Grilled Cheese Burger

 

I first made one of these about a year ago after I had it in a Florida burger place. It's basically two grilled cheese sandwiches used as the roll. I know, its a ton of calories, but I only have it once a year. The version I made today came out great. 

The Bread

Since you are eating 2 sandwiches it's critical to use Arnolds "Very thin" sliced white bread. Each slice is only 40 calories and forms a nice square. 

The Cheese

There are lots of wonderful cheeses from around the world to choose from, but  I always felt that Velveeta made a great grilled cheese. I know it's a processed cheese like product, but it melts very well, and has a high ooze factor.  This cheese choice is no different than having Cheeze Whiz on a Philly cheese steak, which is the preferred choice at Geno's and Pat's.

The Meat

I use an 80% lean freshly ground chuck for my burgers. It has a much beefier taste than ground round or "ground beef". I mix a little fresh ground pepper and salt into the meat and loosely form it into a square shape, so it fits the sandwich. 

Condiments

I don't put anything on this burger. I may make a little puddle of ketchup on the plate to dip in.

Directions:

Butter the outsides of the assembled grilled cheeses and brown in medium hot pan. When done remove to a warm plate. Fry the burger till medium rare and place between the sandwiches, putting ketchup, or onion, or tomato, or pickle, inside if desired.

The juices of the burger will drip into the lower sandwich, and the cheese will definitely ooze out the sides. The one I polished off earlier today required 4 napkins.  I'm thinking bacon needs to be on next year's sandwich.

Herb Crusted Roast Beef

 

Roast beef is a simple dish, but for it to be tender and juicy is the challenge. I'm always searching for new ways to make it. I am not talking about a rib roast (prime rib), which always comes out great due to the marbling and high fat content. I'm more focused on the rump roast or bottom round, which is inexpensive and can be real tasty. Look for a roast 4-6 lbs. with a nice fat-cap on one side. You need this fat to stand a chance at the result being juicy.  I used to be a fan of roast at 450 for the first 10 minutes then lower the temperature to 300, with a rub of oil, salt, pepper, and crushed garlic.  This created a nice crust, but it sometimes would be dry. I came across this recipe a while ago and I have used it three times successfully. I don't think I will ever cook a roast any other way. The recipe will feed 6-8 hungry people. I usually don't bother making the gravy, since it is so juicy, but I have included it.
Ingredients:
1 Beef Rump roast or Bottom round, with good fat cap. 4 1/2- 6 lb.s
2 Large garlic cloves put through a press
2 Tablespoons of Dijon Mustard
2 Tablespoons lemon juice
2 Tablespoons olive oil
2 Tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
 Herb mixture:
1 Tablespoon dried parsley flakes
1 Teaspoon dried basil
1 Teaspoon salt
1 Teaspoon ground pepper
1/2 Teaspoon dried Tarragon
1/2 Teaspoon dried thyme
 Gravy ingredients (if desired)
1/4 cup  all purpose flour
2 Teaspoons beef boullion granules
2 cups water
Directions:
Pre heat the oven at 325, place roast with fat side up in ungreased roasting pan. Combine the next five ingredients and pour (shmear) over the roast. Mix parsley, basil, salt, pepper, tarragon, and thyme and sprinkle over the shmeared roast.
Bake uncovered 1 3/4- 2 1/4 hours or until meat thermometer reads 140 for medium rare. ALWAYS use a meat thermometer. All ovens are different and the only way to know your roast will be cooked to the correct done-ness, without hacking it open and releasing precious juices, is to use a meat thermometer.
Remove to warm platter and let stand for at least 10 minutes prior to slicing, to prevent losing all the tasty juices.
For Gravy- Skim fat from pan juices. In a sauce pan combine flour, water and boullion until smooth. Gradually add the pan drippings and additional water if needed.  
If desired, one hour before roasting time is done add 2 lbs. Baby Bellos mushrooms into the roasting pan. They add liquid to the pan juices and pick up the herb flavoring and make an excellent side dish.

California Pot Roast

This is a great winter dish. The recipe came in a booklet with an electric frying pan my mother bought in the early 1960's. A year or so ago my wife Pam found a great Farberware heavy duty electric frying pan at her favorite store, The Salvation Army. Even though the pan was clearly 20 plus years old, it was in new condition. I've used it for many dishes, and it even serves as a chafing dish for buffets, keeping a steady low temperature. This dish works just fine with a dutch oven as well.

Ingredients:

3 1/2-4 Lb. Boneless Chuck Roast

2 Tbsp. Vegetable oil

1-2 Tbsp. Salt

½ Tsp. Celery Salt

½ Tsp. Ground pepper

1 cup Heinz Chile sauce (or more)

1 large white onion, thinly sliced

3 Tbsp. Wine or water

Optional: 6-8 carrots peeled and sliced in half lengthwise

For Gravy:

1 – 1 ½ cups water or light beef stock

Corn starch

Directions:

Pat the roast dry with paper towels. Salt and pepper the roast and brown in the vegetable oil in the electric frying pan set at 350 degrees. Brown on all sides taking about 10-15 minutes. Spread the Chile sauce over the meat, add celery salt and sliced onion on top of the meat as well. Add water (or wine) to pan and cover. Lower heat and simmer until tender 2 1/2-3 hrs. After about half the cooking time you can add some peeled carrots if desired.

Remove meat (and carrots if used) from pan to a heated serving platter. Add water to the drippings in the pan to make about 2 cups of liquid. Raise temperature till liquid boils and gradually whisk enough corn starch till thickened. You can add a little Gravy Master or Kitchen Bouquet and additional salt and pepper to taste. Pour sauce over pot roast and serve. Goes great with buttered noodles or boiled potatoes.

Fish Marechiara

 This is a great dish that is easier than it sounds. Use any fresh dense fish, like grouper, red snapper, sea bass, even fresh cod.

Ingredients
1 pound Fresh Fish (Grouper, red snapper, sea bass) Cut in to serving size portions and lightly salt and pepper.
1 dozen fresh littleneck clams (or mussels or both)
1 small can black pitted olives sliced and liquid drained.
1/2 cup fresh parsley chopped well.
2 medium onions peeled and chopped.
2-4 large cloves of Garlic thinly sliced
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tablespoon(s) each of salt, pepper and ground cayenne pepper, Or to taste
1 can whole plum tomatoes (29 ounces) Broken up with your fingers
1 Tbsp. Fresh oregano (or ½ Tbsp. dried)
2 Tbsp. Capers


Directions
In a non stick deep frying pan that will accommodate all the ingredients including the fish, saute onions, garlic, parsley, salt, pepper, cayenne pepper, oregano, olives and capers in the olive oil on medium heat for 4 minutes.
Add the 1 can of tomatoes and cook on medium heat for 1 minute.
Lower flame to simmer, add pieces of fish and unopened clams into sauce cover and cook on low for 20-30 minutes until fish is cooked through, stirring occasionally and spooning sauce over fish.
Discard any clams that failed to open. Serve over angel hair pasta. Makes 2 good size servings.

The Love of Crusty Bread

Just returned from a wonderful two week trip in Portugal. The scenery, history, and people were excellent, but food-wise it was some what disappointing. We expected better fish, but only found it to be mediocre. The bread on the other hand was good at almost all the restaurants. You are charged for bread and butter, and we expect our butter budget for the 2 weeks was around $75.00, because all four of us ate bread and butter with every meal. 

The above photo was from a daily market in the small coastal town of Nazare. The different shaped crusty loaves look so inviting.

While food is better in France and Italy, (and maybe even Spain), we found the red wines of the Douro valley to be excellent. The reserves from 2009 or older could stand up against some serious contenders. One winery we visited sold their reserve for 11 euros per bottle, that we later saw in a restaurant for 47 euros. Very sorry I only brought one bottle home. Of course the Douro is known as the source of all port wines, but they are making some great reds and whites as well. The scenery was spectacular, with the terraced vineyards dropping steeply to the Douro River. This area hasn't been overwhelmed with tourists yet, which is one of the reasons we chose to stay there for a few days. The lovely town of Lamego is a perfect example.

Berta's Chateau Restaurant

 

The entry door to the bar area of Berta's always brings fond memories. I have only been going here for 50 years of their 85 years in business. A truly remarkable restaurant serving many unique Piedmontese dishes from the north of Italy. Still run by the same family, serving great classics like; clams casino, frogs legs, massive antipastas, home made pastas, crispy duck, tasty veal dishes, and lots of dessert options.

We always order from the complete dinner menu, where you get a selection of appetizer, a selection of pasta, a main course, which is served with vegetables and their farina dolce ( a sweet polenta croquette), and a choice from the dessert menu.  I have never left this restaurant without being absolutely full.  They make very healthy cocktails, and have one of the best wine lists in New Jersey. They have made Wine Spectator's list of "The Best" for 24 straight years.

This is not an easy restaurant to find and you really need to get directions from their web site.

 

http://www.bertaschateau.com/index.html

 

Some of my favorite choices:

Appetizers- -  Clams Casino, Shrimp a la Berta, Antipasta, or any of their homemade soups

 

Pasta Course- - Homemade veal and porcini ravioli, eggplant parmigian.

 

Entrees---  Duck Venice Style, Chicken Pietro, Sole Santina, any veal scallopini dish

 

Dessert- - - Prune Apricot pie a al mode, Chocolate Mousse, parfait, pecan pie a la mode

 

They also include coffee or espresso, which is the real deal.

 

Expect to spend a few hours for dinner. After reviewing the menu, I will have get myself over here real soon, as the drool is running down my chin.

Columbia Inn Pizza

 

The absolute thinnest crust pizza you will ever have.

We have been going to the Columbia Inn in Montville, NJ for many years for their outstanding thin crust pizza. I typically avoid carbs and rarely eat pizza, but the carb count of these pizzas is minimal. The crust acts a conduit for the fresh tomato and fresh mozzarella and spices. I usually eat it with a knife and fork as they do in Italy, but you can fold it and eat it Jersey Style if you like. Another great selection is Pizza Amatricianna, which has Pancetta, onions, tomato sauce and mozzarella.They are small pies and make a nice appetizer for two people, or a whole one for an individual entree.

The restaurant is smart and has a nice printed daily special sheet with excellent choices. They post the daily special menu on their web site each day, so you can check it out prior to deciding on where to go for dinner. Some appetizer specials repeat often due to their popularity, and I recommend the Scallops sauteed with ginger cream sauce, and the broccoli rapa with sausage in olive oil and garlic.

The popular large circular bar offers comfortable seating and well crafted cocktails. I can attest to their: Maritnis, Manhattans, Old Fashions, and their reasonably priced wine list.  Most people at the bar will eat there as well.  Columbia Inn, 29 Main Road, Montville, NJ  web site  http://www.thecolumbiainn.com/