"Have it your way" Black Bean Burgers

 Today was a blister, 90 degrees and humid. And as I headed to the market for a giant watermelon, to stuff myself with, I had to divert my car from every road that would take me to my favorite burger joint: The Apple Pan. You see, if I go to The Apple Pan I will get a burger. If I get a burger; I will get fries. If I get fries, I will most certainly get a slice of chocolate pie. Which is probably why I want to go there in the first place. unfortunately, Thursday at noon does not warrant such behavior. Not this week.

Thankfully, my diversion was a success, leading me to circle the infamous Whole Foods parking lot and giving me enough time to plan my lunch, make a mental shopping list, answer a phone call, text a friend, and even wave to someone I knew.  The parking lot is a virtual office. You can get stuff done!

So, I grabbed my shopping wheels, chose a giant watermelon and asked someone to load it into my cart, limited right hand, and cruised the meat department; still looking for burgers. And that's when I overheard someone talking about the mind blowing black bean burgers they made for dinner and how easy they were to make, and how healthy they were... SOLD. I grabbed a sandwich roll, an avocado, a tomato, and a can of black beans and headed home. 

Black Bean Burgers

Chock full of farmers market vegetables the burgers almost made me forget about The Apple Pan. They took all of ten minutes to cook and all of five minutes to enjoy.

I suggest adding anything you like: left over vegetables diced up, quinoa, brown rice, potato, whatever you have. I had fresh corn, red onion and carrots, all of which pair well with black beans, and I even threw in some kale. 

Dice one small onion, a carrot and a big hand-full of kale 

Saute in olive oil or butter, or both, and season with salt, pepper, a teaspoon of cumin, red pepper flakes

Add a scratch or two of garlic and one ear of fresh corn

put everything in a large bowl

mash and taste for seasoning

add one egg to combine all the ingredients

scoop a half cup of the black beans into a hot skillet and gently form a patty with the tines of a fork

cook over low heat

3 minutes on each side

toast the bun alongside the burger

crown with avocado and tomato and any dressing you like

Cuisinart To The Rescue! Onion Marmalade Tart

This afternoon I was in my kitchen digging into the back of my cupboard (with one hand) looking for never-before-used food processor attachments. I needed them. A dear friend unloaded an armful of heavy, sweet smelling onions on me and in accordance with my culinary oath I could not waste them: I would make onion marmalade. One-handed.

As you can imagine, the prospect of slicing so many onions with my left hand was pretty daunting, considering it would more than likely lead to blood loss, as opposed to marmalade. So, as the proverbial saying goes, "necessity is the mother of invention" (although, clearly, I'm just a late comer), I put down the knife and plugged in the food processor.

Typically, the food processor is a never ending whir of aioli, hummus, bread crumbs, almond paste, things like that, all with the basic blade. But I was trying something new and if the slicing blade worked well with the onions, that is, not bruise and tear them to shreds, imagine what other vegetables I could whizz up???

The blades were so new they were still in their safety wrappers.  I snapped the equipment in place, topped and tailed the onions, and whirred them into the work bowl at top speed. 4 pounds of onions took 4 minutes (!)

Not as uniform as hand-prepped onions, but who the hell cared, they were sliced well enough and it was done. Within minutes I was sweating onions in butter and red wine. And to makes matters better, the end result was great. It made a fine onion jam, which then became a play on a pissaladiere-- the beloved French onion tart from Nice. And to think it was all because of the Cuisinart...

And it is no surprise that every chef loves that deft appliance, as unromantic as it should be. It's been so good to us... The industrial strength version, known as the Robot Coupe, has a motor that won't quit and a work bowl that won't break, no matter how much abuse it gets. And thanks to Julia Child and James Beard, who introduced the machine, back in 1973, the kitchen is an easier place to be.


I have one suggestion, if you are venturing to acquire one, do yourself a favor and get the original Pro Custom model. It has the trusty  start and stop flaps that are easy to use. The 14 cup will do wonders for you-- pie dough, pasta dough... and if your mom still has hers and it works... take it.

Onion Confit "Marmalade"

Recipe from the Chez Panisse cookbook-- Vegetables

Attach the slicing disc to the food processor

Trim, halve, peel, then quarter,  4 large red or white onions

and push through the feed tube with the motor running

In a large skillet or pot, saute onions with 4 tablespoons of butter (I used goat butter for a distinctive flavor) on medium heat for 10 minutes

Until soft and slightly caramalized

Add a bayleaf, a sprig of thyme, a tablespoon of sugar, 2 cups of red wine, a 1/4 cup of red wine vinegar, a 1/4 cup of sherry vinegar, and season with salt and pepper 

Cook for 1 1/2 hours, stirring every 20 minutes

Onion Jam should be dark, rich and savory sweet

Enjoy on a cracker, crostini, toast, or in pasta dishes with dark greens, or in sandwiches and paninis

Or, spread on a tart shell of puff pastry or any dough you prefer (I had some puff dough from Du Four in my freezer)

For a play on a French classic, pissaladiere, top with nicoise olives and brush the sides with egg and cream-- egg wash

Bake at 400' for 30-35 minutes

And save some for me

Holy Bovina! Let's Talk About Steak-- Brazilian Style

This last spring I went to an awesome neighborhood party where Brazilians were grilling pork ribs over a low fire and they did something that at once seemed so obvious but that I had never done. After grilling the meaty side of a rack of salted and peppered ribs, they flipped them and shaved an even layer of  parmiggiano reggiano over the top and then covered the grill for another 20 minutes. The result was a tender, moist rib with a crisp, parmesan crust. The lightness, texture and flavor of the cheese took my breath away.

I know what you're thinking, who cares? Meats with parmesan crusts are so ubiquitous. But it was good. Damn good. And I swore I would try it myself someday. Soon...

So, tonight, as I was stirring my giant cowboy-pot of ranch beans for tomorrow's fourth of July throwdown, I was hungry hungry hungry and wanted to pan-roast myself a ribeye steak as a reward for all of my left-handed cooking. And I said to myself, why not give it a Brazilian? A parmiggiano reggiano crust.

And holy bovina... what a reunion.

The caramalized beef and the shavings of cows milk cheese had come together once again... and it was delicioso. Although, not as crisp and light as the parmesan crust on the pork ribs, oops, it was still damn good.

And to add to my felicidade, the generous lump of goat butter I slipped into the pan, just before finishing it in the oven, had created the perfect base for a warm dressing of goat butter beef fat and lemon for a handful of arugula and hearts of celery; both currently in season. A squeeze of lemon over the almost wilted greens, and who gives a fig about fireworks. As the Brazilians' say, it was paraiso!

Parmesan Crusted Rib Eye

Season the rib eye, both sides, generously with salt and pepper. Sear in a hot skillet with olive oil until dark and caramelized-- about 4 minutes. Turn the meat and add a lump of butter and roast in a 425' oven for 4-5 minutes for medium rare. Rest on a plate for 5-10 minutes near the heat of the stove.

Next, add a large handful of arugula or any green, to the already hot skillet. Squeeze a half lemon and and crack some pepper over top and toss in the warm beef fat and butter. 

And crisp the cheese under a broiler, for a more crisp crust. Something I should have done!