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Basic Hamburger

Serves 4

Ingredients:

1 to 1½ pound ground beef chuck (80% lean meat)

½ to 1 teaspoon salt

freshly ground black pepper

4 hamburger buns

toppings and condiments

Directions:

1. Gently mix the beef with the salt and pepper. Divide the meat into 4 equal portions and then form the hamburgers, being careful not to over-handle the meat. One good way to do this is to throw the meat back and forth between your hands like a baseball, packing the meat each time you catch it. Flatten the balls into patties, making an indentation or divot in the center of each patty.
2. Pre-heat the grill until hot (if using charcoal, coals would be covered with white ash; if using gas, pre-heat for at least 10 minutes). You should be able to hold your hand about 2-inches over the grill for only 2 to 3 seconds before pulling it away. Place burgers on grill, season with salt and pepper, and cook to desired degree of doneness (see below), flipping once and never pushing down with the back of a spatula.

Cooking Times for Burgers:

Medium Rare – 4 minutes per side

Medium – 5 minutes per side

Well – 6 minutes per side

1. Lightly toast the hamburger buns, either in the oven or on the grill. Place the cooked burger patties on the toasted hamburger buns and serve the burgers with your choice of toppings – tomato ketchup, mustard, relish, mayonnaise, onions, tomatoes, lettuce, mushrooms, etc…

Caramelized Onions

Makes about 2 cups

Ingredients:

5 medium onions, white, red or yellow

olive oil

salt

parchment paper circle

Optional Ingredients:

Balsamic vinegar

Brown sugar

White wine

Directions:

1. Pre-heat your largest sauté pan over medium heat.
2. Add the olive oil to the hot pan and add the onions. Cover the onions with the parchment paper circle. This is not essential, but it helps prevent the onions from drying out. Let the onions start to brown a little and then give them a good stir, scraping the bottom of the pan. The trick is in how often to stir – if you stir too much, the onions won’t get a chance to brown; if you don’t stir often enough, the onions might start to burn.
3. As the onions start to brown more uniformly, season the onions with salt. The salt will draw out some of the moisture from the onions, which will then pick up the browning on the bottom of sauté pan and mix in with the onions.
4. If the pan starts to get too brown, add a little water or white wine to the pan and stir.
5. Continue to cook the onions like this for about 30 minutes.
6. Taste the onions and season with salt, a little brown sugar or balsamic vinegar as desired.

Slow Roasted Tomatoes with Garlic and Herbs

Makes roughly 40 roasted tomato halves

Ingredients:

4 pounds Roma tomatoes

4 cloves garlic, minced

¼ to ½ cup olive oil

coarse or kosher salt

freshly ground black pepper

1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme

2 teaspoon finely chopped fresh rosemary (optional)

Directions:

1. Pre-heat the oven to 225˚ F.
2. Cut the Roma tomatoes in half and spread out on a baking sheet, cut side up.
3. Drizzle the olive oil generously all over the tomatoes and toss the tomatoes a little to distribute evenly. Sprinkle the minced garlic and chopped herbs over the top and season well with kosher salt and black pepper.
4. Roast for about 5 to 6 hours (yes, six hours). Longer is better in this recipe, but if you have to take the tomatoes out early, it’s not a disaster.
5. Serve tossed in a pasta dish, spread on a crostini, or accompanying chicken, meat or fish.
6. Store in a jar, covered in a little olive oil, in the refrigerator for up to two weeks, or in the freezer for a couple months.

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Meredith Laurence - Blue Jean Chef