AUSSIE BURGERS

We arrive at Australia...and boy! Are my arms tired! Sorry...

I decided that I wanted something a little less time intensive tonight, so I went with Aussie burgers. In Australia, grilling is a big deal. Also, sheep are plentiful. All the lamb I purchase was imported from Australia.

Pineapple is also plentiful in Australia, which is lucky for us, because nothing makes a hamburger fun like a slice of pineapple.

Here's our grocery list: ketchup, mayonnaise, Asian chili paste ( I keep Sambal Oelek on hand. Lucky me...I live near a large Asian Market.), a pound and a half of ground beef (I use extra lean), kaiser rolls, pineapple rings (I used canned), vegetable oil, eggs and pickled beets.

You can grill these outside. Since my grill is rusted out, and I haven't purchased a new one yet, I used the broiler in my oven. Since we are going to grill the burgers for a short period of time, it is best to get the sauce ready before hand. For this, combine a quarter cup of ketchup, a quarter cup of mayonnaise and a teaspoon of Asian Chile paste.

Mix a teaspoon of salt and half a teaspoon of pepper with the beef. You have to use your hands to kneed this for a few minutes to keep all the salt or pepper from concentrating in one patty. A pound and a half can be formed into 4 good sized patties.

The kaiser rolls are split and toasted.The pineapple rings are patted dry, and brushed with olive oil.

If you are grilling, oil the rack. If you are broiling, cover a cookie sheet with foil, and spray with Pam. Once it gets hot, broil the patties and pineapple rings about 4 minutes , turning once. This will depend on how you like your meat done. I am in the habit of eating raw beef, so 2 minutes on each side is plenty. Many need their meat cooked more. Also, you want the pineapple rings to glaze.

Fry one egg for each burger.

Assemble the burgers by spreading the sauce on each roll, then putting down the burger, a pineapple ring, beets, and egg. If you want, you can also add lettuce and tomato. I did not.

This burger is going to be large, messy, and fun to eat. Oh yeah...it's also delicious!!

Bon Appetit, Mates!

DUCK: A BLACK FRIDAY TRADITION

I am not a fan of white meat, and I find turkey basically tasteless. So, Thanksgiving was always something of an overblown holiday, for me. Yes, time with family and friends is fun. And, after meeting my wife, it was a pleasant day of drinking, smoking and playing poker; but, gastronomically, it left me kind of flat.

So, a few years ago, I began an annual Black Friday tradition of preparing a duck. Each year, the recipe is different. This year was the absolute best, to date. If my wife is to believed, she has not had better duck "even at a restaurant". Dining in New Jersey and New York, high praise, indeed.

So, how did I prepare this year's bird, you ask? Well, firstly, I bought a duck. A single duckling is anywhere between 3 and 5 pounds. I accidentally bought a kosher duck. I am not sure if this has anything to do with it, but it was not defeathered all that well. I pulled as many of the quills out as possible. Fortunately, after cooking, it was not a problem. This bird was cooked, at 300 degrees, for four hours. Every hour, it was flipped over. After this slow treatment, I raised the heat to 400, and cooked each side for four minutes. This method cooked out a lot of the fat, and gave the skin a crispy finish. The skin was rubbed with a mixture of 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper, 1 teaspoon ground coriander, half a teaspoon of turmeric, 2 teaspoons of garam masala, half a teaspoon of sea salt, and black pepper mixed 3 tablespoons of melted ghee. Obviously, this is an Indian recipe.

The duck came out wonderfully! One word of warning, however. The odor of duck fat can be very nauseating. Luckily, it was warm outside, so we opened the doors and windows.

ARUBA CHICKEN

I just discovered the best way to make chicken...ever! When you try it, you will know that is no hyperbole.

This stop in my World Kitchen Domination is Aruba. You may remember that I already stopped in Aruba, but was very dissatisfied with the results. The shame finally overcame me, and I went back. Man! Am I glad I did!

First, I used a pound and a half of chicken leg cutlets. I also diced half a pound of pork butt. I sliced a sweet onion, and sauteed it with some olive oil in my dutch oven. Then, I added the chicken and pork butt. I added the chicken one piece at a time, so that I browned each side first. I had to add a little extra oil with each piece. I then added a cup of water, an 8 ounce can of tomato paste, and half a cup of shredded coconut.

Of course...what's life without a little spice? In goes half a teaspoon of salt, some crushed red pepper, 4 whole cloves, half a teaspoon of thyme, and a bay leaf. This was brought to a boil. Lower to a simmer for 15 minutes. I stirred it every five minutes, mainly as an excuse to taste the sauce. I also thinly sliced a yam. This was added after 15 minutes. I put a lid on it, and relaxed for 40 minutes, losing...I mean playing a little online chess. Then, I sliced a couple of bananas, and added them. Then, 4 sliced green onions. After 5 minutes, the chicken was ready to enjoy.

The spiced, tomato paste, and sweetness from the fruit threw this chicken into hyper drive...and my taste buds followed!! This one is a keeper.

SUCCESS IN ARMENIA

After last week's fiasco with leg of lamb, I felt the need to exonerate myself. I am proud to say I did so rather nicely. I wisely chose a pound of lamb chop shoulder cuts. This was half the price of lamb chops.

In a bowl, I mixed a small can of tomato paste, about half a cup of diced onion, and a mixture of allspice, cayenne pepper, fennel seeds, a dab of maple syrup, and paprika. I also added a diced green pepper. All of this was mixed in a bowl, and applied to the washed and patted dry lamb. I preheated the broiler, put aluminum foil over a cookie sheet, sprayed it with Pam, and broiled the lamb.

I garnished this with stuffed grape leaves. I do admit that I went with canned grape leaves, as it was very late before I was able to start dinner. Generally, Armenian food does not rely on spices for its flavor, but, rather, fresh herbs. I learned my lesson, when it comes to spices. We do not like bland food. I tried a couple of dishes last week, cut the meat in half, so I cut the spices in half, as well. This was a big mistake. When I cut the meat in a recipe, I have found it is best to use the full dose of spices. I did not want to take a chance on another bland meal, so I went ahead and spiced this recipe up. If the tomato paste is too much, as it can cause heartburn, yogurt also makes a good base for lamb marinade. If yogurt is used, I would suggest using some minced garlic, some fresh parsley, and just a hint of lemon juice. Also, if you can find it, you can use fenugreek.

ARMENIAN LAMB:

1 pound Lamb Chops, or Shoulder Cut
1 can Tomato paste
1 cup mixed Minced Onion and Diced Green Pepper
equal parts: Allspice, Cayenne Pepper, Fennel Seeds, Cumin
2 parts paprika
a dab of Maple Syrup

CEVICHE

While I am planning tonight's (I am at Arube in my quest for World Domination) , I thought I would write about a dish that my wife requests on a weekly basis...ceviche. This is an easy dish to prepare.

Ceviche is a fish dish that is "cooked" in lime juice. We discovered this a couple of years ago in a Cuban restaurant, in Baltimore, during Restaurant Week. The use of cilantro causes the taste buds to shout for joy! But, beware...if ever you give them a taste, they will never leave you alone unless you give them their food fix on a regular basis...and nothing else will quell the storming of your mouth.

Begin by deciding on the fish you wish to use. You want a firm fleshed fish, as a softy will turn to mush. This can be halibut, swordfish, mahi-mahi, shark...to name a few. I use a pound of fish to feed 2. Buy 3 limes, 2 ripe avocados, some pitted green olives without pimento, 1 or 2 tomatillos, a sweet onion, fresh cilantro,and a jalapeno pepper. Cube the fish into 1/2 to 1 inch cubes. Put this in a bowl and squeeze the juice from the limes over it. It helps if you apply pressure to the limes and rolling them over a hard surface before hand. The fish will marinate about half an hour. Toss frequently. Sprinkle some sea salt onto the fish before using the lime juice. Meanwhile, chop the remainder of the ingredients into very small cubes. After the fish marinates, and looks white and "cooked", mix it with the remainder of the ingredients. This can be eaten immediately, or refrigerated.

My personal favorite is is swordfish ceviche. I also find shark a fine substitute, at half the price. I have eaten tuna ceviche, and will use halibut from time to time. While salmon is a firm fleshed fish, I have never used it for this recipe. Feel free to experiment, and tell me about the results via "comments".

CEVICHE:

1 LB. Firm Fleshed Fish
1 tsp. Kosher Salt
Juice of 3 Limes
2 Ripe Avocados, peeled, pitted and diced
3/4 cup Green Olives, sliced
1/2 cup Tomatillos, diced
1/4 cup Onion, very finely chopped
1/4 cup Fresh Cilantro Leaves
1 Jalapeno Pepper, seeded and diced
2 tablespoons Olive Oil

OKRA TO THE RESCUE!!

If ever my novice status in the kitchen has been proven, it would be last week, when I made an Armenian dish using leg of lamb. I have used lamb numerous times...lamb chops...stew lamb...lamb shank. Each and every time it came out great! I was convinced that the gamey reputation was either overblown; or...what I thought more likely...my wondrous abilities overcame it as if by magic. Wrongo!

Leg of lamb needs preparation. fat needs to be cut off. Voodoo overlords need to be paid off. None of which I did before creating an Armenian disaster. I decided to cool my heels for a brief period of time and stick to things my wife and I enjoy very much. And by things my wife and I enjoy very much, I mean okra! We have eaten it three days in a row, and have yet to tire of it's greenly goodness. It is as if Mother Nature said, "Sorry about screwing up on that whole getting old thing. Here...have some okra with your beer". To which I say, "It's all good, Mama N! It's all good!"

Preparing okra is insanely simple. You can cook it whole. You can cut it up into rings. You can put it in any vegetable or beef stew. You can fry it up in butter with some cumin, salt and pepper. You can roll it around in corn meal and deep fry it. Sure it's a bit slimy...but what awesomeness is not?

Tonight is okra and shrimp. heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil and 3 tablespoons of butter in a skillet until the butter is melted. Add 1 medium onion coarsely chopped, and 1 green bell pepper, also coarsely chopped. Toss so that it is coated with the oil and butter. Wash, trim and slice a pound of okra. Add this to the skillet. Heat over medium heat until the onion becomes translucent.

Now, add4 large tomatoes that are peeled and chopped. If you want, you can substitute with 32 ounces of canned tomatoes. Also add1/2 cup of dry white wine. By "dry white wine", I mean a California Sauvignon blanc. Also add 2 tablespoons of lemon juice, a tablespoon of fresh parsley, chopped, salt and pepper to taste, and a pound of peeled, deveined shrimp.

Once the shrimp has been added, do not cook more than 3 or 4 minutes. You do not want to overcook shrimp.

This can be served over rice. Congratulations! You are now eating soul food!

OKRA AND SHRIMP:

1 lb. Okra, trimmed, washed and sliced
3 tablespoons Olive Oil
3 tablespoons Butter
1 medium Onion, chopped
1 Green Bell Pepper, seeded and chopped
4 large Tomatoes, peeled and chopped
1/2 cup Dry White Wine
2 tablespoons Lemon Juice
1 tablespoon fresh Parsley, chopped
slat and pepper to taste
1 lb. Shrimp, peeled and deveined
cooked rice

ARGENTINA

Between the Andes mountain range and the Atlantic Ocean lies the second largest country in South America...Argentina. This country boasts not just a musical where Madonna asks her not to cry; but, a cuisine that mixes European with indigenous foods. The result is deliciousness. Set aside that mate, and jump in.

I made a variation on the empanadas theme. Empanadas are small meat pies, often sold by street vendors with chimichurri, a parsley sauce. Instead, I made 2 large meat pies, using pie crust; and, made the chimichurri with cilantro.

I melted half a cup of shortening in a skillet, and added 2 chopped onions, cooking just until they started turning a golden color. I took this off the heat, and added 2 teaspoons of sweet paprika, 3/4 teaspoon of regular paprika, half a teaspoon of red pepper flakes and some salt. I spread out a pound of extra lean ground beef in a sieve, and poured boiling water on top of it, getting the cooking process going. I let the meat cool, then put it in a bowl and mixed in some salt, a teaspoon a cumin and a tablespoon of distilled white vinegar. and the onions.

After mixing well, I flattened this in a large plate, letting it cool and harden. Now is the time to preheat the oven to 350 degrees. I also unrolled one of the pie crusts onto a new large terracotta plate I bought for this, and working on fish. In the middle of the pie crust went half the meat, some raisins, a quarter cup of pitted green olives and a chopped up hard boiled egg.

I put some aluminum foil on a pie pan, sprayed it with Pam, and put the meat pie to one side of it. I repeated the process with the second pie crust. Make sure to wet the edges so that you can seal the crust. It should be shaped like a half moon when finished.

I glazed the pies with an egg, and put them in the heated oven for 25 minutes. While this was cooking, I put the following in a food processor: 1 bunch of cilantro chopped, 8 cloves of garlic crushed, 1 teaspoon of dried oregano, between 1/4 and 1/2 teaspoon of cayenne, a teaspoon of salt1/3 cup of red wine vinegar, 3/4 cup of olive oil and the juice of 1 lime. Do not puree. You want it to still have chunks.

When the pies were done, we cut them open and put the sauce right in the pies.

In the spirit of full disclosure...my wife did not like the raisins in the pie. She felt it made it too sweet. I could have done without the olives, and i would have put half the garlic in the sauce. Oh well...next time.

MEAT EMPANADAS (PIE):

1/2 cup Shortening
2 Onions chopped
1 pound Extra lean Ground Beef
2 teaspoons Sweet Paprika
3/4 teaspoon Paprika
1/2 teaspoon Red Pepper Flakes
1 teaspoon Cumin
1 tablespoon Distilled White Vinegar
1/4 cup Raisins
1/2 cup Pitted Green Olives chopped
2 Hard Boiled Eggs chopped
Salt to taste
Pie Crust

CHIMICHURRI:

1 bunch Cilantro chopped
8 cloves Garlic crushed
1 teaspoon Dried Oregano
1/4 teaspoon Cayenne Pepper
1 teaspoon Salt
1/3 cup Red Wine Vinegar
3/4 cup Olive Oil
Juice of 1 Lime