By Michael Minorgan for Curtains Up minorgan@yahoo.ca
THE MEXICAN BURGER
The hamburger is the iconic North American dish ever more popular and visible at our summer bbq’s. It might well be universally thought of as American, but one of the many claimants to its creation is a Danish immigrant to the USA and the owner of Louis’ Lunch in New Haven Connecticut where it is still served today in its original format. Among the others claiming responsibility for the introduction of this world wide phenomenon have been those that trace its origin to Hamburg in Germany. (1)
The popularity of the burger we know today was in large part made possible by its appearance at many World Fairs and of coursed now with its appearance on fast food menus everywhere where it is responsible for billions of dollars in sales worldwide.
The variations of the burger are endless, but in order to achieve the ‘best’ burger a few important steps must be followed: never over mix your meat when adding spices etc or you will end up with a ‘tough’ slab of meat, never give into the temptation to press down on the meat patty while is cooking under the impression that this will somehow speed up the cooking process, all you end up with is a totally juiceless and dry piece of meat (all the juice is at the bottom of the grill!) and finay make sure you buy top quality, well marbled meat, after all, like it or not, it is the correct amount of fat in the mix that gives it the flavor!
The variety of garnishes are also endless. This week’s recipe has a Mexican twist and is full of exciting spicy flavors……Enjoy!
Hamburger
1lb top quality we marbled meat (freshly ground if possible)
½ can black beans rinsed and drained
1tbsp ancho chili powder
1tbsp chipotle chili puree
1tsp ground cumin
1tsp ground coriander
1tbsp chili powder
Mix in a bowl to combine, do not over mix. Form into patties. Bring to room temperature before grilling
Salsa Verde
1 pound tomatillos, husks removed and rinsed
1 serrano pepper (or 2 jalapeno peppers)
2 unpeeled garlic cloves
1/2 cup fresh cilantro
1/4 cup
diced white onion
2 tsp. lime juice (optional)
large pinch of salt (to taste)
Method
Dry roast the tomatillos, onion, garlic (with peel on!) and the serrano chile on a griddle (or use a cast-iron or heavy skillet) over medium heat. Once the garlic skins begins to brown, remove from heat, peel and discard the skins. Continue dry-roasting the other vegetables, turning fairly frequently, until they are mostly blackened on each side. Then remove from heat and set aside.
Place the dry-roasted garlic in a molcajete (mortar) with 1/2 teaspoon of salt, and mash into a paste with the tejolote (pestle).
Remove stem and skin from the dry roasted serrano and slice in half. Add the serrano to the molcajete and mash into a fine paste. Add the onions and tomatillos one at a time, swirling and grinding until all the tomatillos are incorporated into the salsa.
Season with salt and add the chopped cilantro and lime juice. Stir to combine and serve. (This will keep for four days in the refrigerator.)
Garnishes
Guacamole
Monterrey Jack Cheese
Pickled Jalapenos Tomato
Boston lettuce
Chili lime chips for crunch
(1) Wikipedia
Photo credit Laurent Tourande , The Food Netrwork
