Joining the Wishful Thinkers: Memorial Weekend BBQ'd Lamb Burgers

It's inevitable: the end of May appears and regardless of the weather, everyone dons their shorts and fires up the barbecue. Despite the fact that it happens every year, the chef ends up with an unused towel awkwardly wrapped around his or her waist over goose-pimpled legs, shivering in the misty rain while the rest of the group waits inside for their summer meal to finish cooking in the late spring weather.
Well, I'm not going to break tradition. I grew up in Lake Chelan, and on this day -- the Friday before Memorial Weekend -- most of the locals are buying the last of their supplies to barbecue at home, under a prepared tarp, where they can laugh at the hopeful and unprepared, stuck in traffic and sleeping in puddles in their tents at the City Park. The locals may disappear from public view this weekend, but it is still likely they're wanting to barbecue: the winter was just too damn long, and the three-day vacation inspires at least one long-forgotten food concept: outdoor grilled meat.


Feta Mint Lamb Burgers

Contributed to Savoring Leavenworth: Pairing Local Wines with Regional Recipes for Leavenworth, Peshastin and Cashmere by Kristen Wood, Icicle Ridge Winery.

Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 8-15 minutes
Serves: 4

2 cloves garlic
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 cup packed mint leaves, finely chopped
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
1-1/4 lb. ground lamb
8 oz. Greek yogurt
1 package Ciabatta buns

Prepare a gas grill for direct-heat cooking over medium heat.
Mash garlic to a paste with salt. Gently mix the paste with pepper, mint, and feta.
Divide lamb into 4 equal balls. Make an indentation in center of each one and stuff each with a quarter of the mint mixture. Pinch the well closed and form into a 1 inch thick patty. Season burgers with salt and pepper.
Brush the grill rack with oil. Grill the burgers 8-10 minutes for medium rare or 10-13 minutes for medium, turning once. If the weather doesn't cooperate, you can also broil the burgers on high heat in the oven for about 5-7 minutes a side.
Serve on Ciabatta buns with a dollop of Greek yogurt.

Wine Pairing Suggestions:
Icicle Ridge Winery Romanze Blend
Icicle Ridge Winery Merlot

Adding Texture, Flavor & Protein with Nuts

'Tis the season for salads: the Wenatchee Farmer's Market starts today, and the first fresh greens are set out with the local cheeses, and the smell of cooking food from the vendors permeates the air. Everyone carries their shopping bags, still wrinkled and strangely shaped from a winter's worth of storage.

Regardless of what you pick up for your spring salad, consider adding nuts. They're a great source of vegetarian protein, full of good fats, give great texture and more complexity to the flavor. Here are some salad topper ideas:

Fresh salad greens with roasted walnuts with Gorgonzola or another strong cheese
Strawberry spinach salad with slivered almonds
Pecans, orange slices and dried cranberries over arugula

Recently I tried the nuts from Almond Blossom Roasted Nuts in Leavenworth. You can taste the many, many kinds of nuts they carry, and their flavored nuts are a GREAT addition to any salad, or many other meals, for that matter. Their maple chipotle pecans would be great on pancakes or waffles; the cranberry orange walnuts would go great in lemon or banana bread. Either of these -- and most of their other sweet and savory nuts -- would be a great addition to any salad, including the one below. It's one of my favorite parts about food: finding new and interesting combinations.


Bleu Cheese Pear Salad

Contributed to Savoring Leavenworth: Pairing Local Wines with Regional Recipes for Leavenworth, Peshastin and Cashmere by Kristen Wood, Icicle Ridge Winery.


Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 5 minutes
Serves: 4

Dressing:
1/4 cup olive oil
5 large basil leaves, roughly chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon honey

Salad
8 large romaine leaves, torn
3/4 cup Bleu cheese, crumbled
2 pears, peeled cored and diced (Bosc pears recommended)
3/4 cup walnuts or pecans, chopped and toasted

Combine olive oil, basil, garlic, salt and honey in a jar and shake until honey is mixed in. Let sit for 5-10 minutes to release the basil flavor from the leaves.
Toast the walnuts or pecans in a dry pan over medium high heat until browned.
Mix romaine leaves, Bleu cheese and pears in a bowl with nuts.
Strain the basil leaves out of the dressing.
Pour dressing over the salad and toss well before serving.


Wine Pairing Suggestion:
Icicle Ridge Winery The Blondes Gewürztraminer

Pairing Tips:
Bleu cheese can overwhelm white wine. Keep this in mind if another wine pairing doesn’t seem to work.
Remember that the wine should always be sweeter than the food you're enjoying it with. If you're including a sweetened nut, choose a sweeter wine.

Apple Cheese Bread

It's Wenatchee Apple Blossom! The festival started last week, and culminates for many in the Stemilt Grand Parade tomorrow. It's a great time of year: all of North Central Washington smells of fragrant apple blossoms, and the memories related to this season abound. Although they already knew each other, my parents first started dating at Wenatchee Apple Blossom in 1971! In honor of Wenatchee Apple Blossom -- and my parents, who are STILL together and celebrating their 35th wedding anniversary this year -- here's a delicious apple recipe that travels well on any weekend picnic and is loved by all age groups: Apple Cheese Bread.

This bread is best made with fresh Washington Fujis, which are picked in October and goes really well with homemade soup, Clams Hostetler or Rob Newsom's Gumbo recipe, which he contributed to Savoring Leavenworth.

Apple Cheese Bread

Contributed to Savoring Chelan: Pairing Local Wines with Regional Recipes by Mary Weldy, co-owner of the Culinary Apple in Chelan.

Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 50-60 minutes
Serves 8

2 eggs
1/2 cup butter
2/3 cup sugar
1 1/2 cups grated Fuji apples (about 2 large apples)
2 cups sifted flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup grated cheddar cheese
1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans

Preheat oven to 350°F and grease a 9”x5”x3” loaf pan. Beat the eggs, butter and sugar until fluffy. Stir in the apples, flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add in the cheese and nuts.
Pour the mixture into a greased loaf pan. Bake for 50-60 minutes, or until the center of the loaf is firm.
Cool the bread for 5-10 minutes in the pan, then remove and cool on a wire rack. Although the bread is great warm, it will cut more easily if allowed to cool completely.

Pairs well with:
C.R. Sandidge Winery KISS Chardonnay Gewürtzraminer Blend
Vin du Lac Les Amis White Blend
Wapato Point Cellars Sauvignon Blanc