Wisconsin Classics Revisited: Grilled Chicken Taco Salad and Stuffed Burgers

When it comes to cooking, I really love a good challenge -- which is probably what makes me so fond of recipe development.

I love the tasting and tweaking.  I love trying new techniques to get different results. And I love searching for just the right balance of flavors and ingredients.

A favorite pet project of mine is recreating favorite dishes we've eaten at restaurants -- or thinking of creative ways to revamp recipes that didn't quite make the flavor cut (there's always a way to save a good concept, after all... you just need to bring a new eye to it).

So, this latest project -- creating recipes inspired by things we've eaten in Wisconsin -- was an incredible amount of fun.  Not only did we get to think back to all sorts of fun places we've been in our home state, but we got to create delicious food to go along with it.

Head over to Eat Wisconsin Cheese, and you'll find a deliciously fresh grilled chicken taco salad, embellished with creamy chipotle dressing and crisp, warm seared White Cheddar Cheese Curds. 

The curds have all the flavor of their battered, fried brethren; but, they're quick and easy to prepare, and they taste delicious when accompanied by the auspiciously fresh crunch of romaine lettuce, red peppers and the sweet kick of red onion.

Of course, if you're not in the mood for salad, we've got a solution for that too. 

How about a take on the classic cheeseburger for your next backyard barbeque? Our version pays homage to Mineral Point's Brewery Creek Inn "Stuffed Burger." Jam-packed with Blue Cheese and smoked bacon, and served with melted Colby Cheese, caramelized onions, and barbeque sauce, this delicious creation is a force to be reckoned with.

Recipes:

Grilled Chicken Taco Salad with Seared Wisconsin Cheese Curds

Burgers Stuffed with Bacon and Wisconsin Blue Cheese

Feeling inspired?  Check out the Traveler's Guide to America's Dairyland and plan your next vacation to Wisconsin!  (And don't forget to visit us while you're here! We'd love to meet you!)

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Creamed Leeks with Gorgonzola

 
The humble leek – often relegated to the back of the produce drawer, upstaged by the potato, or simply forgotten – deserves a bit of time in the spotlight.

But,when this mild-mannered allium is at its best, it’s deliciously sweet and well-behaved.

So, why not take advantage of its seductive charms and make a little bit of side dish magic?

This happens to be one of our favorite ways to use leeks, and it’s as simple as it gets.  First we sauté those tender spring leeks in butter until they’re soft and sweet.  Then we embellish them with a whorl of cream and a crumbling of the best and mildest gorgonzola we can find.

If you follow our lead, you’ll find that the cream complements the leeks’ sweet flavor, while the gorgonzola kicks the dish up a notch with its deliciously funky salty flavor.  And, what’s even better, this simply decadent side goes perfectly with just about everything – seared scallops, baked potatoes, grilled fish, poached chicken breast, or even steak.

According to Paul, the only thing that could have made this dish better would have been the addition of bacon. And he just might be right.

Creamed Leeks with Gorgonzola

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Pasta with Creamy Blue Cheese Rosemary Sauce, Roasted Cauliflower and Sausage

Autumn in Wisconsin is a glorious and fickle time of the year.  It generally begins quite mildly with breezy but sunny days and cool evenings. But, as October winds pull the last of the burnt umber leaves from the trees, the weather takes a turn.  Days turn cooler. Evenings become crisp. By November, chilly rains, reminiscent of early spring, bid even the outdoorsy folks among us to seek solace in the warmth of our homes.

I'm a huge fan of this time of the year -- not only of the ever-changing weather, but also the metamorphosis that autumn sets into motion. Plants give off their fruit. Flowers go to seed. Dried leaves crumble beneath our feet. The chlorophyll in our garden plants degrades, revealing stunning yellow and orange pigments.  We marvel at the unexpectedly bright colors of death, as the world enters into its slumber, preparing for the stark silence of winter.

However, despite the beauty and bounty that late summer and autumn brings, I sometimes find myself at a loss in the kitchen. There are no tomatoes littering my counter, needing to be used.  No end-of-season produce from the garden begging to be turned into weeknight meals.  I no longer have to keep up the lively, reactive pace of canning and preserving. And sometimes I find myself uninspired.

Fortunately, there is always something that comes along to pull me out of my cooking funk.  This dish, for instance, was inspired by an unusually brilliant head of freshly picked local organic cauliflower -- stunningly white, with compact florets surrounded by a wreath of green leaves.

While I adore the simplicity of steamed cauliflower -- drizzled with a simple mustard sauce or spritzed with citrus -- I absolutely can't resist the toasted caramelized flavors that roasting brings to the table.  So, after a liberal douse of olive oil, into the oven went the cauliflower.

 Since the sweetness of cauliflower pairs so famously with cheese, and because I was craving something with a strong profile, I decided upon a simple cream sauce flavored with rosemary and gorgonzola. 

Although this dish would be lovely as a vegetarian main, we happened to have a few smoked sausages in the refrigerator that needed to be used.  And they turned out to be a perfectly complementary addition.  Their salty, smoky flavor accentuated the sweetness of the cauliflower and pulled the herbal flavors of the rosemary right to the forefront.

Save this pasta dish for a cool autumn evening when the cold winds beckon you to the warmth of home.

Pasta with Creamy Blue Cheese Rosemary Sauce, Roasted Cauliflower and Sausage



©BURP! Where Food Happens

Lamb Burgers with Figs, Caramelized Onions & Blue Cheese

Once upon a time... probably in late September... I spied a luscious looking pint of fresh Turkish figs at the market. And I was smitten.

For some (and maybe I should include myself here), figs are a nearly religious experience.  And it's no wonder. Succulent, sweet, and amazingly beautiful, the fig has a long history of adoration.  The fig tree was a common theme in the Bible, and the Egyptians considered figs to be sacred, often burying the dead with baskets of figs. Even the tale of how the infamous Mission figs made it to the U.S. has everything to do with the Franciscan monks from Spain who filled their pockets with figs and journeyed to San Diego, California to plant them.

Although considered a fruit, the fig is actually a flower that is inverted into itself. California fig season runs from Mid-May right into December -- though the peak of the season generally hits between July & September when all four varieties of figs (Brown Turkey, Black Mission, Kadota, & Calimyrna) are available.  Although they're widely available throughout the United States (thanks to the advances in food transportation -- both good and bad), we consider figs a special treat.  And because we can't grow figs ourselves here in Wisconsin, they have a particularly irresistible mystique.

I have a number of "favorite" ways to enjoy seasonal fresh figs -- wrapped with crispy bacon, chopped and added to cakes, or served simply with a dollop of Greek yogurt and honey. But, I also look forward to the opportunity to make these delicious burgers.

The burger itself is crazy simple -- a combination of freshly ground lamb, chopped fresh figs, a splash of balsamic vinegar, a dash of cumin, salt, pepper, and a bit of garlic. But, when the burger is topped with with caramelized onions and a bit of crumbled blue cheese -- wow. Reminiscent of a Mediterranean lamb stew with figs & red wine, these sandwiches were a treat that made us redefine what we think about weeknight burgers.

The sweetness of the figs & caramelized onions plays off of the rustic, assertive flavor of the lamb. And the saltiness of crumbled blue cheese makes every bite really snap.

Perfect with a side of crispy oven baked zucchini fries.

Lamb Burgers with Figs, Caramelized Onions & Blue Cheese
Baked Zucchini Fries


©BURP! Where Food Happens

Simple Eating: Pasta with Roasted Cherry Tomatoes, Spinach, and Blue Cheese

It's been a little crazy around here lately.  And there have been moments when I seriously thought life would never return to normal for us.

We had it bad enough with our basement flooding with sewer waste twice in one week.  But, many of our friends got it even worse.   And, although I promise to get to the food part of this post Very Soon, I do need to ask you for just a moment of your time -- during which I'd like for you to consider helping out a couple of friends of ours.

Tim and Jess Cigelske, who were just blessed with the birth of their baby daughter, Clara, not more than twelve weeks ago, came home after the flooding on July 22nd to find their house virtually in ruins.  I challenge you to read Tim's account and not feel move to action.  Fortunately, if you feel inclined, there's something very easy you can do to help out.  You can buy a t-shirt.

Tim is not only a colleague of mine at the university, but he also happens to be the co-owner of Teecycle.org, a company which reclaims cool pre-loved vintage T-shirts, and resells them -- with $1 of each sale going to help restore urban rivers and trails. Although Tim's home was destroyed, all of Teecycle's t-shirts managed to survive -- having been packed lovingly into waterproof crates and a large armoire that wasn't damaged by the flood waters.  I know that both Tim & Jess would be amazingly appreciative if you'd consider supporting their business.  Proceeds will go to helping them rebuild their home... including the room Jess painstakingly designed for little Clara.  And, if you feel moved to help in a larger way, feel free to email us and we'll get you additional information about how to help. 
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In the meantime, you might be curious about what we've been eating for the past couple of weeks.  And the truth is, it hasn't been pretty.  We've subsisted on lots of pizza, take-out, and a hodge-podge of other easy to put together meals. But, there have also been a few moments of peace and quiet when we were able to throw together easy meals from the produce we picked up at the farmer's market.  And this is a great example of one such meal.

Plenty of rain, along with warmer than average temperatures, means that tomatoes in Wisconsin are ripening at an astounding rate. And we've been pleased to see a bounty of cherry tomatoes -- both at the market and in our own little urban garden.  These delicious little 'matoes are bright red and sugar sweet -- perfect for eating out of hand.

However, if you've hung around the Burp! blog for any length of time, you'll also know that one of our favorite ways to use cherry tomatoes is to roast them.  So, you won't be surprised when I tell you that that's exactly what we decided to do here.

In addition to sweet summer tomatoes, we also found plenty of deliciously sweet local Walla Walla onions at the farmer's market.  A bit of carmelization, along with a handful of spinach wilted with a splash of white wine -- and all of a sudden we saw our veggie laden pasta dish coming together quite nicely.

Of course it doesn't hurt when you have a chunk of Gorgonzola piccante in the fridge to make things feel a little bit special.  Piquant and a little bit spicy -- this cheese is everything that I love about an earthy blue veined cheese. Woodsy, and moldy, and mushroomy, this aged cheese brings a little bit of sophistication to just about anything.

Despite my musings about the cheese, this isn't particularly fancy food.  It's not fussy or time-consuming. Heck, you don't even really need a recipe.  Just a few good quality ingredients and an eye for proportions. In our case, we used about 8 oz of whole wheat pasta, a pint of cherry tomatoes, a pound of fresh spinach, an onion, and maybe 4 oz of blue cheese. 

On a busy evening, this simple dish comes together in about a half-hour. And it needs little more than a slice of crusty bread as an accompaniment. Well, maybe a glass of wine.

In any case -- it's simply delicious.



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