Vernon WadeThere are lots of cooks out there who actually know what they are doing. I pretty much taught myself to cook, out of necessity. I haven’t a clue most of the time, but I do love to eat. 

I have made everything posted here. If I can do it, you certainly can. Someday, if there is enough interest, I will gather all these recipes into a cookbook. In the meantime, in the spirit of dashes, dollops and three-fingered pinches, I present them here for you to try. Let me know what you think.

I had some fresh chanterelles, a half a pound of ground beef and some grated cheese left over from last night’s dinner. It was lunch time, I was hungry. A stuffed burger seemed like the obvious solution.

 

 

Ingredients

 

  • ½# ground beef

  • 1-2 medium chanterelles( this would work with any mushroom. Boletes or morels would be excellent)

  • a  splash of tequila

  • a splash of red wine

  • salt & pepper to taste

  • grated ginger to taste

  • condiments

  • a leaf of lettuce or some greenery

  • an onion slice

  • sliced pickle

  • a slice of tomato

  • 1 bun

  • half a handful of grated cheese

  • 1 potato

  • a beer

 

Wash and chop the mushrooms and dry sauté them in a cast iron skillet.

While they are releasing their moisture, scrub a potato and cut it into planks; precook it in the microwave.

Next, season the chanterelles with tarragon, fresh grated ginger, salt and pepper. Fry with a pat of butter. After a couple of minutes, splash some red wine over the chanterelles and cook until the wine is reduced to a coating on the mushrooms. When that is done remove the mushrooms and heat a couple tablespoons of corn oil to the same skillet. Place the precooked potatoes in the hot oil to brown and season with salt and pepper.

While the fries brown, divide the ground beef in half and form two thin patties on a plastic cutting board. Add diced onion to the cooked chanterelles and spoon this into the center of one of the patties, sprinkling grated cheese over the top of the mixture. Using a spatula, carefully lift the other patty from the cutting board and place on top of the first, pinching and working the ground beef together around the edges to seal the mushrooms and cheese inside.

Remove the fried potatoes from the skillet, scrape the bottom clean with a spatula and carefully transfer the stuffed burger to the hot pan. Cover the skillet with a lid. Reduce the heat a little and leave it to cook for about five minutes.

When the bottom half of the burger is cooked and the meat on top has turned grey, use your spatula to work the meat free of the iron, taking care not to break or tear the patty as you flip it. Increase the heat and fry the burger until it is quite firm to the touch.

While the meat finishes cooking, toast a bun, and adorn it with condiments, lettuce, pickle, and a slice of tomato.

When the burger has cooked, splash tequila on it and set it afire. I believe this improves the texture and flavor of a burger. I know I enjoy the spectacle.

When the flames die down, return the fries to the skillet to heat them up, plate the whole mess and pour yourself a beer.

Now, what’s for dinner?

 

Mushroom stuffed hamburger