I never had sloppy joes growing up, but I do remember watching commercials for Manwich. Remember Manwich?

My Bay Area California sensibilities prohibit me from buying such a thing as Manwich, so it’s homemade sloppy joes for this household. You might also notice that I served it with a side of roasted broccoli. The one in the below photo is a little bit on the dry side. I usually add water and tomato paste, but ran out of tomato paste and got lazy about the water. Don’t be like me.

Sloppy Joes!
- serves 2 -

1/2 lb. lean ground beef (I use 93% lean)
1/2 small onion, diced
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 small bell pepper, diced
kosher salt
ground black pepper
1/2 tsp chili powder, or to taste
1/4 cup ketchup
2 tsp brown sugar
1/2 tsp tomato paste
1/8-1/4 cup water
canola or other neutral cooking oil

hamburger buns, toasted, for serving

1. Heat 1 Tsp oil over medium heat in a medium skillet until hot. Add garlic and cook for about 30 seconds, then add onions. Cook onions until soft or until desired tenderness. Remove from pan and set aside.

2. Add a little bit of oil to pan if necessary and add ground beef. Add a pinch or two of salt and brown ground beef. Discard any fat that has been released from the beef.

3. Add the onion/garlic mixture to the beef, and then add black pepper, chili powder, ketchup, brown sugar, tomato paste, and water to pan. Mix well. Lower heat to medium low and cook gently for 10 minutes.

4. About 2 minutes before the beef will be ready, check seasoning and adjust. Throw in the bell peppers and mix. Cover and cook for remaining two minutes.

5. Spoon meat over hamburger buns and enjoy your sloppy joes!

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No related posts were found, so here's a consolation prize: Bean and Kale Soup.

And what about lunch? It can’t be leftovers of the thick, hearty meal from the night before every day. And I’m not about to slap a piece of tofu between two slices of granola-spelt bread, slather it with veganaise, and pretend it tastes good.

So I went in search of veggie burgers. But I certainly didn’t want the individually wrapped soy-pucks you can find in the freezer section of your local Stop-n-Rob. And most recipes I’ve tried in the past are heavy on curry or cumin to cover up the overwhelming bean flavor. When your burger starts out with curry, there are only so many directions you can take it with sauces and other fixings.

On a whole wheat bun. Yeah, we're hippies

To the rescue? Cooks Illustrated. In the archive, they have a recipe for the “Ultimate Veggie Burgers.” That’s quite a promise. But they usually deliver, and this recipe is no exception.

The only caveat is that it’s a pain. The recipe makes 12 servings, so you get a lot, including leftovers that keep well, for the effort. But it’s a lot of effort. You can throw together some black bean patties in 20 minutes from can to plate. These are not those. These are better.

I think the key is the mix of mushrooms, lentils, and bulgur. All three add substance and flavor, but still leave you flexibility in terms of what you add later.

Ultimate Veggie Burgers
adapted from Cooks Illustrated
– serves 12 -

3/4 C dried green lentils, rinsed
2 1/2 tsp salt
3/4 C bulgur
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
2 C chopped onion (about 2 medium or 1 large onion)
1 stalk of celery, chopped
1 small leek (white and light green parts), chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced.
1 lb. brown or white mushrooms sliced.
1 C raw unsalted cashews
1/3 C mayonaise
2 1/2 C panko bread crumbs
black pepper

1. Bring the lentils to a boil in 3 cups of water with 1 tsp of salt over high heat. Reduce to a simmer and cook uncovered for 25 minutes. Drain the lentils in a mesh strainer and then spread them out on a baking sheet lined with paper towels to dry out a bit. Cool to room temperature.

2. While the lentils are cooking bring 2 cups of water and 1/2 tsp of salt to a boil in a small pan. Add the bulgur, stir, cover, and remove from the heat. Soak for about 15-20 minutes, until the water is absorbed. Drain in a mesh strainer and gently press out the excess moisture. Set aside in a large mixing bowl.

3. In a large skillet, heat 1 Tbsp of oil over medium high heat. Add the onions, celery, leeks, and garlic. Stir occasionally and cook until everything starts to brown, about 10 minutes. Spread these veggies out on a baking pan and cool to room temperature. (If you’re doing this all in order, the lentils are probably cook by now, so add them to the mixing bowl with the bulgur and re-use the same sheet pan).

4. Add 1 Tbsp of oil to the same skillet and turn the heat up to high. Cook the mushrooms , stirring occasionally, until they start to brown. They should give off all of their liquid, and then that liquid should cook off, so you have a pretty dry batch of cooked mushrooms. It takes 12-15 minutes. Spread the mushrooms on the pan with the other veggies and cool to room temperature.

5. Chop the cashews in the food processor for a few pulses. Coarse is ok since it’s all going to get mixed and chopped again.

6. Add the cashews, veggies, mushrooms, and mayonaise to the bowl with the bulgur and lentils and mix everything up. Move half of the mixture to the food processor and pulse about 15 times. It should be a coarse-textured paste. Transfer this to another bowl and repeat with the second half of the mixture. Combine it all in the big bowl you started with.

7. Add the panko, 1 tsp of salt, and ground pepper to the mixture and mix thoroughly.

8. Shape into patties about 4″ in diameter and 1/2″ thick, and place the patties on a baking sheet lined with paper towels.

9. Heat 1 tsp of oil in a nonstick skillet over high heat. Cook the patties for 4 minutes per side, until golden. If they’re browning too fast, turn it down a bit.

Cooks Illustrated says you can cook these on the grill for 5 minutes per side, but I haven’t tried it yet. Extra patties can be stored in plastic wrap in the fridge or freezer. Remove from the freezer and thaw overnight in the fridge on a paper-towel lined plate before cooking.

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1. Adventures in Healthy Cooking

I must confess that I love sandwiches — banh mi, muffulettas, hoagies, panini, doner kebabs. I could go on and on. I love the convenience, the variety, and dare I say, its healthfulness. Not all sandwiches need to be slathered with mayo, dripping with cheese, and packed with salty meats (now my stomach is grumbling). They can be healthy little affairs packed with roasted vegetables and drizzled with olive oil between slices of whole grain bread. If you play your cards right, you could even make sure you have something from all the major food groups in the right proportions. That last part is crucial. I was once told by someone that [Pizza Hut] pizza was an excellent way of eating from the major food groups. Too bad about the whole proportion thing.

I came back from the gym one day last week and I was starving. After frantically rummaging through my kitchen, I settled on making that pretty little sandwich that’s in the above photo. Instead of mayo, I decided to use smashed avocado, a trick I picked up when Rourke and I were down in Patagonia last year. It hit the spot and best of all, it took less than 15 minutes to make.

Chicken Sandwich with Mushrooms, Cheese, and Avocado
- serves 1 -

1 chicken cutlet, rinsed and patted dry, seasoned with salt and pepper
1 small clove garlic, minced
3-4 button mushrooms (brown or white), cleaned and sliced
1/2 small avocado, smashed with a pinch of salt added
2 slices whole grain bread
shredded cheese
olive or canola oil
black pepper
salt

1. Heat 1 tsp of oil in a small skillet over medium heat. While the oil is warming up, prep your mushrooms and garlic.

2. While the oil is hot, add mushrooms, a pinch of salt, and saute until they begin to give up their water. Add the garlic and saute for an additional 30 seconds. Remove mushrooms and garlic to a plate.

3. In the same skillet, add another tsp of oil to the pan and when the oil is hot, add the chicken cutlet. This would be a good time to start toasting your bread. When the chicken starts to brown (approx 1 minute or so), flip the cutlet and sprinkle shredded cheese over the top and cover. Cook for an additional minute or so, until the cheese is melted and the chicken is cooked through.

4. To assemble, spread the avocado mash on one slice of toast, add the chicken cutlet, and then top with the mushrooms. Enjoy!

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Who knew that while I was eating a ham and cheese sandwich in Old San Juan, Puerto Rico I was connected by a thread to California, including San Francisco…a twisted, tenuous thread more than 250 years old, but a thread nonetheless.

The ham and cheese sandwich in question was, of course, not just a ham and cheese sandwich. It was a whole experience. We were seated counterside, elbows on linoleum and backsides on plastic covered swivel seats at a diner that opened its doors in the early 1900s. Fascinated by the mechanical orange juicer, as large as a soft-serve ice cream machine and as complex as a watch movement – methodically slicing the spheres in half, squeezing each simultaneously and dropping the empty rinds into a basket below – we had barely looked at our menus before the ancient server came over to ask for our order. But we knew what we wanted. This was La Bombonera, home of the famous “mallorca.”

You can order it plain or with butter, but we both ordered the hearty ham, cheese and egg version – heated through on the griddle like a panini. The “mallorca” itself is a sort of sweet roll and the whole sandwich arrives dusted in powdered sugar.  Although I wasn’t sure I’d like it, the salty, savory and sweet combination is delicious.

So how is this mallorca from Puerto Rico connected to California? First, we go to Spain. Turns out the mallorca is a type of roll that originated on the island of Mallorca/Majorca, located off the east coast of Spain. In Mallorca, it’s called an “ensaimada” (I guess calling it a mallorca in Mallorca would be like calling a muffin an English muffin in England). In addition to this particular sweet roll traveling with the Spanish to the Philippines, where it became an “ensaymada” made with butter instead of pork lard, it made its way to Puerto Rico.

View from El Morro (Spanish fort), Puerto Rico

Ok, so the connection. Pan de mallorca originated in Mallorca, Spain. One of the island’s famous sons is Friar Junipero Serra, the founder of the missions in California. Tah-dah. Like I said, tenuous. But pretty interesting.

This weekend we recreated ham, cheese and egg mallorcas at home. You could try making the rolls yourself, but I found that Hawaiian sweet bread rolls were a pretty good stand-in and available at my local grocery store. Now that I know about ensaymadas, next time I’ll purchase some at a Filipino bakery.

Ham, Cheese and Egg Mallorcas

- makes 2 –

¼ lb. sliced ham
4 slices mild cheddar cheese
2 eggs
2 hamburger-bun-sized Hawaiian sweet bread rolls
butter
vegetable oil
powdered sugar

Fry eggs in 1-2 T vegetable oil, flip over easy, season with a little salt and pepper, and cook until yolks are just cooked or slightly runny. Butter the inside of the rolls and layer on 1 slice cheese, half of the ham, 1 piece of cheese and the fried egg.

Toast sandwiches in a non-stick pan or on a Panini grill. If in a pan, press sandwiches with a spatula or weight down with a smaller pan to flatten somewhat (don’t break the egg!). Toast until cheese is melted, sandwich is heated through and bread is crispy. Plate and dust sandwich with powdered sugar.

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Most cookbooks I own have the same format: a list of recipes organized by protein, starch, or vegetable. Sometimes there might be a section dedicated to breakfast or dessert, but by and large it’s very straightforward. The one cookbook I own that doesn’t follow this format, however, is A Platter of Figs by David Tanis. This cookbook laughs in the face of such organization and instead groups the recipes first by season, then as a collection of menus. Thankfully, the index is as it should be, but organizing the book in this fashion had the effect of a food diary, where previously I had treated my cookbooks as recipe encyclopedias.

His recipe for Five-Spice Duck Legs is one of my favorites. And though it’s listed as part of a Spring menu, I think the heartiness (read: fattiness) of duck makes it appropriate for cold weather as well. While the duck did turn out as well as I expected, what took me by surprise the first time I made this were the onions. Oh, the onions. Meltingly tender and laced with the duck fat, they are ridiculously addictive.

When I made this the other night, I tweaked the recipe a bit since I have some kind of weird aversion to following recipes to the letter. For a faithful representation of the original recipe, look here. Served with bacony brussel sprouts and a crusty baguette, I started thinking how great this would be as a panini. Spread a layer of the onions on a roll, top with shredded duck meat and a final layer of the brussel sprouts. Drizzle with jus and maybe a splash of balsamic vinegar or some orange zest to brighten it up. I suppose you could add shredded gruyere but it would certainly be rich enough as is.

Hmmm…maybe I should double the recipe next time to have leftovers.

Oven-Braised Duck Legs with Five-Spice Powder
Adapted from A Platter of Figs by David Tanis
- serves 2 -

2 duck legs
2 medium onions, sliced into 1/4″ rounds
1 teaspoon minced ginger
4 garlic cloves, smashed
2-3 cups chicken stock
1-2 teaspoons five-spice powder
sugar
salt and pepper

1. Trim the duck legs of excess fat and season the duck with salt and pepper. Sprinkle generously with five-spice powder and massage the seasoning into the mix. Cover and refrigerate the seasoned duck legs overnight.

2. Heat a dry frying pan over medium heat and when the pan is warm, place the duck legs skin side down. When the skin is browned (about 8-10 min), remove the legs and set aside.

3. Adjust your oven rack to a lower middle position and preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

4. Add the onions to the pan. Cook for about a minute and season with salt and a pinch of sugar. Continue cooking onions until translucent and starting to turn golden, then add the ginger, garlic, and some salt and pepper. Cook for an additional minute until the garlic and ginger are fragrant.

5. Put the onions in a casserole or other roasting pan that will snugly hold the legs. Lay the duck legs skin side up over the onions in a single layer. Put the casserole, uncovered, in the oven and roast for 10 minutes.

6. While the legs are roasting, heat the chicken stock to a simmer.

7. Add the stock to the casserole, until the stock is about half way up the sides of the legs, taking care to leave the top skin exposed. Continue cooking until the stock comes back to a full simmer (a few minutes).

8. Cover the casserole, and reduce the heat to 375 degrees F. Cook for 40 minutes.

9. Uncover the casserole and spoon away some of the liquid if it’s covering too much of the skin. Continue cooking for an additional 20 minutes to let the skin crisp up a little. Note that I wouldn’t call the skin crisp, but uncovering the casserole prevents the skin from being soggy. The next time around I may experiment with cooking the duck uncovered the entire time. The duck is ready when the legs are tender when prodded with a paring knife.

10. Remove duck legs from the casserole and cover loosely to keep warm. Strain the onions and the liquid (jus) in the casserole with a mesh strainer over a bowl. Let the jus stand for a minute or so and then skim off the fat.

11. To serve, place a duck leg over half the onions and spoon some of the jus over.

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