Simply The Best Burgers, And On A Budget!

FOOD FACTS:

Hearts of palm are vegetables harvested from the soft core of a palm tree. They're extremely popular in Latin American cuisine, and are exported, both fresh and canned, to other parts of the world. The vegetable has a pale straw color, and a tender, delicate flavor. When fresh, hearts of palm can be a bit crisp and crunchy, although canned hearts of palm tend to soften.

RECIPES

Artichoke and Arugula Salad

INGREDIENTS:
1 bunch Arugula
1 cleaned artichoke, reserved in acidulated water
1 small can hearts of palm
1 lemon
1 clove of garlic - peeled and sliced thinly
Some picked frisee
1 tablespoon sherry vinegar
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1 diced shallot
1/2 cup virgin olive oil

METHOD:

Peel and slice the artichoke thinly. Thinly slice the hearts of palm. Toss in a large mixing bowl with frisee. For the garlic, slowly simmer the slices in 1/2 of the olive oil until browned, remove immediately. In another bowl, mix the 2 vinegars, the diced shallot, and the remaining olive oil, season with salt and pepper.

Little Owl Cheeseburger

INGREDIENTS:
1 pound ground beef brisket
1 pound ground beef sirloin
4 slices American cheese
8 slices bacon
4 homemade buns
Lettuce
Tomato, sliced
Red onion, sliced
Pickles
Ketchup
1-1/2 tablespoons madras curry powder
1-1/2 tablespoon cayenne pepper
Salt
Pepper

METHOD:

In a small bowl, mix curry powder, cayenne, and 1-1/2 tablespoons salt until combined; set aside.

Preheat a grill or grill pan over medium high heat.

In a large mixing bowl, mix brisket and sirloin until blended; season with salt and pepper. Separate into four balls and flatten into ¾ inch thick patties. Season both sides of each patty with spice mixture.

Place patties on hot grill or grill pan, cooking for approx. three minutes per side for medium-rare, four minutes per side for medium; top burgers with bacon and cover with cheese during the last minute of cooking.

Meanwhile, place bacon on grill and cook until crisp, about 1 minute. Place burgers on the bottom half of each bun and top with 2 slices bacon, lettuce, tomatoes, red onion, and ketchup as desired. Top with remaining bun halves and serve immediately. Serve pickles on the side.

Little Owl Burger Buns

INGREDIENTS
3 cups warm water
4 tablespoon molasses
4-1/2 ounces fresh yeast
3 teaspoons olive oil
8 cups all purpose flour

METHOD:

Mix the water, molasses, yeast and oil until the yeast is dissolved. Then slowly add the flour until the dough forms. Remove from the bowl and knead into a soft ball. Keep in a large bowl covered with plastic wrap touching the dough and keep in a warm place. In 30 minutes the dough will double in size.

After the dough has risen, form into small balls and place on a baking sheet with parchment paper with space in between each ball. These little balls of dough will double in size again. After the dough has risen a second time, using a spray bottle with cold water, generously wet the individual raw dough balls.

Bake in preheated 400°F degree oven until brown. Approximately 20 minutes. When the buns have cooled down they are ready to use for the burger.

Root Beer Float

INGREDIENTS:
2 liters root beer
1 pint vanilla ice cream

METHOD:

Scoop ice cream into chilled mugs and pour root beer over. Serve immediately.

So, how did Joey fare in our "How Low Can You Go" competition?

Artichoke Salad:
Arugula $1.50
Artichoke $0.99
Hearts of palm $1.79
Lemon $0.40
Garlic $0.39
Frisee $2.99
Shallot $0.16
total $8.22

Cheeseburger:
Brisket $4.49
Sirloin $4.99
American cheese $2.29
Bacon $1.99
Lettuce $1.29
Tomato $0.75
Red onion $0.52
Pickles $0.69
Curry powder $0.79
Cayenne pepper $0.79
Molasses $2.99
Yeast $0.49
Flour $0.99
total $23.06

Root Beer Float:
root beer $1.00
ice cream $.99
total $1.99

Grand total: $33.27

And that put Joey in second place overall:

1. Scott Peacock $32.60
Watershed Restaurant

2. Joey Campanaro $33.27
The Little Owl

3. Patrick Connolly $33.32
Bobo Restaurant