Jerk Turkey Burgers with Mango Slaw

We love to BBQ all year round. Fortunately, we live in an area where the weather is fairly moderate in the winter months so we can continue to grill when many people in other parts of the country have to put their BBQ's in the garage or basement for the season. Burgers are always a big hit at our house and considering how quickly they come together it is certainly just as fast as driving to any fast food joint.

My husband is the grill master at our house. Grilling is his main passion. So while he does his magic on the grill, I'm usually the one getting all of the condiments ready for the burgers. The status quo in our household usually consist of a standard beef burger along with lettuce, tomatoes, onions and of course cheese.

After I got my newest Food Network Magazine and started flipping through the pages my eyes caught one of their "Weeknight Cooking" meals. It was for Jerk Turkey Burgers with Mango Slaw. Now this one sounded very interesting. I read through the ingredients and figured I should try this Burger at least once. The burger doesn't require much more time than any other burger but the flavor was out of this world. It had the spice from the jerk seasoning (recipe follows), the sweetness from the slaw and the mayonnaise along with the bun which complimented everything. The ground turkey mixed with the apple (which you can't detect once cooked) was juicy and full of incredible flavor. I'm not the world's biggest mango chutney fan (maybe homemade tastes better than store bought) but in combination with the slaw and the mayonnaise it just works. The original recipe called for shredded cabbage and shredded carrot, but in order to streamline this process I just went with store bought coleslaw mix and it worked like a charm.

We all loved this burger. The only one who wasn't crazy about it was my youngest child, but he is a hardcore cheeseburger kid. This burger will be making an encore throughout our grilling season for sure. This was definitely not your standard "fast-food" burger and I'm looking forward to finding more unique burger recipes like this, so stay tuned!

Jerk Turkey Burgers with Mango Slaw

~serves 6~

(Print this Recipe)

Ingredients:

1 1/2 pounds ground turkey

2 tablespoons jerk seasoning, plus more for sprinkling *(recipe follows)

1 medium green apple, peeled and grated

1/2 cup green onions, finely chopped, divided

1/3 cup Panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)

Kosher Salt and freshly ground pepper

1/3 cup mayonnaise, plus more for brushing

1/3 cup mango chutney, roughly chopped

4 cups coleslaw mix with carrots

Canola oil, for the grill

6 hamburger buns, split

Directions:

Preheat a grill grill pan to medium high. Mix the turkey, jerk seasoning, apple, 1/4 cup green onions and the panko in a bowl; season with salt and pepper. Form into 6 1-inch thick patties and make a small indentation in the middle of each with your thumb to prevent it from puffing up on the grill. Refrigerate.

Whisk the mayonnaise and chutney in a large bowl. Add the coleslaw mix and the remaining 1/4 cup green onion, season with salt and pepper and toss to coat.

Brush the grill with canola oil. Grill the turkey patties until browned and cooked through, 4 to 5 minutes per side.

Brush the cut sides of the buns with mayonnaise and sprinkle with jerk seasoning; toast on the grill, about 30 seconds. Serve the burgers and slaw on the buns.

Jerk Seasoning

~makes 1/2 cup~

(Print this Recipe)

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon onion flakes

2 teaspoons ground thyme

1 teaspoon dried parsley

1 teaspoon ground allspice

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 teaspoon paprika

1/2 teaspoon hot pepper flakes

1/4 teaspoon ground cumin

1 tablespoon garlic powder

2 teaspoons Kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

2 teaspoons sugar

2 teaspoons dried chives

Directions:

Mix together all the ingredients. Store leftovers in a tightly closed glass jar. It will keep its strength for over a month. 

Use 1 1/2 tablespoons of seasoning for each pound of meat.

Block Party Beans

Every once in a while I get an email from my husband that tells me he has "snack day" at work and if I could put it on my calendar. This in turn also means that I have to come up with something to send with him. He usually requests a savory dish since by his account there are always more than enough sweet dishes there. 

Dips or Salsas are always easy to send along but then again a lot of people think along the same lines so there is never a shortage of these either. He asked if I could figure something out he could take in a crock-pot, and always being happy to oblige, I looked through my giant recipe files and decided on an old stand-by; Block Party Beans. 

I have made this countless times for potlucks, barbecues, and neighborhood get togethers since it easily feeds a crowd and people respond very well to this version. The ingredients are mixed up very quickly and then just "hang out" in the crock-pot. You can also bake them in the oven or cook them on top of the stove, whatever suits you best and makes you happy.

This time I just mixed everything together and gave it a quick heating on top of the stove since I knew it would be sitting a few more hours in the crock-pot. Serve them at your next BBQ or Potluck and watch everyone go nuts over a pot of beans.

Block Party Beans

~serves 12~

(Print this Recipe)

Ingredients:

2 lbs. lean ground beef (90% or leaner)

1 onion, chopped fine

4 garlic cloves, minced

4 (15 ounce) cans beans, drained and rinsed*

2 (28 ounce) cans tomato sauce

1/2 cup barbecue sauce (use your favorite one)

1/3 cup packed dark brown sugar

1/4 cup cider vinegar

1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Kosher Salt and Pepper to taste

1 (10 ounce) package frozen lima beans

*I used a mix of beans. 1 can of the following: Black beans, red kidney beans, white kidney beans and pinto beans.

Directions:

Cook beef in Dutch oven over medium-high heat until no longer pink, about 8 minutes. Stir in onion and cook until softened, about 3 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in beans, tomato sauce, barbecue sauce, sugar, vinegar, pepper flakes, salt and pepper. Simmer covered until sauce is slightly thickened, about 30 minutes. Stir in lima beans and continue to cook, covered for another 20 minutes. Season with additional salt and pepper, if necessary. Serve.

*If you are using the oven, place dutch oven into a 350 degree F preheated oven after ingredients are added. Proceed with recipe.

** If you would rather use a crock-pot, cook beef, onion and garlic on the stove, then transfer to crock-pot.

Add additional ingredients and cook for 6 hours on low. Or you can prepare the recipe on the stove then add to a crock-pot for keeping warm.

Glazed Corned Beef

St. Patrick's Day, which is celebrated on March 17th, just wouldn't be the same at our house without a typical Irish Meal. We are not Irish in any way or shape nor do I claim to cook this meal authentic, we just enjoy good food. My kids dread this holiday every year though. None of them enjoy the normal fare of boiled corned beef with potatoes and root vegetables and neither do they care for the Irish Soda bread I had bought or baked before.

 This year I set out to cook a St. Patrick's Day meal that still had all the "authentic" components but decided to put my own spin on it. Follow me the next few days for recipes that will turn any St. Patrick's Day celebration green with envy ;o)

First up I tackled Corned Beef. Corned beef did not originate in Ireland but is rather part of the Irish-American culture. In Ireland the meat is more like a bacon or ham where the corned beef became popular in the eastern United states when Irish Immigrants would use beef rather then pork in the traditional dish. Corned beef refers to the style of beef which is a brisket that has been brined and gets its color from the addition of potassium nitrate also called saltpeter.

The kids hate the way the brined, boiled piece of meat tastes, so I figured why not find a recipe for a baked, glazed Corned beef similar in style to a baked ham. Not just did I find a great recipe but the meat was moist with a hint of sweetness, and don't let that pickle juice turn you off. It just works, trust me. It got a big thumbs up from the kids. There was not one piece leftover, and all my corned beef hating kids couldn't get enough of this one.

Glazed Corned Beef

~serves 6~
(Print this Recipe)

Ingredients:

1 corned beef brisket (about 3 pounds)

1/2 medium onion, cut into chunks

1 medium carrot, cut into chunks

1 celery rib with leaves, cut into chunks

1 tablespoon mixed pickling spices*

1/4 cup packed brown sugar

1 tablespoon whole grain mustard 

1/4 cup sweet pickle juice

* most corned beef briskets come with a packet of pickling spices, just add that 

Directions:

Place corned beef in a large Dutch oven; cover with water. Add the onion, carrot, celery and pickling spices. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 2 1/2 hours or until meat is tender.

Transfer corned beef to a 13-inch x 9-inch baking dish; discard all but 1 cup of broth and vegetables. Score the surface of meat with a shallow diagonal cuts.

In a small bowl, combine brown sugar and mustard; spread over meat. Drizzle with pickle juice. Bake, uncovered, at 325 degrees F for 1 hour, basting occasionally and adding reserved liquid to bottom of dish as needed to prevent drying out. Serve with your favorite Irish dishes.

Coming up tomorrow: Irish Colcannon Potatoes

Swedish Meatballs

Ever since my first visit to IKEA, I have been in love with the Swedish Meatballs they offer in their restaurant. They also sell them frozen in their little Swedish Market along with a packet of dry gravy mix. We had bought those a few times and while they were not bad at all, they just weren't great either especially since the dry gravy mix has a ton of additives, including the dreaded MSG.
I knew I could find a version much more to our liking along with being able to use all natural ingredients. I spent time searching all over the internet and through recipe books and magazines but nothing really struck me as mouthwatering, until I came across Tyler Florences Lena's Swedish Meatballs with Lingonberry Sauce which looked incredibly promising.

The recipe is pretty straightforward. You make your meatballs and while they are cooking in the oven you make the sauce. After the meatballs are cooked through, you add them back into the sauce and have them "hang out" for a while to mingle the flavors.

I followed the recipe almost exactly with a few minor substitutions and additions. First off I did not use 3 lbs of meat. We are a family of five and 2 lbs is more then enough with plenty of leftovers for us.

So I went ahead and used 1 lb lean ground beef (93 %, which also cuts some of the fat), 1/2 lb ground pork and 1/2 lb ground veal but I suppose you could use any combination of these meats.

I cut the heavy cream in the meatball "dough" to 1/3 cup but used all the other ingredients as written.

For the sauce, I didn't have chicken stock left in my freezer so I just went with canned chicken broth (I prefer Swanson chicken broth which has won several taste tests).

I also added another 1/2 tsp. of ground allspice to my gravy along with 1/4 tsp. freshly ground nutmeg.

It turned out amazing. Never will I buy another frozen meatball or dry gravy mix again.

Here are a few tips:

Tyler adds black current jam to the sauce, and I did as well, it makes the dish. You can find it at most supermarkets. I went with a brand called Hero: Black Currant Fruit Spread which my regular neighborhood  Fry's Supermarket carried.

The heavy cream adds a velvety feel to the sauce but if you are trying to save a few calories I'm pretty sure you can use Half and Half and still get great results.

I served this over egg noodles but it also tastes great over mashed potatoes.

Don't skip the Lingonberries  for serving. They are really what finishes this dish and there are no substitutions. You can find Lingonberries at select grocery stores, the internet or just go to your local IKEA, they carry it in their little Swedish Market.

 

  

 

Italian Wedding Soup

 

I have always loved soups, even as a kid. There is something so comforting about a bowl of soup along with some crusty bread especially when it is cold outside. Since we live in Arizona and the weather is just plain hot for 9 month out of the year and the other 3 months don't offer too many cold days either I jump on every opportunity of bad weather I can get. Yesterday was one of those days; we had a high of 57 degrees F and best of all rain, lots of rain. Now what could be better soup weather then that.

I decided on making an old family favorite: Italian wedding soup which translates to minestra maritata ("married soup"). The literal term does not mean that the soup is being served at weddings but rather refers to the marriage of all the ingredients, meaning they go rather well together. 

The hardest part of this soup is making the meatballs, everything else just falls into place. This is a good hardy soup with a lot of flavor. Hope you'll give it try.

Italian Wedding Soup

(Print this Recipe)

Ingredients:

For the meatballs:

1 lb. lean ground beef

1/2 lb. ground pork

1 egg

1/2 medium onion, grated

1/2 cup fresh Parmesan, grated

1 piece white bread, crust removed and torn into little pieces

1/3 cup flat-leaf parsley, chopped

1 teaspoon Kosher Salt

Black pepper to taste

For the soup:

2 medium stalks celery, chopped

2 medium carrots, chopped

6 cans (84 ounces) chicken broth

8 ounces Ditalini or other small pasta

2 cups packed baby spinach, cut in half

1/4 cup flat-leaf parsley, chopped

Directions:

In a medium bowl combine, beef, pork, egg, onion, grated Parmesan, white bread, parsley, salt and pepper.

Mix well to distribute the ingredients evenly. Shape into 1/2 inch balls (this should make about 100 little meatballs). Set aside.

In a large pot bring the chicken broth to a boil. Add the celery, carrots, pasta and meatballs and return to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and cook for about 8 minutes. Add the spinach and parsley; cook for another 2 to 3 minutes or until pasta is al dente. Stir frequently to prevent sticking.

Serve with additional Parmesan and a crusty bread!