Spicy Lamb Burgers: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Chef Jim Gray, Kitchen Guy - gives us a delicious every day recipe. Easy to prepare and just as spicy as you like it.

Kitchen Guy’s Lamb Burgers Recipe

Ingredients
For the Raita:
1 cup low-fat yogurt, plain
1/2 medium cucumber, peeled, seeded and finely diced
2 green onions, finely sliced
1/3 cup cilantro, chopped
1 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
Sea salt and pepper to taste

For the lamb burgers:
1 pound ground lamb
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. ground coriander
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground cloves
Pinch of cayenne
Salt and pepper to taste
4 whole wheat pita bread

Method
Make the Raita by combining the yogurt, cucumber, green onions, cumin and ginger plus the salt and pepper. Taste and adjust seasonings. Cover and set aside in the refrigerator until ready to use.

For the lamb burgers, combine cumin, coriander, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, salt and pepper and cayenne and gently knead spice mixture into the ground lamb. Divide the meat into four potions and shape into patties.

Grill the lamb burgers over medium high heat, about 4 minutes on each side for medium rare, 5 to 6 minutes for medium, and 8 minutes for well done.

Tuck each burger into a pita pocket and dress with a generous helping of Raita.

My family has always been big on picnicking—whether on the living room floor in front of a fire in January , beside a stream in the Cascade Mountains or in a hollow between sand dunes within sight of the pyramids. There is something simultaneously exotic and familiar about a picnic, whatever the venue.

Above all, a picnic should not be ordinary, nor should it be an effort—at least not during the picnic itself. A little advance planning and work goes a long way toward keeping the picnic itself more joy than job but even a spur-of-the-moment picnic can be pure pleasure if you’re prepared. And although you can get really fancy in your choice of picnic baskets, a simple tote, stocked with basics and kept in your car trunk, can transform a wide place in the road into a natural banquet hall.

I keep all of these items in my picnic basket which I keep in the trunk of my car so I’m ready for a picnic at a moments notice.

The Compleat Picnic Basket
Salt and pepper shakers—essential at any meal
Can opener—not used often, but required when required
Cork screw—basic
Knife—something cheap (Ginzu-like), and make a scabbard from cardboard and tape
Cutting board—you don’t want that Ginzu knife touching your car’s hood
Plastic tarp—ground gets wet
Blanket—you’ve got to have a picnic blanket
Paper plates—use it and toss it, don’t drive around with dirty plates
Plastic utensils—see above
Plastic cups—glasses are nice for special occasions, but having plastic cups around is never a mistake
Paper napkins—see “Plastic cups” above and insert “napkins”
Wet naps—the greatest addition to picnicking since the basket
Zip-lock bags—always handy
Plastic grocery bags—picnic-sized garbage bags
Garbage bags—big garbage bags

After some 50+ years of picnicking I consider the above items essential. They’re not all needed every time, but they’re all needed eventually and they all fit into a basket, a canvas tote, or even a pillow case.

I’m a novice when it comes to cleaning/cooking seafood. The first time I attempted scallops the texture was good, but I noticed sand as I chewed. Is there a good way to remove the sand?

Are Kosher salt and Sea salt the same?

When I bake the chicken breasts they always come out dry. Help!

Hello
I make waffle batter and use butter. Which oil can replace my butter and how much oil should I use for one cup flour to make waffle dough. Also, could you tell me what kind of flour mixture I can use and the quantity?

I have a party coming up on sat and I will be cooking about 40 lbs. of brisket for everyone. I did this last year but I have moved since then and my oven isn’t as big as the one I have now. Would it be better to just smoke them on the charcoal smoker or start one in the oven and one on the smoker and switch them out? Last time I did them in the oven first then smoked them and it turned out great, but again i can’t fit them both in the oven now. Any advice is greatly appreciated.
Thanks!

Instead of par-cooking shrimp and then leaving it in the lime & lemon juices for an hour, can I just clean the shrimp & put them in the lime/lemon juices overnight? And, any recipe suggestions? Thanks.

I’m looking for a recipe to serve company in Aug. when the weather is miserable. Can you think of a sauce for grilled chicken, farfalle, lemon, herbs etc.? Something that is extra special would be greatly appreciated.

 

 Braciole: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Kitchen Guy’s Braciole Recipe
Recipe adapted from Chef Sandy Hall

Ingredients
1 large bunch baby spinach
1 1/2 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
1 Tbsp. olive oil
6 medium garlic cloves crushed and chopped
3/4 cup panko (Japanese-style) breadcrumbs
2 pinches red pepper flakes
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted
1 cup dry red wine
1 28 oz. can or jar of tomato sauce
1 1/2 lbs. sirloin steaks pounded thin enough to roll

Method
Preheat oven to 400. Sauté the spinach in the olive oil until the spinach wilts and reduces to about half its original volume. Add garlic, salt and pepper to taste and sauté a bit longer until the spinach is completely softened. Add balsamic vinegar and simmer for about 2 minutes. Remove from the heat to cool. Mix in breadcrumbs, red pepper flakes, toasted pine nuts and Parmesan. Pound the beef between two sheets of plastic wrap until it is about 1/4 inch thick and elongated. Remove plastic wrap and lightly salt and pepper the meat. Put a generous heap of the filling in the center of the meat, lift the end closest to you over the filling and roll, sealing with toothpicks or tieing with butcher’s twine.
Drizzle olive oil in a glass baking dish and lay the meat rolls in a single layer. Pour wine until it comes about halfway up the sizes of the meat. Spoon tomato sauce over the top, covering completely.
Tightly cover the dish with foil and bake for 20 minutes. Reduce the heat to 250 degrees and continue braising for 4 hours.