Euro Burger

The thing that is most associated with summer would have to be grilling. I love grilling….when it is done well. There is so much stuff that gets grilled that just tastes like charcoal, is extremely burned to make sure it cooks all the way through, and is too dry (for the same reason)! How terrible!! To prevent all of this, start everything off with a deep cleaned grill, watch your temperatures, and make sure you use the proper meats or whatever it is that you are using! And don’t be afraid to grill something, to get that char, and then cook the rest in foil so it reaches that great internal temperature without losing all its moisture and doesn’t taste like icky. That being said…you can always use a grill pan!! 

To combat all of these issues we present you with a delicious burger, bound to stay moist and super awesome. What this burger also does is a new fancier twist on a simple burger. We have all had a burger with ketchup and mustard, and while they are amazing classics that must be devoured throughout the summer, offer these burgers up and you will give your guests a nice juicy surprise.

Michael and I have created what we call the Euro burger. It has goat cheese in the middle, allowing the burger to stay moist, beautiful caramelized onions, and an herbed mayo! Yum!

Ingredients:  serves 5 Takes  about 1 hour 15 minutes.

2 lbs ground sirloin
¼ cup goat cheese
2 large sweet onions
2 Tablespoons unsalted butter
1 ½ cups olive oil Tablespoons olive oil
2 Pinches salt
1 large egg
3 Roma tomatoes
4 teaspoons white wine vinegar
3 sprigs oregano
5 onion buns

The thing that will take the longest is to caramelize onions. Slice both of the onions completely. Using a large sauté pan, heat some butter on medium heat, and toss s all of the onion in the melted butter. Stir occasionally for the first 10 minutes, then add a pinch of salt. Keep cooking and stirring every few minutes for about a total of 45 minutes or until the onions are completely browned and soft. Don’t allow the onions to dry out at all, so 1/4 cup of olive oil will be used to add throughout while cooking them.

While making the onions we are going to make the herbed mayo. Add the egg and the fresh oregano to a blender and blend. While blending add the olive oil in a steady stream, next add a pinch of salt and the vinegar, blend completely. Set in the refrigerator to set.

Now take your ground sirloin and season with a little salt and pepper, forming 5 patties. Make a little pocket in the middle of the burger and fill with goat cheese, then cover the burger up so there is no cheese showing.

To put everything together heat your grill pan and add a little cooking spray so nothing sticks. Heat on medium high, and place three burgers at a time, and cook on each side about 4-5 minutes, until there is a nice deep brown sear. Once you cook all the burgers, let sit for a few minutes so they don’t soak the bun. Dab up some of the fat from the grill pan with a paper towel but be CAREFUL you don’t burn yourself.

Place buns on the grill pan just a couple minutes to toast it. Lay burger down, herbed mayonnaise, then caramelized onions, then top with two slices or Roma tomatoes…and voila! A euro burger!

Rainy Day Chipotle Chorizo and Beef Chili!!

Today was a weird weather day in Los Angeles, it is actually pretty cold! This morning we had hail, the last time I remember that happening I was 6 years old, I was living in Pacific Palisades, and my dogs refused to go outside. Right after the downpour of the year I would say, the sun came out and reminded us that seasons don’t quite exist here, only to confuse me when I go outside to still smell rain and not be able to feel my ears and nose because I wasn’t prepared for cold weather. I will stop complaining right now, because this weather is a walk in the park compared to the crazy storm Nemo that is raging through the Northern East Coast.

So whether you are faring through cold weather in Los Angeles, or shoveling through snow on the East Coast this rainy day chili will warm your cold little souls out there! We created a superb slow cooker beef and chorizo chili, with some extra goodies; a little cinnamon sweetness, a little chipotle kick, and a nice crunch of corn. Enjoy!

*Whenever we use tomato sauce, chopped tomatoes, peeled tomatoes etc…We only use the brand Pomi. It comes in a paper container, and is delicious. Tomatoes should never come out of a can; they retain a metal flavor which takes a long time to cook out!

* Keep garlic salt, oregano, and garlic salt on hand, because depending on how long you want to cook your chili you may want to add more of these three ingredients to achieve your perfect flavor.

Ingredients: serves 10 cook time 3-4 hours
2.5 lbs ground beef
2 lbs chorizo
1 yellow onion
½ small can of chipotle peppers
2 cups fresh or frozen corn
4 oz tomato paste
12 oz Pomi chopped tomato
1 large can kidney beans
1 large can pinto beans
1 large can white or cannellini beans
¼ cup chopped fresh oregano
½ teaspoon nutmeg
2 teaspoons cinnamon
2 teaspoon cumin
1 Tablespoon garlic salt
2 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoon paprika
2 Tablespoons olive oil
Sour cream
Grated cheddar cheese

 

To make your life easier measure out all of your spices ahead of time, take oregano off the stems and chop, dice the onion, and slice up your chipotle peppers.

In a large sauté pan heat your olive oil and then sweat your onions until they start to soften. Next add the ground beef, and the chorizo (remove casings), and break up using a wooden spoon. While the meat starts to sear add your oregano, onion powder, black pepper, paprika, salt, and cumin, by sprinkling it all over the meat. We do this because we want the meat to cook and absorb the entire flavor. When you feel that your meat has seared all the way, add the chopped chipotle with half of the sauce it sits in and the tomato paste, and stir.

Transfer the meat mix into a slow cooker (if you don’t have one use a crock pot). Add your beans, the Pomi, garlic salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg into the mix. Cook on low with the timer set at 3-4 hours, whatever your timeline is. Towards the end, you can even have it at warm until it is ready to eat.

30 minutes before you decide to serve the chili add the corn, this way it will retain a wonderful crunch. Once you are done serve with a dollop of sour cream and cheddar cheese! Boom! That is tasty!!!