Recipe | Adventures in Thyme

Luscious Lamb Burgers

June 18, 2014 by Ginger 2 Comments

Lamb Burger

Let’s just pause here a moment and look at that picture once more – salivating yet? We love lamb, and this yummy burger really hits the spot after a long day at work. Let’s get grilling with Burgers Part Deux!

For the burger, mix gently together:
1 lb ground lamb
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 Tablespoon dried basil
1/4 tsp dried rosemary
3/4 cup crumbled sheep’s feta (or goat feta); reserve additional feta to garnish the burger
Note: Overmixing the burger will destroy the yummy chunks of cheese crumbles so mix thoroughly, but gently.

For the Tzatziki dressing, mix together:
1 English cucumber, peeled, seeded and diced
1 shallot minced fine
6 oz plain goat yogurt
Juice from 1/2 lemon
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
1/2 tsp basil
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

Additional ingredients as desired: burger buns, sliced tomatos, butter lettuce, fries.

Grill burgers on your bbq, or fry in a pan in your kitchen. While they are cooking, warm your burger buns if you like them a little toasty, we used ciabatta rolls. When the burgers are done, “Accoutrements assemble!” We stacked our burger with lettuce, burger, tzatziki, tomato, and feta. But some crispy bacon is also a good addition or some French fried onions (they’re good on lots of things other than green beans!).

Enjoy!

Stuffed Burgers

June 11, 2014 by Ginger Leave a Comment

Stuffed Burger

They say that necessity is the mother of invention, we needed dinner, and this burger was the result. I had many of the ingredients on hand and a quick scan of Food Network recipes laid the groundwork for this dish. Let’s get grillin’!

This burger is best done in sections, so I’ve divided them up by the order to best use your time:

1.) Ingredients you’ll need in later burger assembly are baby spinach, prosciutto (or bacon), sliced tomato, crunchy onion rings, hamburger bun or roll.

2.) For the spread, mix together: 1 cup mayo, ½ cup pecorino, ~a dozen fresh basil leaves (finely chopped). Set aside.

3.) For the filling, mix together: 1 cup feta (we used sheep’s feta from Costco), ¾ cup chopped sun dried tomatoes (you can find these oil packed in jars in the Italian aisle at your grocery store. I wrap whatever amount I intend on using in paper towels and squeeze gently to remove the excess oil). Set aside.

4.) For the burgers, mix together: 2lbs hamburger (we used 93/7), 3 eggs slightly beaten, ½ cup Kellogg’s Corn Flake Crumbs (these are gluten free), 2 tsps each of Rosemary/Thyme/Basil, 1 tsp salt, pinch of ground pepper, 3 gloves minced garlic. Because these burgers will contain the filling you made earlier, you need to make two thin halves per burger, then gently encase filling in each (if you like feta, form about ~2 Tablespoons into a disk, if you don’t, use about 1 Tablespoon), and cook to desired doneness.

When the meat is done, add some of the Spread you made to each side of the bun, and begin to layer: spinach, meat, prosciutto, tomato and onion rings. This is a big burger, bite carefully.

Enjoy!

Bodacious Beef Stew

June 4, 2014 by Dan 1 Comment

Beef Stew

If you survived the 80s, you know life can get totally bodacious every now and again, like ‘fer sure! So tonight we bring you an awesomely good beef stew in a fresh sourdough bread bowl. Even Michelangelo, youngest of the TMNT clan, would give up his pizza for this!

Let’s get stewing:

2 lbs Beef (chuck roast works great)
1 cup Flour
1 teaspoon Salt
1 teaspoon ground Black Pepper

14.5 oz can Peeled, Cut Tomatoes
2 cups Red Wine
2 cups Beef Stock
1 teaspoon Cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon Nutmeg
1 teaspoon Worcestershire Sauce
1 sprig fresh Rosemary, chopped
2 lbs Potato
2 Carrots
1/2 lbs Green Beans
Olive Oil
Sourdough Bread Bowls (optional)

Heat a good sized pan over medium to medium high heat with a bit of olive oil.

While your pan is heating, cut the beef into bite sized pieces. Combine the flour, salt and pepper in a large zip lock bag. Add the beef to the bag and shake well so the meat is evenly floured. Remove from the bag, leaving any flour not stuck to the meat in the bag. Add the meat to your pan and brown, stirring periodically so it browns evenly on all sides.

When the meat is browned, add the can of tomatoes, 2 cups of red wine, 2 cups of beef stock, 1 teaspoon of cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg, 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce and the rosemary. Bring to a boil, turn down, cover and simmer for at least 30 minutes. Stir occasionally.

While the meat cooks, cut up your potatoes into bite sized pieces, slice your carrots and cut up your green beans. After the meat has simmered for at least 30 minutes, add the potatoes to the meat, cover and simmer another 30 minutes. Stir occasionally. Check to see if your potatoes are about cooked (they should be almost fork tender.) Now add the carrots and green beans, cover and simmer another 10 minutes or until the carrots and green beans are cooked to your liking. Add salt and pepper to taste and serve.

Enjoy!

Creamy Noodles with Salmon

May 28, 2014 by Dan 1 Comment

Creamy Noodles with Salmon

1 medium shallot
4-6 fresh basil leaves
1 cup white wine (use a wine you’d serve to guests)
1 cup grated Parmesan or Pecarino cheese (fresh is definitely best)
1 egg, beaten
8 oz. fettuccine (note: reserve one cup of the water used to boil the pasta too)
salt and pepper to taste
8 to 12 oz. salmon, cooked
a few slivered almonds or a few pine nuts

This dish goes together very rapidly. The single longest part is cooking the noodles.

Cook your salmon however you prefer. It can be poached, broiled, grilled, etc. This can be done ahead of time and this is a good dish to make if you have left over salmon from a previous dinner. Canned salmon would also work.

Start the water for your noodles. Be sure to salt the water and add a little oil so the noodles don’t stick together.

Chop your shallot and the basil.

Heat a skillet over medium heat. Add a little olive oil. When the oil is hot, add the shallots and sauté until translucent. Add 1 cup of white wine and the basil, reduce the heat to low and simmer until the wine is reduced by half.

While the wine is simmering, cook your noodles. You want them chewable but firm, not mushy.

Put your almond slivers or pine nuts in a small skillet over medium heat and toast, carefully. They can burn if you don’t keep an eye on them. Remove pan from the heat once the nuts are toasted.

When the noodles are done, do not rinse, just add them to the wine sauce. (Also, don’t forget to keep ~ one cup of the pasta water!) Toss noodles lightly in the sauce. Now, add your cheese and half a cup to a cup of the water you reserved from cooking the pasta. Stir in the cheese (it will melt into the sauce.) Add your beaten egg and immediately stir and toss with the noodles so it doesn’t turn into scrambled egg. Continue to stir for a couple of minutes. The egg will thicken the sauce, giving you a nice creamy consistency. If the sauce gets too thick, add a little more pasta water. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Serve by placing the noodles on a plate and top with chunks of salmon. Top that with a bit of grated cheese and toasted almond slivers or pine nuts and a little fresh chopped basil.

If you want less meat, don’t like fish or want a side dish, you can top the noodles with vegetables instead of the salmon.

Enjoy!

Blueberry Crisp

May 21, 2014 by Ginger 1 Comment

Blueberry Crisp

Sashay through you local grocery store’s veggie section and you’ll no doubt encounter some luscious blueberries calling out your name. Seriously, listen close – they want to go home with you! This simple little Crisp recipe will not only provide a wonderful dessert for your next dinner party but can easily be used as a topping for your morning yogurt (if you choose not to share it with family and friends). Depending on the ingredients you use, this versatile dish can be both vegan and gluten free, or neither. The choice is yours. Let’s get cooking!

Crisp filling:
~4 Cups fresh blueberries
1 meyer lemon, zested AND juiced (a “regular” lemon would work too, Meyers are just sweeter)
2 Tablespoons maple syrup

Crisp topping:
1.5 Cups of Quaker quick oats (Bob’s Red Mill sells gluten free oats if you want a substitution)
1/3 Cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 Cup unsweetened shredded coconut
1/4 Cup coconut flour
1/4 cup coconut butter slightly melted in the microwave (you can substitute regular butter)
3 Tablespoons maple syrup
1 teaspoon real vanilla
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cinnamon
dash of ground cloves

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Mix all the filling in one bowl; mix all the topping in a different bowl. Pour the filling into an 8×8 oven safe pan, it does not have to be “prepared” (so no oiled sides). With clean hands, carefully crumble the topping over the filling doing your best to cover up all the blueberries. When the oven is ready, place the pan in the oven for about 40-45 mins. The oats will brown a bit. If you want lighter oats, take them out sooner, if you want a crunchier top, leave it in a little longer.

It will be hard to wait it out, but give the blueberries and juices time to cool and firm up a bit. What your first bite will tell you is, “Hey! This isn’t super sweet, OMG I love this – it’s the perfect bite!” So go ahead and have another serving, because you’re good enough, and smart enough and doggone it – you deserve it berry much!