basil Mayo (recipe follows)

Lay out the ingredients, so it’s easy to assemble your sandwich. 

Toast the Sourdough bread in a toaster or under the broiler.  Spread a healthy* tablespoon of basil mayo on each slice of bread.  Lay a couple leaves of lettuce on top and then put the tomato.  I never put the tomato right on the bread because it gets soggy.  Top it off with the chewy bacon and place the other slice of bread right on top.  Press down gently and cut the sandwich on the bias.  Perfection.  

*Healthy = oversized and proud of it

Basil Mayo

Sweet, in a licorice kind of way, Smooth & Aromatic.  Yumm. 

¾ C. Mayo (I use Hellmann’s)

¼ C. Basil, finely chopped

Salt & Pepper, to taste

This couldn’t be any easier!  In a small bowl, mix the mayo and basil together.  Season it with salt and pepper until it tastes delicious.  Cover and refrigerate for a couple hours so the basil can infiltrate the mayo.  Serve on toast or sandwiches or use as a dip for French fries! 

 

Herbs

I bought dirt for my parents’ anniversary this year.   It might seem like a strange gift, but they loved it. 

For quite some time, my parents have discussed improving their backyard.  My mom had wanted railroad ties for ages, and this Christmas she finally received them as a gift.  So, my brother and I pitched in and bought them dirt for the back yard.   We spent a morning last month transporting the mountain of dirt (and I mean mountain – it was 6 tons worth!) from the driveway to the backyard.  There are not any flowers yet.  Hopefully they’ll arrive before next Christmas.  But, through the process, it made me really want to grow something.  My dad’s got the greenest thumb in the tri-state area.  I’ve got the…brownest. 

BUT, several weeks ago, I did buy some seeds for basil, parsley and rosemary.  I planted them diligently in each impression of an egg carton.  And they’re growing!!!   I almost can’t believe it.  But, it’s true!  As soon as they’re old enough, I’ll transfer them to a more durable container and be able to cook with real, homegrown herbs!  Stay tuned for some new fresh recipes. 

**Sean has been ripening his green thumb as well.  His tomato plant, Rosie, is looking rather strapping.  Instead of growing her from scratch, we adopted her.  And we love her just the same.