Edamame Burgers with Feta and Tzatziki Sauce Recipe

I'm a huge fan of edamame, and many of you may not realize it, but Virginia grows a good amount of these tasty beans. In fact, Epic Gardens in Richmond, who recently started growing organic edamame, is having a tough time keeping up with the demand. Many people like myself are drawn to edamame as a food source because it's incredibly versatile when it comes to cooking (think: edamame salad, hummus, stews, stir-frys and sautes). Edamame is also super healthy (it's packed with fiber and protein and is low in fat and calories), but best of all, edamame tastes great. I can plow through a bowl of steamed edamame pods sprinkled with sea salt. Pure heaven!

When The Virginia Farm Bureau asked me to come up with a recipe involving edamame for their bi-monthly television show, "Real Virginia", I was all over it, but I wanted to try something a bit different when it comes to cooking this magical bean, one that didn't involve a salad or a spread since there are plenty of recipes like this already available. So, I got to thinking bean burgers. Edamame is a bean, bean burgers are tasty and healthy, so why wouldn't this work?

Since edamame benefits from a good dose of flavor, I also thought, why not give this recipe a Greek burger spin and top it with some salty feta and a dollop of homemade tzatziki sauce? After a few experimental recipe tries, I finally had the recipe down, and even this resident meat eating junkie was pleased with the results (just take a peek around this blog and you'll see how much I revere pork products). In fact, I didn't miss the meat at all in this flavor-jammed burger. Gah! Did I just say that?

To watch me make edamame burgers on the show "Real Virginia", check out this video. For the full recipe, just scroll on down. Enjoy!

Greek-Style Edamame Burgers with Feta and Tzatziki Sauce

Makes 4 large or 6 medium-sized burgers

1 cup frozen, shelled edamame beans
1 15.5-ounce can cannellini beans, drained, thoroughly rinsed and dried
¼ cup onion, minced
1 teaspoon minced fresh garlic
3/4 cup steel-cut quick cooking oats or regular oats
1/2 teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped
1 tablespoon fresh oregano, chopped
2 egg whites
1-2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, for pan frying
For serving: Whole grain hamburger buns, sliced tomatoes, red onion, feta cheese, and tzatziki sauce (see recipe below).

Cook the edamame in boiling water for 1 minute. Then drain well and set aside. In a food processor, add edamame along with the rest of the ingredients through to oregano and pulse until blended but not pureed, stopping periodically to scrape down the sides. Then add in the egg whites and continue pulsing until well blended.

Wet your hands with water and form the mixture into individual patties and place them on a sheet pan. Cover the sheet pan with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. Then, heat the olive oil in a skillet to medium-high. Cook the burgers in the skillet until they are well-browned on each side and cooked through, about 4-5 minutes per side.

Drain burgers on paper towels and sprinkle with additional salt, if desired.

To serve: Lightly grill or toast the hamburger buns. Then, layer in order: sliced red onions, burger, a slice of feta cheese, a dollop of tzatziki sauce and a sliced tomato.

For the Tzatziki:

Cook’s Note: Double this recipe and serve as a dip or as an accompaniment to pita slices.

Makes 1 cup

½ of a medium-sized cucumber, peeled, seeded and finely minced (about a ½ cup)
1 cup whole milk Greek yogurt
¼ teaspoon garlic, minced
1 tablespoon fresh mint, minced
1/4 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1/8 teaspoon cumin
½ tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper, to taste

Grate the cucumber and drain well, pressing out as much liquid as you can. Then, mix it well with the rest of the ingredients in a medium-sized bowl. Cover and chill until ready to serve. 
 
All photos and text ©2013 Fatback and Foie Gras. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

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Twice-Fried Plantains with Gingered Tuna Tartar and Guacamole Recipe

A great entertaining recipe featuring Virginia grown ginger.

I'm excited to share with everyone this easy and fun cocktail nibble recipe and video featuring Virginia grown ginger. It's a recipe for Twice-Fried Plantains with Gingered Tuna Tartar and Guacamole, and it's my latest for The Virginia Farm Bureau's "Heart of the Home" cooking segment, which I am happy to report has now doubled in production, which means more recipes and more shows featuring Virginia everything.

You can catch these shows in their entirety here as well as here on various statewide cable and satellite stations. However, for a play by play on how to make this creative nibble that's best described as being a little Cuban and a little Asian all wrapped into one tasty bite, check out the above video. Savory plantains are double fried until they're super crispy and then topped with a fresh tuna tartar blended with sesame oil, green onions, and of course, a healthy dose of freshly grated Virginia ginger before receiving a dollop of creamy guacamole. You'll have to trust me on this one, it is an amazingly addictive combination.

Enjoy!

Twice-Fried Plantains topped with Gingered Tuna Tartar and Guacamole

Serves approximately 20 as a cocktail nibble

For the Tartar:

1 pound sushi-grade tuna, cut into ¼-inch cubes
3 tablespoons soy sauce or Japanese shoyu sauce
3 tablespoons green onions, minced
3 tablespoons sweet onion, diced
1 1/2 tablespoons dark sesame oil
1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
Dash of garlic chili sauce or Sriracha sauce, optional
1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds (either white or black)

Mix all ingredients in a medium-sized bowl. Cover and refrigerate for at least two hours.

For the Guacamole:

2 ripe avocados, pitted and peeled
Juice of ½ a small lime
1 teaspoon garlic, finely minced or grated
1/2 teaspoon jalapeno, finely minced (or to taste)
1 tablespoon cilantro, minced, plus extra for garnish
Salt and pepper, to taste

In a medium-sized bowl , mash your avocados coarsely (leaving a few chunks here and there). Add the rest of your ingredients and season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with additional fresh lime juice and cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to serve.

For the Plantains:

3 to 4 large unripe (green) or barely ripe (slightly yellow) plantains
2 cups (approximately) peanut or canola oil, for frying

With a sharp, small knife, cut the ends from each plantain and cut a lengthwise slit through the skin. Peel away the skin and discard. Cut plantains crosswise into 1 ½-inch thick pieces.

In a 12-inch nonstick skillet, heat a ½ inch of oil over moderate heat. It should be just hot enough to sizzle when a plantain piece is added. Fry plantains in batches, without crowding, until tender and just golden, about 2 to 3 minutes on each side. With tongs, transfer plantains to paper towels to drain. Repeat until you've cooked all of the plantains.

Remove skillet from heat and reserve the oil. With the bottom of a heavy saucepan or a wide solid metal spatula, flatten plantains to ¼ inch thick and about 3 inches in diameter. Heat the reserved oil over moderate heat until hot, but not smoking. Fry the flattened plantains again in batches, without crowding, until golden, about 2-3 minutes. With tongs, transfer plantains onto paper towels to drain. Season lightly with salt, if desired.  Keep plantains warm in the oven until ready to top with the tuna and guacamole.

To serve: Top each plantain with a spoonful of the tuna tartar and then a dollop of guacamole. Repeat until you’ve used up all of your ingredients. Serve immediately on a platter garnished with cilantro and lime slices.

©2012 Fatback and Foie Gras. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

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3 Things You Should Never Do on Television

So, I just finished shooting my 9th episode of "The Heart of the Home" for the Virginia Farm Bureau's award-winning monthly television show "Real Virginia". Seriously, I cannot believe we already bagged nine episodes this year. It's been tough but rewarding work, and it's definitely been a learning curve for this novice cooking show host, so I thought in good fun I would share a little advice for any of you hoping to break into the wild, wonderful world of televised cooking. Here are 3 things you should never do when making food on TV:

1. Do not touch your face, especially your nose. Ok, I got allergies, so it's not my fault, but sometimes I get a hankering to wipe my nose. Who doesn't? Theoretically, dotting your nose with a handkerchief or a tissue is a normal occurrence UNTIL YOU DO IT ON CAMERA WHEN MAKING FOOD. Then, it's just plain gross, and in addition to advertising to the world that you've got a deviated septum, you've now contaminated everything on the table. Take a Claritin.

2. Do not leave your mike on when using the ladies room. You don't want to drop this pricey item in the toilet, so it should not be on your body to begin with, but if you do happen to leave it on when hitting the loo (not that I did this or anything) make sure it is turned off, because you definitely don't want your visit recorded.

3. Do not drink 2 double espressos just before shooting. Initially, I thought shooting back to two giant espressos before my first shoot was a good idea. Coffee is good for the brain, makes one sharper and even increases memory. What better way to ensure my pithy snippets (as I deftly chop up an onion) are both hilarious and entertaining? Plus, overly-ebullient enthusiasm apparently gets you multiple Food Network shows as evidenced here:

From Food Network Humor

Sadly, after that first coffee-infused shoot, I can say with certainty that the Food Network ain't gonna be a callin' since, instead of engaging my viewers with a bounty culinary wit and wisdom, my performance ended up more like this:

I guess it's best to keep those cups of coffee (or in the case with this kiddo those buckets of pixie sticks) to a minimum.

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Video and Recipe: Grilled Steaks with Chimichurri Sauce

So, here's my latest "Heart of the Home" video segment for the Virginia Farm Bureau's "Real Virginia" featuring a super-easy, perfect-for-summer grilling recipe. Check it out here:

Grilled New York Strips with Spicy Argentinian Chimichurri Sauce
Serves 4
 

For the sauce:

1 cup packed fresh parsley leaves
½ cup packed fresh cilantro leaves
½ cup packed fresh oregano leaves
3 large cloves garlic, chopped
1 small shallot, chopped
1 small jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped (use more peppers if you crave the heat)
¼ cup red wine vinegar
¾ cup extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

4 boneless New York strip steaks, cut at least 1¼" thick
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Coarse sea salt
Freshly ground pepper

In a food processor, add all the sauce ingredients except the olive oil, and pulse well until blended. While the processor is still running, add the olive oil in a stream. Remove sauce to a bowl, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Set aside. You can make this a day or two ahead.

Preheat a grill to medium-high.

Rub olive oil generously over the steaks, and season well on both sides with salt and pepper. Grill steaks to desired doneness (medium-rare to rare recommended). Serve steaks with sauce spooned on top.

©2012 Fatback and Foie Gras. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

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First Cooking Show Segment: BLT Deviled Eggs Recipe

So, my first cooking segment with The Virginia Farm Bureau's monthly program "Real Virginia" which features Virginia-focused agricultural news, profiles as well as gardening segments is officially up and running. About a month ago, I was contacted by the Farm Bureau to step in for Chef John Maxwell (who has since taken a teaching position in Florida) as the new culinary segment host for "Heart of the Home", a televised cooking demonstration featuring the best of Virginia's produce, meats and locally made products.

We spent an afternoon shooting three segments at Sur La Table at Stony Point which houses my dream kitchen as well as a collection of cooking tools worth weeping over. If you haven't taken a cooking class there yet, by all means do. By the end of the day, we had all three segments in the can including this recipe for BLT Deviled Eggs, which essentially combines all the deliciousness found in a bacon, lettuce and tomato sandwich and stuffs it into a classic Southern-style deviled egg. It's a great recipe that's super easy to make, and man oh man, is it satisfying. Salty bacon meets creamy eggs yolks and home-canned bread and butter pickles for a sweet and savory combo that really hits the spot. Be sure to visit your local farmer's market to buy some Virginia farm-fresh eggs for this one. Check out the full recipe below or visit Heart of the Home online. In the meantime, check out the video.

Not my best "still" shot here ;)

Sweet and Savory BLT Deviled Eggs

Makes 12 deviled eggs

6 large hard-boiled eggs, peeled
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
½ teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon bread and butter pickles, finely minced
3 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled into small bits
Pinch of cayenne pepper
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
6 cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
A handful of shredded iceberg lettuce, for garnish

Slice eggs in half long ways and pop out the yolks. In a medium-sized bowl, mix together yolks, mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, bread and butter pickles and bacon. Add cayenne pepper, salt and black pepper, to taste.

Fill a piping bag or plastic storage bag (with the corner snipped off) and pipe filling into each of the eggs. Hint: place eggs on a paper towel so they don’t slide around while you fill them.

Once you’ve used up all the filling, assemble eggs on a platter and top each one with a cherry tomato half. Then sprinkle each egg with a little shredded iceberg lettuce. Chill until ready to serve.

©2011 Fatback and Foie Gras. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
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