This is a recipe I got from an old cookbook I’ve had for years. The book is Greek Cooking by Ruth Kershner. The book was published in 1977. It’s an oldie but goodie; and most likely out of print. I enjoy Greek cuisine and Greek wines. The Geeks have been cooking since 1000 B.C.E. They know a thing or two about preparing a good meal.

Although this recipe is for hamburgers, it’s more of a dinner than the usual burger on a bun. The meat is simmered in a delicious gravy, and it goes great with mashed potatoes or any grain, for that matter. Add a good Greek wine like a Skouras or a Semeli, and you’re set for a feast.

HAMBURGER STEAKS – GREEK STYLE

Ingredients:

1¼ pounds ground beef
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
¼ teaspoon thyme
¼ cup chopped parsley
1 medium onion, peeled and chopped
½ cup cooked rice
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons tomato paste
1½ tablespoons flour
½ cup hot beef broth
¼ cup red wine
¼ cup sourcream

Instructions:

1, Combine the meat, salt, pepper, thyme, parsley, and onion. Mix well with your hands or a fork. Add the rice and mix to combine. Form into 8 hamburger patties.
2. Melt the butter in a large skillet and add the hamburger patties. Cook over medium-high heat for 3 minutes on each side. Remove from the pan and keep them warm.
3. Add the tomato paste to the pan drippings. Then sprinkle with the flour  and stir until smooth. Slowly add the broth and red wine, stirring constantly. Cook over low heat until thickened.
4. Remove from the heat, and stir in the sour cream. Add the patties to the gravy and simmer for 10 minutes. Arrange the patties and gravy on a serving dish and serve.
Yield: 4 servings.

If grilled burgers are the regular norm, then grilled Stuffed Burgers is the haute cuisine of grilling burger meat.  This is special dish. The stuffing is Portobello mushrooms along with cheese of your choice (we prefer either blue cheese or mozzarella). Add some great herbs, and you have a masterpiece. You’ll never go back to old-style burgers on the grill.

STUFFED BURGERS

2 Portobello mushrooms
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons sliced shallots
1 tablespoon sliced garlic
2 pound ground beef, pork or turkey
6 ounces blue cheese or mozzarella
1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano or 1 teaspoon dried
1 tablespoon fresh chopped chives or 1 teaspoon dried
4 burger buns (we prefer potato buns)

Ingredients:

1. Rinse mushrooms under cold running water and pat dry with paper towels. Cut mushrooms into small cubes.
2. Heat oil in a skillet or saucepan an over medium heat. Add mushrooms and pinch of salt, and sauté for 4 minutes. The  water will start to come out of the mushrooms. Continue to cook until most of the moisture is gone (approximately 8 to 10 minutes). Add shallots and garlic and cook for 3 minutes more. Remove from heat and let cool.
3. Separate the ground meat  into eight 4-ounce patties (each will be half of a finished burger).  Make a dent in the center of each patty with your thumb.  In a bowl , mix well the cooked mushrooms, cheese, oregano and chives. Place a spoonful of the mixture in the dent of the 4 patties.  Cover each with the other 4 patties, and then use your fingers to pinch and seal the two patties together.
4. Season the finished patties with salt and pepper, and place on a hot grill, cooking each side until done. Normally, it’s  cooking the burgers until golden brown and slightly charred on the first side, about 3 minutes for beef and 5 minutes for turkey.  Flip over, and cook on the other side. Note that you can sear the buns along with burgers on each side as well. Be careful not to burn the buns. Place burger on a bun and finish with red leaf lettuce, tomato and any other condiment of your choice.
Yield: 4 servings.

This is a recipe for grilling steak that I got from Bobby Flay’s cookbook, “Grilling for Life.” I’m always on the lookout for a good grilling dish. This one fits the bill. It’s got avocado, chilies, oregano, cilantro, the works.  While the  gill is hot, and you need a unique option, this it it.

SMOKEY AND FIERY SKIRT STEAK WITH AVOCADO-OREGANO RELISH

Serves 6
For the smokey and fiery dressing:
¼ cup red wine vinegar
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 chipotle chilies in adobo
1 tsp honey
¼ tsp kosher salt
¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper
½ cup canola oil
¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves

Combine the vinegar, garlic, chilies, honey, salt and pepper in a blender and blend until smooth. With the motor running, slowly drizzle in the oil and blend until emulsified. Add the cilantro and pulse two times just to incorporate.

For the avocado-oregano relish:
2 ripe Hass avocados, pitted, peeled and coarsely chopped
Juice of 2 limes
½ medium red onion, finely chopped
2 tsp canola oil
1 tsp finely chopped oregano leaves
¼ tsp kosher salt
¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper

Combine all of the ingredients in a medium bowl.

For the grilled skirt steak:
2 lb. skirt steak, cut crosswise into 3 equal pieces
1 tsp canola oil
1 tsp kosher salt
2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Method:

1. Heat your grill to high.
2.  Brush the steak with the oil and season both sides with the salt and pepper. Grill, turning once, for 6 to 8 minutes until slightly charred and cooked to medium-rare. Transfer to a cutting board and let rest for 5 minutes.
3.  Cut the meat against the grain into ½-inch thick slices. Drizzle each with dressing and top with 2 tablespoons of the avocado relish. Serve the remaining relish on the side if desired.

This recipe renders the prefect cheeseburger for grilling. When grilling outdoors (or indoors, for that matter), cheeseburgers are a must for most of us. Place the burger on the grill, cook for a minute or so, add a slice of cheese and cook until it melts. That is the national method (some say it’s written in the Constitution). But ever try an Inside-Out Cheeseburger? If not, you’re in for a treat. Place the cheese inside the burger and then grill.  It makes for something unique and wonderful.

With my inside-out burgers, I use mozzarella cheese. It makes for a deliciously rich burger. But you can use whatever cheese you like, even Velveeta which my wife, Holly, hates. To her it’s a processed chemical product  that isn’t really cheese. She says you’re eating plastic. But, that’s another conversation.  Figure it this way, can you imagine an inside-out burger with Spanish Manchego cheese? Or Brie?, Or feta? The possibilities are endless. You can’t go wrong with this one.

INSIDE-OUT CHEESEBURGER

Ingredients:

1½ to 2 pounds ground beef or if, preferred, ground turkey or ground chicken
Salt and black ground pepper to taste
1 tablespoon fresh chopped oregano leaves  or 1 teaspoon dried
About ¼ pound mozzarella, cut into 4 pieces

Instructions:

1. Start a charcoal or  gas grill over medium-high heat for 3-4 minutes.
2. Season the meat with salt, pepper and oregano. Divide meat into four portions and shape each around a piece of cheese, enclosing it fully.
3.  Cook over moderately hot fire: you will be able to hold your hand 3-4 inches over rack for a few seconds. Grill burgers about 4 minutes per side for medium-rare, 6-7 minutes for medium, and 8-9 minutes for well done. Note that cheese begins to melt after 4-5 minutes, but if cheese is well enclosed, that won’t matter.
4. Serve on buns or rolls and garnish as you like.
Yield: 4 servings.