Recipe Review from 6/11/12

Garden is in! 
Coming up:  corn, beans, winter squash (second planting), peas, dried beans, and basil. 

Not coming up: winter squash, summer squash, two parsley varieties, and chives. 

I only planted cherry tomatoes this year.  Regular ones just don't seem to ripen before first frost, even when I'm buying larger plants.  I can get decent tomatoes from the farmers market if I really have a hankering. 

The weekend had a quick trip to Menominee to visit K2, Nephew 1 and her Husband before they make the big move to Madison, WI. Weather was absolutely georgeous, if you don't mind frequent and torrential downpours. Which we didn't. Took in some of the Nature Valley Grand Prix bike races, a little shopping, and a visit to a pottery place. Was still home in time to get the car washed, grocery shop, mow the lawn, putter in the garden and finish off the laundry.

A couple of good recipes this week:

Ziti with Portobello Mushrooms, Caramelized Onions, and Goat Cheese
Temps are hitting a very pleasant 80*+ up here now so it's going to be lighter dishes for a while.  This was a result of wanting to use up a box of pasta (pantry reduction!) and have a meatless dish. Toss in some goat cheese and I'm a very happy person.   I added a splash of balsamic vinegar to this because the flavors of the dish demanded it.  Very nice for a weekend lunch or supper. 

I made this pretty much as written, decreasing the onion, subbing rotini pasta for ziti (had it in the pantry), grilling the portobella, and adding a splash of balsamic vinegar at the end.

Recipe By: Food and Wine
Serving Size: 4

Summary:
Meaty mushrooms are enhanced by sweet caramelized onions and just enough tangy melted goat cheese in this delicious year-round pasta.
Ingredients:

2 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons olive oil
3 onions, chopped  (1 to 1 1/2 onion) 
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1 lb. portobello mushrooms, stems removed, caps halved and then cut crosswise into 1/4-inch slices
3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1/4 teaspoon fresh-ground black pepper
3/4 lbs. ziti
3 ounces soft goat cheese, such as Montrachet, crumbled
3 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese, plus more for serving

Directions:
In a large frying pan, melt 1 tablespoon of the butter with 2 tablespoons of the oil over moderate heat. Add the onions, 1/2 teaspoon of the salt, and the sugar and cook, stirring frequently, until the onions are well browned, about 20 minutes. Remove from the pan.

In the same pan, melt the remaining 1 tablespoon butter with 1 tablespoon of the oil over moderate heat. Add the mushrooms and 1/4 teaspoon of the salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender and brown, about 8 minutes. Add the reserved onions, the parsley, the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, and the pepper.

In a large pot of boiling, salted water, cook the ziti until just done, about 13 minutes. Reserve 3/4 cup of the pasta water and drain. Toss the ziti and 1/2 cup of the reserved pasta water with the mushroom mixture, the remaining 1 tablespoon oil, the goat cheese, and the Parmesan. If the pasta seems dry, add more of the reserved pasta water. Serve with additional Parmesan.


Spicy Black Bean Burgers with Chipolte Mayo
Friend Tess sent me the link to this recipe and it just screamed "make me! make me!".  So I did.  This is a make ahead dish!  Recommended to make the night before or early in the day so the patties will have time to freeze.  Which I should have done, but didn't, so mine only froze for about two hours.  These turned out to be some of the best bean veggie burgers I've had in a long time.  So glad a made a double batch!

Warning on the Chipolte Mayo - ours ended up flamin' hot.  I'm talking eyes watering, waving the hands around, do a little dance on your seat, hot.  I had took into account that chipolte's can be...warm, and even removed the seeds before dicing, but Yawowza!  Hot hot hot! 

For the Spicy Chipotle Mayo:

• 3 1/2 tbsp light mayonnaise (Hellman's)
• 1 tbsp canned chipotle in adobo sauce  (try 1 tsp...)

For the Black Bean Burgers:

• 16 oz can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1/2 red bell pepper, cut into 2 inch pieces
• 1/2 cup chopped scallions
• 3 tbsp chopped cilantro
• 3 cloves garlic, peeled
• 1 jumbo egg
• 1 tbsp cumin
• 1/4 to 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1 tsp hot sauce
• 1/2 cup quick oats (use gf oats for gluten free)
• 4 whole wheat 100 calorie buns (Martin's)*
• 1 small hass avocado, sliced thin

Directions:
1) Combine mayonnaise and chipotle, set aside

2) Dry the beans well after washing, extra moisture keep the burgers from sticking. In a medium bowl, mash beans with a fork until thick and pasty.


3) In a food processor, finely chop bell pepper, cilantro, onion, and garlic, then add oats, then eggs and spices. Then stir into mashed beans.


4) Divide mixture into four patties (using slightly oiled hands helps; K notes - I used my 1" cookie/meatball scoop) and place them onto a flat surface covered with wax paper. (If it's too wet, chill the mixture 30 minutes in the refrigerator or add another tablespoon of oats)

5) Freeze at least 2 hours before cooking or keep frozen until ready to cook.


6) Heat a lightly sprayed skillet to medium heat and cook frozen burgers about 7 minutes on each side.   If grilling, preheat grill over medium heat, and lightly oil a sheet of aluminum foil; grill 7-8 minutes on each side or you can bake in the oven at 375° on a lightly oiled baking sheet