Make your Labor Day cookout different this year: Serve lamb burgers instead of hamburgers. (O.K., serve them in addition to hamburgers).
If you love lamb and don’t eat it often enough, you can get as much enjoyment from a lamb burger as from pricier lamb chops and legs of lamb. The same wonderful lamb flavor comes through in ground lamb.
A lamb burger is delicious plain with lettuce, tomato and onions, just like a regular burger.
But lamb burgers can be accessorized in a variety of ways. Try these favorites:
Greek-style, mixed with chopped Kalamata olives, crumbled feta, oregano, fresh dill and a touch of mint.
Indian-style, with curry powder, turmeric and ginger, plus optional onions, raisins and almonds.
A luscious lamb burger from Built Burger, a NIBBLE Top Pick.
Asian-style, with scallions, a drop of sesame oil and toasted sesame seeds, served with hoisin sauce and pickled ginger on the side instead of pickles and ketchup.
And of course, add salt and pepper to taste.
We can’t wait for Labor Day: We’re heading to Whole Foods Market to pick up some ground lamb for a lamb burger lunch.
August 24, 2011 at 7:52 am
· Filed under Food Holidays
Original Saratoga Chips in a replica of the original 1800s packaging. Photo by Hannah Kaminsky | THE NIBBLE.
Where would we be without potato chips?
Today is the 158th anniversary of the invention of the potato chip by Chef George Crum at Moon’s Lake House, a restaurant on Saratoga Lake in Saratoga Springs, New York.
Read the whole story, which started with a sort of food fight between the crusty chef and a wealthy older patron who complained that his fried potatoes weren’t crisp enough. It led to the invention of the potato chip.
That day will be commemorated today as Saratoga Springs Mayor Scott T. Johnson proclaims August 24th as “Saratoga Specialties Original Saratoga Chip Day” on the steps of Saratoga City Hall.
Two years ago, two friends from Saratoga launched the Saratoga Specialties Company to reintroduce the original chips, which hadn’t been made since the 1920s when regional brands of chips became prominent. The friends’ inspiration was seeing one of the original packages at the Saratoga Museum. The Mayor’s proclamation will recognize the entrepreneurs’ considerable effort to recreate the product for the nationwide consumer market.
We love the chips so much, we sell them at TheNibbleGourmetMarket.com. Take a look at the delicious options, which pair the original 1853 chips with more modern sour cream-based dips.
Celebrate Original Saratoga Chip Day by treating yourself to a box of chips. Just be sure to get the larger box. While we love the small, 1.5-ounce size for party favors and stocking stuffers, any chip eater will want the 9-ounce box—several of them, in fact.
For dessert: a glass of Moscato wine. Photo courtesy Gallo Family Vineyards.
America doesn’t enjoy enough dessert wines. From late harvest Rieslings to sparkling red Italian Brachettos, hearty Ports and unctuous Sauternes, a plethora of dessert wines is waiting to be discovered.
A sweet wine can be enjoyed with more than just dessert. Think of the sweet carbonated beverages that are enjoyed at lunch, dinner and in-between. It’s easy (and much more delicious and food-friendly) to substitute a light, sweet wine like Muscat (Moscato in Italian).
The Muscat grape is not well known in the U.S. But it’s so prevalent the world over that wine historians believe it may be the oldest domesticated grape variety—the one from which all other grape varieties are descended.
While it is possibly to vinify the grape into a dry wine, Muscat/Moscato is more popular as a sweet dessert wine.
Not only is Muscat very flavorful, but it can also be very inexpensive. The low cost of growing the grapes in other countries translates into bargain Muscats. This summer, we’ve been enjoying Gallo Family Moscato from the famed California vintners, made from Argentina Moscato grapes. The cost: just $5.99 per 750 ml bottle.
Sweet yet elegant and sophisticated, the lush, fruity aroma beckons from the glass. The flavors—notes of peaches and honey—are satisfying enough to be the dessert, for fewer than 130 calories per glass.
A glass of sweet wine, with or without a piece of fresh fruit, is often served as dessert in Europe. You can also serve it with cookies: Follow the Italian tradition of serving Vin Santo, a dessert wine from the Tuscany region of Italy, with biscotti and other cookies (shortbread works nicely).
Years ago, on a trip to Italy, we were inspired by mostarda di frutta, a sweet-and-hot fruit and mustard condiment. Now, it’s our go-to condiment with Italian cheeses.
Think of mostarda as a mustardy fruit chutney. It’s lovely to look at: Whole small fruits or larger pieces of fruit are beautifully suspended in a clear syrup.
Initially, mostarda was a condiment served with bollito misto, a plate of mixed boiled meats that’s a specialty of northern Italian cuisine (the boiled ingredients vary by region, and an elaborate version can include seven kinds of meat, seven vegetables and seven condiments—consider it for a special dinner party).
Mostarda: fresh fruits candied in a mustard- sugar syrup. Photo by Silvio | Wikimedia.
Over the last few decades, mostarda has become a popular cheese condiment as well.
And as with any recipe, each region of Italy has its own mostarda variation; you can find many of them online. Fruit is the main ingredient—apples, cherries, figs, pears, quince or a mixture of whatever is plentiful in the region. Raisins, nuts and other ingredients can be added to create the condiment of your dreams (try some cardamom pods, for example—not traditionally Italian, but very exciting).
In addition to serving mostarda with cheese—as a side or drizzled over a slice, tome or other shape—you can serve it:
With any braised, broiled, smoked or boiled meats, from chicken and turkey to ham, pork loin and beef brisket.
With salume (salami and other charcuterie) and sausages.
You can find many mostarda recipes online, and can purchase it in specialty food stores and Italian markets. You can also buy it online.
Don’t be put off by the high price for a small jar. If you look at the ingredients in the recipe, you’ll see it as a bargain.
By the way, mostarda’s origins date back to the honey and mustard condiments of ancient Rome. Grape must (freshly pressed grape juice) was mixed with ground mustard seeds and honey to create a sweet mustard. Later, fruit was added.
Let us know how you like it.
Discover the world of mustard in our Mustard Glossary.
