Cajun Style Ground Beef and Turnip Burgers

Cajun-style Ground Beef and Turnip Burgers are juicy AND delicious!

Anyone who knows me well also knows that I'm always experimenting with something new in my kitchen.

The other day a friend gave me a bag of turnips--each about the size of a baseball.

Turnip

What to do with 'em, I wondered?

Last night I boiled two of them. I ate one while it was still hot and I let the other cool down for the purposes of mashing it later and mixing it with ground beef to make a burger (just to find out how it would taste).

I used 1/2 of a mashed turnip to about 1/4 lb. of 80/20 mix ground beef (20% fat and 80% lean).  I also added a few of my favorite Cajun spices to the mix for extra flavor.

The results were great!

Although I could barely taste the turnip (maybe a little) it had the affect of creating a juicy and delicious burger without a lot of shrinkage. I think I'm on to something here??

I hope you enjoy this new Cajun-style ground beef and turnip burger recipe as much as I did. It's always good to learn one more way to cook and enjoy turnips.

One other note. The ingredients listed below is for only one burger. You will have to adjust it to make several burgers at a time.

Ingredients

• 1/4 lb. ground beef (80/20)
• 1 Tbsp. butter
• 1/2 boiled turnip (mashed)
• 1/2 tsp. ground cayenne pepper         
• 1/2 tsp. onion powder
• 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
• salt to taste

Instructions

1. thoroughly mix the ground beef, mashed turnip and dry ingredients together
2. in a skillet melt the 1 tbsp. of butter
3. fry on both sides (medium heat) for a few minutes until completely cooked
4. serve as a sandwich or opened face

CYL (catch ya later)... back to my lab.

Bon appetite! Ahheeee!! 
KT

Fish Courtbouillon (fish soup)

Ingredients

• 3 lbs. fresh fish
• 1 cup onions, chopped
• ½ cup celery, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 large can tomato sauce
• 1 medium can Rotel tomatoes
• 2 medium bay leaves
• Salt and pepper
• 1 cup cooking oil
• 1 cup all-purpose flour

Cut fish into bite size pieces. Season generously with salt, red and black pepper then set aside.

Using the flour and oil, prepare a roux to medium brown color. Add onions and celery. Cook over medium heat in uncovered pot until onions are barely soft, stirring constantly. Add tomato sauce, Rotel tomatoes, bay leaves, and water. Cook about 40 minutes to 1 hour. Add garlic and fish. Continue cooking over medium heat for about 25 minutes.

Serve in soup bowls with cooked long grain rice. Use bread or hush puppies. Serves 8 to 10 people.

(K-T)

Grilled Rainbow Trout Salad

Now, I know this recipe is not true to theme, but it tasted so good and it was so simple to make that I just had to share it.



I started with a couple of nice rainbow trout fillets, skin on. I coated both sides of each fillet with olive oil. On the meat side of the fillets, I sprinkled with Flower of the Ocean Celtic Sea Salt (this stuff is great). I added some lemon zest, fresh cracked black pepper, fresh dill, and oregano.

I heated the grill to 375 degrees, cleaned and oiled the grate, then cooked the trout. I started with the meat side down for about 4-5 minutes. Then, I flipped the fillets over and did the same with the skin side down.

When the fillets were done, I squeezed a little lemon juice. I tossed a baby green salad with some red wine vinaigrette, some blue cheese crumbles, and some candied pecans.

The fat between the meat and the skin rendered nicely, allowing the cooked fillets to slide right off. I topped the salad with the grilled trout, and served with some chilled white wine. Delicious!

Update:  I tried this again, but this time I skipped the lemon zest, and added smoked paprika to the spices I put onto the fish. I served the fish skin-side down. 

On the salad, instead of pecans I used walnuts, but I added some chopped granny smith apple.  I squeezed a little lemon on the salad to brighten it up. 

When I grilled the trout, I also grilled some shucked corn-on-the-cob over high heat, until I got some good browning on many of the kernels.  Back in the kitchen, I cut the roasted kernels off of the cob, and sauteed them in a pat of butter and olive oil, along with some chopped red bell pepper, and chopped red onion, with a little Celtic Sea Salt. 

I served it with some chilled Menage et Trois white wine, which went perfectly with this healthy and delicious meal.

How to Filet a Redfish

Barbecuing Chicken Leg Quarters

I prefer barbecuing chicken leg quarters more so than the other parts of the chicken--especially the white meat (chicken breast). And, here are a couple reasons why I like barbecuing chicken leg quarters more than other parts of the yard bird:

1. The dark meat has more flavor than the white meat.
2. I am able to use my special dark meat secret marinade.

The secret that I am about to reveal to you will certainly set you apart from the rest of the humdrum (always the same old stuff) culinary crowd--and it's very simple to do. All it takes is brown sugar, salt, liquid smoke, a large nonreactive container, an indoor oven... and eventually a barbecue grill.

So, if you are ready... let's get started.

Ingredients

BBQ Chicken Quarters

• 10 lbs. chicken leg quarters (fryers)
• 4 oz. Colgin Liquid Smoke
• 1/2 lb. brown sugar (dark if you can get it)
• 1/2 cup salt

Instructions

1. remove skins from the chicken quarters (set aside)
2. clean and rinse chicken quarters under cool running water (leave wet)
3. put chicken quarters in a large non-reactive container (enamel, plastic, stainless)
4. in a small bowl add half the bottle of liquid smoke, brown sugar and salt, mix well
5. use clean hands to coat all of the chicken pieces thoroughly with the marinade
6. marinate the chicken quarters for 6 - 8 hours, re-coating the chicken every couple hours
7. when ready remove chicken quarters from the marinade
8. gently wash the marinade off the chicken using as little water as possible (don't overwash)
9. apply the remaining liquid smoke to the chicken quarters (even distribution)
10. place all the chicken quarters in a large roasting pan
11. set the oven at 275° F. and cook for 2 1/2 hours (lid on)
12. transfer the cooked chicken quarters to the barbecue grill
13. smoke the chicken quarters on low heat (away from the fire) for 30 more minutes

Note: It is important not to pressure wash the chicken quarters under the faucet after marinating because it will wash away all of the slightly sweet smokey flavor that we are trying to capture. Over washing defeats the purpose of marinating.

PS. If it's raining outside and you don't have access to a grill, just continue cooking the chicken leg quarters in the oven for about another hour. I promise it will still come out great.

PPS. What do I do with the chicken skins? Glad you asked. Follow this link: Cacklin Cracklins.

Bon appetite!
KT