Food Net-work says, “When a grilled burger is called for, this one (The Best Grilled Burgers) is our go-to. We season only the outside of each patty right before grilling to help build a nice crust. Our trick for forming the patties is a real time saver, especially if you are cooking for a crowd. You can also form them the day before; place in an airtight container with parchment paper in between to help with party-day prep.” Terry Mehlhorn who rated the recipe a 5 out of 5, said, “I love thick slices of red onion on my burgers… both hot and sweet and the added crunch makes for a perfect burger!”
Sally Benton’s Chicken or Turkey Gravy is practically a meal in itself. This gravy is thick and tasty with meat from your bird, and if you only had a piece of bread to put it over, you would feel happy and satisfied when you finished.
From Emily Meggett, we have Stuffed Yellow Squash and Zucchini. She says, “Back in my day, we really liked to fill vegetables with all sorts of new foods and flavors. I loved making stuffed zucchini and squash because you could use all of the vegetable parts and create a tasty side that everyone would enjoy, even the children.” The picture that accompanies the recipe shows a lovely white platter laden with the golden stuffed squash and zucchini shells.
We have a cookbook called Southern Style, written by Jane Bradley. It is Volume 23 from the Collector’s Series of The American Cooking Guild, copyrighted 1987. The author says, “The fact that Sally Lunn was a baker’s daughter in Bath, England, in the eighteenth century is about the extent to which cooks can agree when it comes to this recipe. It is a regal loaf, traditionally baked in a ring mold, and really is a pride in Virginia, especially Williamsburg where it is commonly served. I use a decorative pan, called a kugelhopf pan, for a more dramatic looking loaf, but you can use a 9- or 10-inch Bundt or tube pan, or a large savarin ring. These pans can be purchased in specialty cookware stores and gourmet shops.”
The Best Grilled Burgers
RECIPE COURTESY OF
FOOD NETWORK KITCHEN
2 pounds ground chuck (80/20)
Kosher salt and freshly ground
black pepper
Vegetable oil, for the grates
Four 1-ounce slices Cheddar
(optional)
1 large red onion, cut into four 1-inch thick rounds
4 leaves green leaf lettuce
4 slices beefsteak tomato
4 seeded hamburger buns
Mayonnaise, mustard and ketchup, for serving
8 dill pickle chips
Prepare the grill for medium-high heat. 1) Form the ground beef into four 8-ounce patties. A quick and easy way to do this is to divide the meat into 4 piles. Place a pile on the top of a deli container lid. Take a second deli container lid and place the top of it against the meat. Press down evenly and firmly and watch as a perfect patty forms. Repeat with the remaining meat. Make an indentation in the middle of each patty with your thumb to keep the burger from shrinking as it cooks. 2) Sprinkle each patty on both sides with salt and pepper. Lightly brush the grill grates with oil. Grill the patties, indentation-side up, until marked on the bottom, about 4 minutes. Flip and cook until marked and slightly firm, about 4 more minutes for medium-rare. For cheeseburgers, top with 1 slice cheese during the last minute of cooking if desired; cover the grill to melt. Remove to a plate and let rest for 5 minutes. 3) While the burgers cook, place the onion slices on the grill (try to keep them together in a disk). Cook until they are golden on one side, about 4 minutes, then flip with a metal spatula and sprinkle generously with salt. Cook on the other side until the onions are lightly charred and softened through, about 4 minutes, and transfer to a plate. 4) Right before serving, toast the buns cut-side down on the grill. Top the bottom bun with a burger patty and layer with grilled onion, lettuce and a slice of tomato. Spread the inside of the top of each bun with some mayonnaise, mustard and ketchup. Arrange the pickle chips on top. Flip over to top the burgers and secure with a toothpick if desired.
SALLY BENTON’S
CHICKEN OR TURKEY GRAVY
From Sarah Benton, reader of
The Apopka Chief newspaper
Turkey necks (if cut and packaged frozen, thaw and wash cut ends to remove any bone pieces left by saw blades)
2 boxes chicken broth (or beef broth or vegetable broth), all in cartons (reduced sodium)
1 stalk of celery sliced thin
Half a good size onion sliced thin
A big part of what makes this gravy so delicious is the fact that you simmer it for about 4 hours, and it is done only when the turkey meat is coming off the neckbones. Using a strainer spoon, remove cooked neck sections, then pour the rest of the broth through a strainer. Pick through contents of strainer to remove any bone bits freed by cooking. Add the meat to the broth along with thinly sliced celery and onion. Then start cooking. Add a few shakes of poultry seasoning and some tarragon along with ground peppercorn and pink sea salt if needed. Thicken with cornstarch at the end.
If you’re making gravy for turkey, use the turkey neck and the giblets that come with the bird. Pull them out the day before you want to cook your turkey. You might want to hold back on the liver since liver is such a strong flavor. If you just want giblet gravy to go with a chicken dinner, use a packet of hearts and gizzards… maybe a half pound to go with a 32-ounce box of chicken broth. You don’t have to use necks. You can use just chicken pieces like thighs or chicken backs and chicken wings for making something like gravy. You might consider using reduced sodium broth because when it cooks down, it can be quite salty.
EMILY MEGGETT’S
STUFFED YELLOW SQUASH
AND ZUCCHINI
Recipe from Gullah Geechee Home Cooking by Emily Meggett
5 yellow squash
2 zucchini
4 slices bacon, fried until crisp, chopped
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup breadcrumbs, plus more for topping
1/2 scallion, thinly sliced
Seasoning salt
1) Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. 2) In a 12-quart pot, bring 8 quarts water to a boil over high heat. (No salt added.) Add the whole yellow squash and zucchini to the pot and boil for 4 minuts. 3) After the vegetables are cooked, drain the hot water and replace it with cold water to cool the squash. When the squash and zucchini are cool enough to handle, cut each one in half lengthwise, and cut off the narrow necks of the yellow squash. Chop the squash necks into pieces. Place the necks in a bowl and set aside. 4) Remove the insides of each squash and zucchini half and add them to the necks. 5) Place the halves in a 9 x 13-inch baking dish. 6) To the squash mixture, add the bacon, butter, breadcrumbs, scallion, and seasoning salt to taste. Mix the ingredients together thoroughly. Use this mixture to fill each yellow squash and zucchini cavity. 7) Sprinkle the top of each stuffed squash and zucchini with breadcrumbs. Pour 1/4 cup tepid water into the bottom of the baking dish to prevent the squash from burning. 8) Bake the stuffed squash for 20 to 25 minutes until the squash is cooked and slightly golden.
WILLIAMSBURG
SALLY LUNN BREAD
Recipe from Southern Style by
Jane Bradley
1 cup milk
1/4 cup water
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons dry yeast
3-1/2 to 4 cups All Purpose flour,
sifted
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 cup butter, melted
3 eggs, beaten
Additional butter for mold or pan
Heat milk and water until quite warm, about 110 degrees F, testing with an instant read thermometer. Add sugar and dry yeast and stir to dissolve. Set aside and allow the yeast to “proof.”
Sift flour and salt, setting aside.1) Place yeast mixture into the bowl of your mixer fitted with a beater blade. Add butter and beaten eggs and mix well. Gradually add flour. When 3-1/2 cups flour have been incorporated, batter should be very thick but not stiff. If necessary, add remaining 1/2 cup flour to make a thick batter. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in warm place until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour. 2) Butter a pan and set aside. 3) Beat dough down with mixer or wooden spoon. Turn into prepared pan. Do not fill pan more than half full, using two pans if necessary. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise again for 1 hour or until mixture has almost reached the top of the pan. 4) Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. 5) Bake for 50 to 60 minutes or until bread is golden brown. 6) If bread seems to brown too quickly on top, cover loosely with foil. 7) Cool in pan for a few minutes, then turn out onto wire rack to cool. 8) Bread is best served warm but is also very good sliced and toasted. 9) Baked loaf may be frozen. When ready to serve, remove from freezer and leave bread in original wrapping. Trapped moisture in the wrapper will be reabsorbed by the bread, making it moist. When thawed, unwrap and gently heat in a 325 degree oven for 8 to 10 minutes. Serve immediately. Yield: 1 loaf, 8 to 10 inches.
