Portabella Burgers

An eighty-degree day in mid-October? To the grill we go!

Mushroom burgers have always seemed wimpy to me -- a cop-out to a wonderfully rare and juicy beef burger.

But Bean wanted to grill today, and the urge for a burger strikes me in slow intervals. The urge for mushrooms, however? ALL OF THE TIME.

1. Boil some kale that a dear roommate has in surplus.

2. Crack open some goat cheese

3. Put a giant portabella, doused with olive oil, garlic and salt, on the grill for five or six minutes.

4. When you flip the mushroom, put the intended bun on the grill; flip after around three minutes.

5. After five minutes (or so) of second-side cook-time: take everything off!

It is imperative that you assemble all of the ingredients at once after cooking, and then promptly mow down.

1. Spread goat cheese on top (toasted) bun

2. Lay kale on bottom bun

3. Plop on the (flaccid and willing) mushroom

4. Join top and bottom buns

The first (and only previous) time I tried a mushroom burger, it was unsatisfactory, but the heartiness of this might actually pass for a beef patty. And for a mushroom-lover like me, it was many times better!

Summer Lunch - Tomato & Artichoke Sandwich

Cheese Makes the Sandwich

A very quick dinner:

ciabatta bread

spinach

sliced tomato

parrano cheese

The latter of which we found as a special at Hannaford, and is described as:

"The unforgettable cheese with a disctinctly Italian temperament; the alluring nutty flavor of a fine-aged Parmesan with the versatility of a young Dutch gouda."

And it is so good.

Open-faced Summer Sandwich (2)

A very quick dinner:

ciabatta bread

spinach

sliced tomato

parrano cheese

The latter of which we found as a special at Hannaford, and is described as:

"The unforgettable cheese with a disctinctly Italian temperament; the alluring nutty flavor of a fine-aged Parmesan with the versatility of a young Dutch gouda."

And it is so good.

Striped Bass Sandwich

Bean's Father called to ask if we wanted fresh fish; he'd caught two huge striped bass off of Plum Island that very day.

Bean said (he is not a seafood lover, my man...), "...well, Boodle would love some."

So we picked up a serving-sized fillet just for me!

And so, I proposed to grill it. Topped with parsley and chives and olive oil; flip after 4 minutes and again after 4 minutes, and then remove soon after.

I do not know the exact time -- I waited until the inside, with the tiniest slit, was white instead of pink.

And it came out, somehow, perfect.

Lull Farm -- Greens

In Hollis, New Hampshire, there lies a beautiful and aromatic farm stand named Lull Farm. They have everything one could need in the way of freshness.

On a mission to buy cucumber plants last weekend, I bought a bag of their (mixed):

kale

collard greens

swisschard

and I have been using it for every meal since. So for work-lunch, I made a sandwich with:

Lull Farm greens mix

mushroom

Grey Poupon mustard

scallions

fresh-baked saloio roll (Hannaford)

And it will hopefully be as scrumptious as it looked.

Prosciutto & Cheddar

When I first moved in, there seemed to be interesting deli meats in the refrigerator at all times, and I could sample of them at will for my lunches. But lately, there's been a lack of that! And normally I would be content concocting a delicious sandwich of mushrooms, kimchi, mustard, spinach, broccoli, cabbage.......whatever I could find; it would be delicious as long as it was on good bread.

But lately, since I've been training for a half-marathon, I need a bit more stuff in my sandwich. The other day I bought this prosciutto, pre-sliced and hard-as-hell to work with. It adds a deliciously salty kick, and tastes strangely (since it's pork) of seafood, which of course I enjoy fully.

This one had:

deli roll ($0.79)

prosciutto

Vermont cheddar cheese

sliced mushrooms

scallions

multitudes of spinach

Cheddar & Apple Panini

I had resigned myself to a small dinner of oft-repeated dishes, but then Bean wished to go to the grocery store. When he bought some year-aged cheddar cheese, and Mike (who is staying with us for a while) bought some fresh dinner rolls, an idea popped! Right into my New England head. A granny smith and cheddar sandwich!

But how to make it a panini?

A small frying pan, with a small bit of olive oil (heated until I feared the fire alarms would announce themselves) did the trick! Then I plopped the sandwich in, squashed it down with a pan cover; flipped it over and repeated, and rescued it from certain danger. It was nicely scorched, but the cheese was not melted.

Into the toaster it went, adorned with beautiful burn marks. And it was delicious.