Middle Eastern burgers

Köfte is a Persian word which means "mashed".  Kofte are meatballs or kebabs, served commonly in Turkey, Greece, and throughout the Middle East, and they are a delicious change from regular grilled burgers.  I think they taste best if you mix them up the day before grilling.  Soak some wooden skewers in water for at least 15 minutes, and form the kebabs around them.  Cover with plastic wrap and stick in the fridge overnight.  Traditionally, the kebabs are formed as long ovals so you can wrap them in pita along with a garlicky yogurt sauce.  You can also make them into meatballs, or even into burgers as I did above.

Here's my favorite spice mix, no matter which way I'm going to fix them:

Kofte

For each pound of meat (ground lamb or beef):
1/3 c pine nuts
3 garlic cloves
1 t hot smoked paprika
1/2 t salt
1/2 t cumin
1/4 t pepper
1/4 t coriander
1/4 t cloves
Dash of nutmeg
Dash of cinnamon
1/3 c grated onion
1/4 c minced fresh parsley
1/4 c minced fresh mint
1 t unflavored gelatin

Process the pine nuts and garlic with all the spices until it forms a coarse paste.  Scrape into a large bowl along with the rest of the ingredients and knead well.  Form into burgers, meatballs, or cylinders around soaked wooden skewers.  Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.  Serve kebabs wrapped in pita bread.

Garlicky Yogurt Sauce

6 oz plain Greek yogurt
1 1/2 T lemon juice
1 12 T tahini
1 garlic clove, minced fine
Dash of salt

Prosciutto and mushroom panini

Another delicious panini for the Autumn!

Prosciutto (2 slices per panini)
Sauted mushrooms and spinach
Cranberry mustard

Three great panini for Autumn

We usually scale back on the weekly panini during the summer, but once Autumn hits, I'm back to looking for tasty new combinations.  At least new to me ;-)

Ham, sliced Granny Smith apples, brie cheese, mustard (shown above)

Tomato slices, chopped fresh basil leaves, pepper jack cheese

Prosciutto, sauted mushrooms, greens, cranberry mustard (shown below)

Delicious tuna sandwiches with no mayo!

I can't eat mayonnaise at all, so I'm always on the lookout for sandwiches and salads that use my favorite ingredients, like tuna, without necessitating a trip to the hospital afterwards!  Hannaford came up with a Lemon-Pistachio Tuna Sandwich that is moist and delicious without a drop of the dreaded stuff.

Pulled pork for a non-army

I recently made pulled pork with a barbecue sauce for a very small group: only two!  I learned from Cook's Country that you could use bone-in pork chops, blade or center cut please, to make the perfect amount for a non-army like this.  Is pork butt better?  You bet.  Is this convenient?  You double bet!

I don't brine the pork before braising it for this dish, because it's already pretty salty.


Pulled Pork for Two

2 large bone-in pork chops, blade or center cut
1 T brown sugar plus 2 t, divided
1 t paprika
1/2 t chili powder
1/2 t cumin seeds
Dash of salt and pepper
2 slices of bacon
Small onion, chopped
Clove of garlic, minced
1/3 c ketchup
1/4 c cider vinegar

Preheat the oven to 300 with the rack in the lower middle.  Cut meat off the bones, removing most of the fat, and slice into strips.  In a zip loc bag, combine the brown sugar through the salt and pepper.  Place the meat and bones in the bag and rub them well.  Set aside.

Cook the bacon well in a Dutch oven.  Remove bacon to drain and pour out most of the grease, reserving it.  Brown the pork and bones, about 3 minutes each side.  Remove to the bacon plate.

Cook the onion in a bit more of the bacon grease until softened.  Stir in the garlic and cook about 30 seconds.  Add the ketchup, vinegar, 2 t brown sugar and stir well, bringing to a boil.  Stir in pork and crumbled bacon.  Cover pot with foil and lid, and braise for about 1 1/2 hours.

Before serving, pull remaining meat off the bones, and shred the pork into bite-sized pieces.  Mix well with onions and sauce.   

Marinated lamb for subs

I can never get over how many people tell me they don't like lamb.  What's not to like?

One pound of lamb (more or less) makes four decent sized sub sandwiches.  Marinate the lamb ahead of time so the flavor has a chance to really sink in, preferably all day.

Marinated Lamb Sub Sandwiches

1 lb lamb, cubed
3 T olive oil
3 T red wine vinegar
1 T lemon juice
1 clove of garlic, minced
1 t oregano
1 t basil
1 T mint leaves, fresh

Olive oil
Vidalia onion, sliced thin
Green pepper, sliced thin

4 sub rolls


Put the lamb and the marinade ingredients into a zip-loc bag and place in the refrigerator, turning several times during the day.  In a saute pan, cook the onions and peppers until soft, and set aside, covered with foil.  Dump the lamb cubes into the pan and cook until browned on all sides.  Serve with onions and peppers on sub rolls.

Beef roll-ups

Beef roll-ups were a go-to meal when I was young.  My mother made them with slightly thicker slices of beef than I now use, and I doubt she fried them in bacon grease...but I could be wrong.  These are not for people who have clogged arteries.  The last time I made them, we kept the onions separate and made a sandwich that included...what else?...bacon!  Those are onion rolls with poppy seeds.  Heaven. 



Beef Roll Ups

Shaved beef

Spread with French's mustard

Thin sliced onion rings

Sliced pickles or relish

Roll up and spear with toothpicks. Fry in bacon grease. Yum.

Falafel subs

Oh, these are soooo good!  Next time you make Falafel, make sure there will be left overs.  Saute some peppers and onions, and add a couple of eggs to the mix.  Serve on submarine rolls with a squirt of Sriracha sauce.  Heavenly! 

Turkey burgers

Ground turkey can be a little bit dry if you're not careful, but in order to be safe, it really needs to be thoroughly cooked.  When making burgers with it, adding some good moist ingredients to the toppings can help a lot.

Turkey Burgers with Red Onions and Avocado

Hamburger bun
Romaine lettuce
Thin slice of tomato
Turkey burger
Sauted red onions mixed with lime juice
Mashed avocado

Build from the bottom up. 

Chicken cordon bleu burgers

Poultry burgers, either chicken or turkey, need to be cooked carefully so that they are thoroughly cooked but hopefully not dried out.  Nice moist toppings can help!

Chicken cordon bleu burgers

Burger bun
Romaine lettuce
Roasted red pepper (about 1/4 pepper per burger)
Ground chicken
Sliced baked ham, chopped
Dijon mustard
Sliced Swiss cheese

Build from the bottom up.  Mix the ground chicken with finely chopped ham and about 3 T Dijon mustard per lb of chicken. 

Feta cheese sandwiches

These oven "grilled" cheese sandwiches were perfect for a night that no one was too hungry.  Add soup for a more hearty dinner...tomato soup of course!

Feta Cheese Sandwiches

Flat breads
Basil pesto mixed with a bit of pub cheese
Slice of tomato
Slice of feta cheese

Panini with salami

I made these savory grilled sandwiches without an overload of salami.  One thin slice for each was plenty.  There are other savory ingredients as well, so watch out for possible salt overload.

Salami Panini

Dark rye or pumpernickle bread
Filling ingredients layered in this order:
Black olive tapenade
Basil pesto
Slice of hard salami
Goat cheese

Panini with roasted red peppers

Even though it takes a few extra minutes, it's so worthwhile to roast the red peppers fresh so that the heat from them helps to melt the cheese! 

Panini with Roasted Red Peppers

Red peppers, sliced in half with seeds and membrane removed
Whole wheat bread
Basil pesto
Slices of prosciutto
Slices of smoked gruyere cheese

Place the red pepper halves on foil and push them down hard to flatten, skin side up.  Stick them under the broiler for about 7 or 8 minutes.  While they are broiling, spread one slice of bread for each sandwich with pesto.  Layer on a slice of prosciutto.  When the peppers are nicely burned, remove them and peel off the skin.  Cut and place a slice on each sandwich.  Add the cheese and another slice of bread.  Grill or use a panini press.

Grilled Gruyere cheese with onion sandwiches

Isn’t it nice to have a few really easy meals right before or even right after Christmas when you’re so rushed? But you still want them to be tasty and comforting, even if they’re easy. So how about this? Take the humble grilled cheese sandwich, and elevate it to a new art form! That’s what my husband and I think of these sandwiches. You can leave out all the extra goodies if the kiddies only like them traditional. I’m also thinking that the next time we grill, I’m going to construct these on a long loaf and wrap them in foil in order to do them panini style!

Easy to make in under thirty minutes, even if you do have to grate the cheese! Don’t be lazy and slice it…it’s much better grated and mixed with the other ingredients.

Grilled Gruyere Cheese with Onion Sandwiches

Olive oil
Large red onion, cut into rounds
1/2 to 3/4 lb of Gruyere cheese, grated
8 large fresh basil leaves, chopped
1 T balsamic vinegar
Salt and pepper
8 thick slices of Italian bread (or more)

Heat olive oil in a large heavy skillet and saute the onions until well-cooked. Scrape into bowl with cheese through salt and pepper. Mix well. Divide up among 4 sandwiches. Add more oil to the skillet and grill each sandwich on medium low heat, flipping once. Cut in half to serve.

More treats with the leftover turkey

Turkey and Squash Stew

Turkey and squash stew

Grilled chutney, avocado, and turkey panini

Turkey salad & cranberry sauce panini
Shredded turkey mixed with cranberry sauce or chutney and plain yogurt

Some comfort food classics...no recipes needed!

Corned Beef Hash with Eggs

Open-Faced Melted Cheese Sandwich

Grilled Cheese Sandwich and Tomato Soup

Panini with leftover chicken tikka

Italian combinations are not the only possible ingredients for panini. These tasty grilled (or oven-heated) sandwiches are also a wonderful way to use up leftover Indian meats and curries. Whenever I make chicken tikka, for example, I always make extra so that we can have some panini a few days later.

Here’s what I like to do with the chicken tikka. You can use plain pre-cooked chicken and just add Indian spices to the sauce if want. Leave the chicken out, or substitute tofu if you’d like a vegetarian meal. These hearty sandwiches can be ready in under thirty minutes.

Panini with Chicken Tikka

Crusty bread slices or rolls, toasted
Shredded chicken tikka (or plain chicken seasoned spices from chicken tikka recipe)
Yogurt
Crushed tomatoes, fresh or canned
Chickpeas
Olive oil
Garlic, cumin, cayenne, salt, and allspice

Mix the shredded chicken with the yogurt and some cayenne pepper. Mash or process most of the chickpeas until roughly chopped. Stir in the rest of the chickpeas, some olive oil to moisten, and season with the spices listed.

Spread a layer of the chickpea mixture on each sandwich, top with the chicken mixture, and roll in foil to grill or heat in the oven. About 10 minutes at 350 does it.

Lamb skewers with Greek sides

If you cube your lamb small, it will cook very quickly and stay quite tender! Add some Greek sides and some lemon to dowse everything, and you’ll be in tastebud heaven. Besides the Greek accompaniments listed below, we added fresh asparagus to the mix, doing it on the grill as well. Yum! This can all be done and ready in thirty minutes.

Lamb Skewers with Greek Sides

Large cucumber, sliced medium
1 c plain yogurt
1/2 c fresh mint, chopped
Salt and pepper
2 lbs of lamb leg or shoulder, cubed
Olive oil
Salt and pepper

Greek black olives
Pita bread, halved
Lemon, cut into thick wedges

Slice up the cucumber, chop the mint and mix together with the yogurt and seasonings.
Toss the lamb cubes with olive oil and season them before skewering them. Cook on a hot grill, turning every few minutes until seared on the outside and still pink inside.

Remove lamb from skewers onto each plate. Serve with the cucumber salad, olives, pita and a wedge of lemon. Drizzle the lamb with the lemon and stuff whatever portion of the feast you wish into the pita.

Tomato sandwich on a baguette…panini

Depending upon how large a section you slice for each portion, this sandwich can be for lunch or for dinner. We had it recently, on a surprisingly cold rainy summer evening. I heated them, but you can serve them warm or cool. Wrap them in foil to heat in the oven or on the grill and they become known as panini!

Tomato Sandwich on a Baguette

Baguettes, sliced lengthwise
Olive oil
Ripe tomatoes
Basil leaves
Soft mozzarella cheese
Salt and pepper

Drizzle each half of the bread with olive oil. Layer on tomato slices, basil leaves, and cheese. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Wrap each piece in some foil and either let it age for an hour on the counter or pop it in the oven or grill at 350 for 10 to 12 minutes.

Image: Stock.xchng

Olive salad, aka muffuletta salad mix

Olive salad is wicked good stuff for slapping on a pizza, making a muffuletta sandwich, or eating by the spoonful! There are lots of variations on this muffuletta filling, and here is my favorite:

Olive Salad Spread

1 c green olives, pitted
1 c black olives, pitted
1/4 c sweet onion
2 T fresh basil
2 T lemon juice
1 T horseradish
2 cloves of garlic
1 T dijon mustard
Splash of Tabasco sauce
Splash of Worcestershire sauce
1/2 c olive oil
Salt and pepper

Cut up the onion and garlic a bit. Combine olives through Worcestershire sauce in a food processor and chop coarsely. Add the oil with the machine running and process until a bit pasty. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Refrigerate an hour before using.


Muffuletta sandwich

The sandwich consists of a round loaf of crusty Italian bread, split and filled with layers of sliced provolone cheese, Genoa salami, Cappicola ham, and olive salad. It originated in New Orleans!

Pizza dough recipe