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Wednesday, July 19, 2023

HBH Chipotle Cheddar Chicken Burgers

I have to write about food every once in a while just to remind myself that I can...or when I get inspired I pull out the 'ol trusty food blog. And this recipe inspired me....for several reasons.....



1. Half Baked Harvest is just a bomb food blogger, cookbook author, and has a really fun IG account. If you aren't following her, you need to. Half Baked Harvest

2. I am still learning how to grill and this recipe helped me continue to get some practice. Unlike last time, when I made cheddar stuffed chicken burgers, I did not set the grill on fire tonight. Come to find out that when you stuff cheese in a burger, it gets oily, and well oil burns. #lifelessons

3. If you know me at all, you will know that one of my favorite foods on this planet is elote. Ya know the Mexican corn you can get out of a cart from a street vendor, smothered in mayo and probably ecoli. I love that shit! And well there is something about this burger that reminds me of elote, like if elote and a chicken had a baby....this might be the worst food analogy ever, but that is what this recipe made me think of. Don't judge!




4. This recipe is messy and I love messy. It is messy to eat and well you can get your hands dirty by shaping the burgers...just happiness! I pretty much love any recipe that allows me to cook with my hands, extra bonus points if I get to eat it with my hands as well. #winning

5. I had my house cleaned today and although I really wanted to cook, since I just got back into town yesterday, I didn't want to get my kitchen dirty. So, on the coldest, gloomiest day of the summer I decided to grill.....ya know just to keep my kitchen clean for another few hours. Does anyone else have bizarre ass logic like this? Or just me?

Anyway, let's talk food. This Chipotle Cheddar Chicken Burger was so dang good! It was a little spicy, the chicken made me feel a little healthier than eating a beef burger, the combo of mayo sauce and corn reminded me elote, and I was literally afraid to put it down because it was already covering my face, hands, and table. This is a great Summer recipe!

Here is the recipe:

Note: My comments are in blue 

  • 1 pound ground chicken ** I know you can also use turkey, but I am actually loving making chicken burgers this Summer as I feel like it does make a slightly more moist (yes, I used that word) burger. **
  • 1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
  • 1-2 tablespoons chopped chipotle in adobo ** I am still not able to find this stuff at local grocery stores, and so Amazon has been my dealer. Which reminds me I am super stressed out about a potential UPS strike because I love getting packages. **
  • 1 teaspoon smoked paprika ** Smoked paprika does really make a difference. I am a believer. Btw, I hate to admit this, but I recently learned that smoked paprika is made from ground red peppers. Sometimes I feel smart and other times I feel like I live under a bush. **
  • 1 teaspoon, plus 1/2 teaspoon chili powder ** I used Kashmiri chili powder as its a bit more smoky and spicy. ** 
  • sea salt and black pepper ** I just used regular salt and pepper. I actually bought Pink Himalayan salt recently and thats what I have been using and honestly I haven't noticed a difference. Think I still prefer Kosher salt as it is the sale of my people and I like my salt a bit more chunky. **
  • 4 slices cheddar cheese
  • 4 buns, toasted
  • 1/2 fresh cilantro chopped,
  • 2 ears grilled corn, kernels removed from the cob
  • 2 tablespoons lime juice
  • sliced/mashed avocado

SWEET SMOKY MAYO



1. In a bowl mix the chicken, Panko, chipotle in adobo, paprika, 1 tsp chili powder, salt and pepper. Form into 4 burgers. Rub the burgers with olive oil. I just used cooking spray and sprayed the burgers. That seemed to work great. Actually, for the sake of full transparency, I sprayed one side of the burger and forgot to spray the other side and that worked really well. 


2. Heat your grill or grill pan. Grill the burgers for 8-10 minutes on each side until cooked through and crisp. I thought that sounded like a really long time, but I did about 14 minutes total and that was perfect for my grill. Add a cheese slice to each, cook until melted, 1-2 minutes.

3. In a bowl, mix the cilantro, corn, lime juice, 1/2 teaspoon chili powder, and sea salt.
4. For the mayo, combine all ingredients in a bowl.
5. To assemble, layer your toasted buns with mayo, the cheesy burgers, avocado, and corn. Add the top bun and enjoy with lots of extra mayo.
Tuesday, April 25, 2023

Albondigas de Ricota



The more I cook, the more I realize that food truly crosses cultures. Sure, I was raised on Italian food, but we all know now that spaghetti didn't originate in Italy - it can truly be claimed by the Chinese. Or hell, curry is not native to Indian food, it was a term and spice mixture created by the British to make money. 

So, when I found this recipe for Albondigas de Ricota, I had to try it. First of all, because I am so multi-lingual let me help with the translation....it literally means balls of ricotta. However, I must say the whole shaping thing is where I struggled in this recipe....my version was more patty of ricotta or pastelillo de ricota. Honestly I probably needed to add more flour. 

Now the reason I had to try this recipe was that it reminded me of Italian malfatti. Malfatti is a spinach and ricotta dumplin that is served with marinara sauce. This is a ricotta "ball" that is served with a red sauce, however I would say the sauce is closely related to a putanesca sauce, if you are familiar with Italian cooking (with olives and capers).

Let me start by saying this is truly one of the best recipes I have made in a long time. However, if you are looking for a super healthy recipe...this is not it. Also, if you are looking for a one pot meal, this is also not it. My kitchen truly looks as if Hurricane Alfred hit it....according to Google Hurricane Zeta was the last one to hit so I had to pick an "A" name. 

Now this is the recipe I used and overall I thought it was fabulous. I loved the tang in the sauce from the capers and olives, and I love salty so this sauce made me happy. I live for cheese so I ball of cheese in sauce just is magical in my estimation. However, I added my notes and additions in blue and well you will see some of my comparison photos just to help you feel a bit more human. 

For the Tomato Sauce:

  • 1 tablespoon (15ml) extra-virgin olive oil

  • 4 medium cloves garlic, minced

  • 1 cup (100g) pitted black olives, halved lengthwise (I used Kalamata but debated on run of the mill black olives(

  • 2 tablespoons (20g) drained capers

  • Two 28-ounce (794g) cans whole peeled tomatoes and their juices (I used crushed tomatoes because for some reason I don't enjoy breaking up whole tomatoes although I have been told the flavor is better - I will take my chances and feel like good quality crushed works just as well)

  • 1 teaspoon fresh-picked thyme leaves

  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano

  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground white pepper

  • Kosher salt

For the Ricotta Balls:

  • 2 cups (500g) whole milk ricotta

  • 1 cup (100g) grated Pecorino Romano

  • 3/4 cup (30g) minced flat-leaf parsley leaves and tender stems, divided

  • 1/4 cup (60ml) fresh lemon juice plus 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest

  • 1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground white pepper

  • 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

  • Kosher salt

  • 3/4 cup (96g) all-purpose flour, plus more if needed

  • 1/2 cup (72g) fine breadcrumbs

  • 1 large egg, beaten

  • 1/2 cup (120ml) extra-virgin olive oil

  • 1/2 cup (50g) grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

Directions

  1. For the Tomato Sauce: In a 5-quart Dutch oven, combine olive oil and garlic and set over medium heat. Cook, stirring often, until garlic just begins to turn very lightly golden. Stir in olives and capers and cook until just heated through, about 45 seconds. See, don't these look like just regular out of a can black olives? The kalamatas were great for what it was worth. 

    Overhead view of black olives cooking in dutch oven
  2. Stir in canned tomatoes and their juices, thyme, oregano, and white pepper. Using a wooden spoon, break up tomatoes until large chunks. Season lightly with salt, then bring to a simmer, reduce heat to medium-low, and cook, stirring often, until sauce has darkened and thickened to a chunky texture, about 45 minutes. Transfer sauce to a heatproof container and set aside. Wash and dry Dutch oven. Side note - I used two separate pots....maybe that is why I am complaining about dishes and my kitchen looking like a hurricane.

    Four image collage of adding tomatoes and spices, stirring, boiling and removing sauce from dutch oven
  3. Meanwhile, for the Ricotta Balls: In a large mixing bowl, combine ricotta, Pecorino Romano, half the parsley (I hated this direction because half of 3/4 cup of parsley is not a measurement easily found on a measuring cup grrrr), lemon juice and zest, 1 teaspoon white pepper (I used black pepper because that is what I had and I am confident it did not destroy my sauce), and nutmeg, and stir until thoroughly combined. Season generously with salt. I love me some salt, but with kalamata olives I would recommend you go a little less generously with the salt. Add flour, and, using a clean hand, knead into ricotta mixture until a moist but not sticky ball forms; mix in more flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, if necessary. Ok, so this is where my shape failure may have started to occur. Seeing as I didn't know truly what the desired consistency was I added the 3/4 cups of flour and didn't add anymore hoping for the desired result and I think my ricotta mixture was a little soft for ball shaping (pun intended). Let stand 5 minutes.

    Overhead view of Ricotta mixture


  4. This is my texture comparison photo - thoughts? How did I do?

  5. In a small mixing bowl, stir together breadcrumbs with remaining parsley, remaining 1/2 teaspoon white pepper, and a large pinch of salt. Place beaten egg in a second small bowl.

    Overhead view of bowl of eggs and bowl of breadcrumbs

  6. Comparison photo - think I went a little parsley crazy, however think it tasted good. 

  7. Using lightly moistened hands, roll ricotta mixture into golf ball–size balls (about 50g each). Transfer balls to a parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet and refrigerate for 10 minutes. Just so you know there was absolutely no point in this process that my hands ever looked this clean - wish I would have taken a comparison photo of my gooey reality hands. 

    Two image collage of a hand rolling a ricotta ball and a tray of ricotta balls

  8. In case you needed another comparison photo to help you feel better about yourself, this is the closest I got to "ball shaped."

  9. Hold a ricotta ball in your left hand and gently roll it in the beaten egg to coat. Lift ball, allowing excess egg to drip off, then gently set in breadcrumb mixture. Using your right hand, gently roll the ball in the breadcrumb mixture to evenly coat; you may need to lightly press breadcrumbs into ricotta ball to ensure they adhere. To begin with this right hand and left hand instruction cracked me up. I know it was trying to keep me from contaminating my egg and my breadcrums, but let's be real my bowls were a mess, my counter was a mess, my hands were a mess, and at the end of the day you are dousing your balls in sauce anyway so who cares what they look like. Return to parchment-lined baking sheet. Repeat with remaining ricotta balls.

    Four image collage of dipping ricotta ball into egg then breadcrumbs then placing on a baking sheet
  10. In a 5-quart Dutch oven, heat olive oil over medium heat until shimmering (a ricotta ball should being to lightly sizzle when lowered into it). Working in batches if necessary to avoid crowding the pot, fry ricotta balls, rotating every 1 to 2 minutes, until evenly browned all over, about 10 minutes. Using a slotted spatula, transfer fried ricotta balls to a paper towel–lined tray. I also had to use some tongs, a slotted spoon and the counter to herd these balls. 

    Two image collage of ricotta balls frying in oil

  11. Here is yet another comparison pic relating to shape. Just setting realistic expectations here. 

  12. Add sauce to olive oil in Dutch oven, stirring to combine. Bring to a simmer, then gently nestle fried ricotta balls into sauce, shaking pan gently to coat balls in sauce. Simmer gently until ricotta balls are heated through and their fried coating has absorbed some of the sauce, about 10 minutes. Coat evenly with Parmigiano-Reggiano, allow to melt slightly in the heat, then serve.

    Four image collage of sauce, ricotta balls being added, pot being shaken, and cheese being added.

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