It's a mouthful whether you're saying it or eating it. But, Man! What a mouthful!
We had just gotten back from our bi-weekly trip to the grocery. Each parent got a cart, a child, and a not-so-specific idea of what we needed. My kinda trip. That means we had to "Garlock" the grocery - a phrase coined by my soon-to-be sister-in-law. Basically, it means you go up and down every aisle, regardless of what's on your list, to be absolutely sure we don't miss out on some randomly placed aisle-cap-o'goodness.
So we lug our 40 bags of staples and such back to the house and I begin my next bi-weekly tradition of trying to figure out where to put all this crap since the fridge is perpetually full of leftover filled tupperware and tubs of butter with 2 teaspoons left in it.
Once I have the fridge packed to the gills and the effort of me and two sub-four year olds is needed to close the door, it's time for lunch. I look at the items I have yet to find a home for sitting on my counter.
- A loaf of fresh Ciabatta bread
- Ground Beef
- Stilton Blue Cheese
- Green Peppers
- Vidalia Onions
- Mayo
- Macaroni Salad
- Chips
It's like the food gods were sending me a not-so-coded message. I chose to listen.
Here's the Recipe for the my latest creation of deliciousness:
The Burger - loosly based on the Juicy Lucy (or Jucy Lucy depending on who in Minneapolis you believe is the originator of the delicacy. Matt's Bar or the 5-8 Club. I like the first for obvious reasons):
- Cut a piece of the Ciabatta that you will be using for a bun - mine happened to be the size of my outstretched hand - any bigger and the structural stability of the burger becomes suspect. Cut it horizontally to make a top/bottom of the bun. Set aside.
- Take enough ground beef to fit just smaller than the ciabatta - match the shape as well. Now cut in half and make two thinner-than usual patties.
- Crumble your cheese on one of the patties - leave a border un-cheesed on the patty.
- Place the other patty on top. Crimp the edges (see, there was a reason for the border) to keep in the cheese.
- Grill as you like it.
The Spread - Garlic Lemon Mayo Spread
- Spoon more than the normal amount of mayo for a sandwich into a small bowl. Remember, that Ciabatta is rather pourous
- Add lemon juice. The amount is up to you. Keep in mind that when you taste it you should note hints of the lemon. It shouldn't be overpowering.
- Add in your favorite garlic mixture. I'm a big fan of the Tastefully Simple brand. Not overpowering, rehydrates in your mix quickly. Good stuff.
The Jita - short for Fajita of course
- Put 2 tbsns of oil in a saucepan
- Slice Onions and Green Peppers, place in pan on med-low heat - we're just sweating these
- Add Oregano, Salt and Pepper to taste.
- Sautee until the onions are translucent and the peppers start to wilt a bit.
Now we're ready to assemble.
- But Ciabatta on the grill just long enough to grill-mark them.
- Add your spread liberally to both top and bottom slices
- Add the hamburger patty
- Top with additional cheese (either the same or a new one - I went with more Stilton Blue)
- Cover with the Jita
- Add chips to the sandwich place. Slice the burger in 1/2.
- Open up a beer and enjoy
This is one of the best burger concoctions I've come up with at home. Give it a try and let me know what variations you put to it.
Stay hungry, my friends.