shiitake turkey burgers with scallion-sesame mayo and pickled korean radishes

i saw a really delicious-sounding recipe

last weekend for shrimp burgers.

on wednesday, i really wanted to use

the pickled korean radishes

that i had just made for something

more than snacking.

so, i did the only thing that made sense:

i made turkey burgers.

clearly, burgers were on my brain

and i kept thinking about traditional

cheeseburgers (why? i'm not sure):

beef,

cheese,

ketchup

and, usually, pickles.

so, instead i strayed:

korean-inspired turkey burgers

(that quickly made the leap to asian

burgers when i started tossing every

sauce in my fridge into the bowl),

enhanced with shiitake mushrooms

and topped with a

sesame-scallion mayo instead of ketchup.

skip the cheese.

and instead of the cucumber pickles,

neon pink radish wedges.

i decided to wing it,

buying whatever looked good to me

in the produce department, from

gigantic shiitake mushrooms,

to scallions, a firm jalapeno

and knobby ginger.

when i got home, i diced the mushrooms,

and reasoned that in spite of the fact

that i just didn't want to dirty another

pan, i really should saute them first.

so, i heated a bit of oil, added the

mushrooms, followed by the ginger,

jalapeno and garlic, cooking them all until they

were just tender and fragrant.

as soon as the mixture was out of the pan,

i stirred in the scallions,

sesame seeds,

sriracha,

sesame oil

hoisin and

oyster sauce.

the made-up mixture was spicy,

and even though i reasoned that

all the turkey would mellow it,

i still opted to make a very

gently-flavored spread to

smear over the burger:

mayonnaise,

scallions,

garlic

and sesame oil.

it was...fine.

yes, on it's own, it was

ok. with the burger, it

was better. is it worth it

to make again? i really

don't know. i do know that

i wanted it to be fabulous.

but, sometimes, as in life,

things just aren't.

it was a good burger.

still spicy after cooking,

moist thanks to the mushrooms

and packed with all of my favorites.

but, i wasn't as original

as i believed i was.

while assembling, i

realized that they were a

clear imitations of one of my

very favorites: turkey meatball banh mi.

but, these tasted even better because we

ate them in the daylight.

and that?

that was fabulous.

shiitake turkey burgers with scallion-sesame mayo and pickled korean radishes

i made some interesting choices with these burgers. an avid lover of sticky sweet hoisin sauce, i added a spoonful before considering the consequences. it was already stirred in before i thought about the fact that these burgers were sure to burn, thanks to the sugars in the sauce. since i had already taken a wrong turn, i thought stirring in equally sugary oyster sauce seemed like a good idea. i also added in sesame seeds, which i loved - but i'm pretty sure some of those burned, too. at that point, the more the merrier, right? if you worry that the burgers charring a few minutes before they're finished will bother you, maybe think about removing these ingredients from the turkey and instead, adding the sauces to mayo. maybe.

a note about the toasted sesame seeds. i buy them from the asian markets, toasted, in large quantities and on the cheap. totally worth it.

scallion-sesame mayo

i think it's safe to say that you will have more mayonnaise than you need. that's ok - even not-so-exciting mayo has it's uses.

3 large scallions, trimmed and sliced

2 small cloves garlic, peeled and halved

2/3 cup reduced-fat mayo

1-2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil

in mini food processor, pulse scallions and garlic 10 times, or until finely chopped. add mayo, sesame oil and a pinch of kosher salt. process 30 seconds, or until well combined, scraping down sides, if necessary. taste and adjust seasoning, if desired.

shiitake turkey burgers

2 teaspoons grapeseed or canola oil

6 ounces shiitake mushrooms, stemmed and cut into 1/4" dice

1 (1-inch piece) gingerroot, peeled and finely diced

1 jalapeno, seeded and finely diced (use only half if you want to tone down the spice)

3 large cloves garlic, peeled and finely diced

3 large scallions, trimmed and thinly sliced

2 heaping tablespoons toasted sesame seeds

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 tablespoon hoisin sauce

1 tablespoon oyster sauce

1 tablespoon hot chili sauce, like sriracha

2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil

1 1/4 pounds ground dark turkey

4 buns, halved (it's a nice echo if they're sesame buns)

scallion-sesame mayo

pickled korean purple radishes, dried with a paper towel

in medium skillet over medium heat, heat oil 30 seconds, or until shimmering. add mushrooms; cook 2 minutes, or until softened, stirring often. add ginger and jalapeno; cook 1 minute, more. add garlic; cook 1 minute more, stirring constantly. remove from heat and immediately transfer to large mixing bowl. stir in scallions, sesame seeds, soy, hoisin, oyster and chili sauces and sesame oil; season gently with salt and black pepper. let cool completely.

add turkey to bowl; using hands, mix just until combined. separate into four equal patties.

heat grill or grill pan coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat. add burgers. cook 10 minutes, or until cooked through and no longer pink in the center, turning once. transfer to plate. place buns on grill and cook 1 minute, or until toasted and golden brown (do yourself a favor and check them midway through in case your grill runs hot).

to assemble: place one burger on bottom of each bun. top with pickled radishes. spread top bun with mayo and place on burger. if you happen to have made baked sweet potato fries during this whole thing - all the better. put those on the other side of your plate. you may find yourself thinking the scallion-sesame mayo isn't all that bad on the tip of a fry.

creamy mushroom soup with sherry

five days after larry returned

from chicago,

he was tasked with spending

the day in washington d.c.

he was to wake up early,

catch the 7 am train down

and the 6 pm back up.

for my part,

i had been actively

collecting different types

of mushroom for the past

several days, along with

dried mixed wild mushrooms,

and i knew that i wanted to

greet larry home on this

especially cold and rainy

fall day with a bowl of

mushroom soup.

but cut to that evening.

i was in the midst of

work craziness and larry

was able to catch

the 5 o'clock train.

when i got the text around

7:35 that he was about

25 minutes from pulling into

penn station, i looked at the

pile of raw, still uncleaned

and unsliced mushrooms.

and then i kind of panicked.

i had been craving mushroom soup

for quite a long time.

first i found the dried mushrooms

at an excellent price.

then food52 ran their

mushroom soup contest.

and then shiitakes went on sale

the same weekend that i found

beautiful creminis for what i still think,

is a very good deal.

so then, i did what i always do:

research like crazy. i found recipes

that were thick,

bowls of clear broth dotted

with ingredients,

soups without dairy and those

so brimming with cream,

i wondered if you could even

taste the mushrooms.

when i was done, i realized two things:

none of the recipes were exactly what i

was looking for and if i wanted a delicious,

truly mushroom soup, i better use

a ridiculous amount of mushrooms.

and, so, larry returned home

at almost 9 pm to a very hot

kitchen and me muttering things

like crazy and too many mushrooms.

whose recipe is it, larry asked?

to which i stepped down from the chair

i had been standing on - directly above

the stove to take a good picture -

and said, my own. i made it up. i'm a fool.

i think the mushroom fumes may have

gotten to me. it wasn't really that bad.

but when you start out after 7:30 at night

with 40 ounces of mushrooms,

each one demanding of you to

clean them gently

slice them nicely

saute them deliciously,

and still expect you to take their

picture frequently, maybe you don't

love all those mushrooms

you once so lovingly chose from the lot.

after they had been sliced, i had an epiphany.

they were never going to saute well in

a stock pot. instead, they would steam,

rendering themselves flabby and flavorless.

so i knew that my best bet was to

dirty another pan by sauteing them first

in the largest skillet i own, deglazing

and then transferring the whole mixture

to a saucepot with broth.

that was my aha! moment.

the next one was about

1 minute later when i looked

at the mushrooms sitting well above

the rim of the skillet and thought

hmm, now what?

at that point, i had no choice but to

remove half the mushrooms from

the skillet, brown the ones that

stayed and then switch them out

with the raw slices. when they were

all cooked, i tossed them back into

the skillet, added several splashes

of sherry and let them sizzle.

that's when larry came home.

from where i was standing -

high on that well-positioned chair -

i saw the kitchen for the first time

through a newcomers eyes.

several cabinet doors open,

kahlua,

gin

and

vodka on the counter.

(i swear, i was looking for the sherry.)

a few mushrooms had fallen to the floor -

this was the first time i noticed.

oh goodness, i made a mess.

it's fine. every thing's fine,

i promised. i brought the mushrooms

and broth to a boil, along with the

soaking mixture from the dried mushrooms

and set to work making the kitchen

not look like the laboratory of a lunatic.

pureeing the soup was

a last minute decision -

up until that time, i still thought

about leaving it brothy and

heavily dotted with mushrooms.

but, i'm so glad that i yet again

pulled out the immersion blender.

the hot liquid was transformed from

a simple fall soup to an

creamy mixture that was earthy and filling.

the best part?

i didn't need any milk or cream.

i had bought a carton of milk,

just in case. but when i tasted

the soup, it didn't need it.

i just added a bit more broth

to thin the whole thing out,

tasted it and realized

the pot was fine and that

it was time for me to walk away.

or, um, spoon them into bowls

so that larry could finally eat

dinner. and then (then!),

i topped the soup with

one of my favorite things:

roasted mushrooms.

oh! these are totally optional

and to be honest,

soup is probably not the best

dish to let them strut their stuff,

but wow are they good.

like everything else that benefits

from roasting, they lose all of

their moisture so that their

mushroom flavor is completely

concentrated. they become crispy

and amazingly decadent and you'll

swear you're eating something

so much more than a slice of mushroom.

when i spoke of this soup

the next day, i chose not to mention

that by the time

the picture taking was done

and the goat cheese toasts

for dunking were made,

we didn't eat it until close to 10.

or the fact that when we finished

eating, i ran into the kitchen first

saying, see, it's not so bad in here,

right? oh, don't look on that side.

but instead, i focused on

the soup: full of mushrooms

would be an understatement.

but thick, rich and exactly

what i crave to cut a chill,

make me forget

that rain is pounding

hard on my window,

and remember

that my husband is back home

would be right on point.

creamy mushroom soup with sherry

i think this recipe took me a long time because let's face it: i was making it up as i went along. by far, the longest part of the process is cleaning and slicing the mushrooms. after that, it's a straight shoot. i meant it when i said that the soup doesn't need the milk, but i'll add one caveat to that. this soup is absolutely for mushroom lovers and if you're feeding this to someone who is eh about them, this might be a bit intense. in that case, mellow it with some milk (or half-and-half) (or cream). still know, it's a rich soup.

and for the garnish - i splurged and bought two chanterelles (which i halved) for roasting and adding to the top. i also reserved two large shiitakes (which i stemmed and quartered) and three or four creminis (which i thickly sliced). i tossed them all on the pan, along with some olive oil and kosher salt. after about 18 minutes at 400˚f, tossing twice, they were golden and crisp. just be sure to keep an eye on them - going from golden to burnt in a flash is one of their favorite party tricks.

1 cup dried mixed wild mushrooms

2 large shallots, peeled and diced

4 large cloves garlic, peeled and thinly sliced

3 tablespoons olive oil, divided

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided

24 ounces cremini mushrooms, wiped cleaned, ends trimmed and thinly sliced

10 ounces white button mushrooms, wiped cleaned, ends trimmed and thinly sliced

6 ounces shiitake mushrooms, wiped clean, stemmed and thinly sliced

1 cup pale sherry, divided

7-8 cups chicken stock

place dried mushrooms in medium heatproof bowl. in small saucepot, bring 2 cups water to a boil; pour over mushrooms. let sit 30 minutes. using slotted spoon, remove mushrooms from broth. chop. place coffee strainer carefully into measuring cup. carefully (so that the filter doesn't move) pour soaking liquid into cup. the dirt and grit from the mushrooms will stay in the strainer. reserve chopped rehydrated mushrooms and strained liquid.

[i found this tip in my travels when reading about balthazar's method for making mushroom soup. it was great.]

meanwhile, in the largest skillet you have over medium heat, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil. add shallots and cook 10 minutes, or until softened. add garlic and cook 2 minutes, more, stirring constantly, or until golden brown.

add 1 tablepoon of olive oil and 1 tablespoon butter; increase heat to medium-high. let melt and heat up. add half the mushrooms to the pan; stir to coat and season with kosher salt and pepper. increase heat to high. cook mushrooms 6-8 minutes, or until golden brown, stirring often. (they will seem like they've absorbed all their moisture, then they'll release water and then they'll start to brown.) transfer cooked mushrooms to a plate. repeat with remaining olive oil, remaining butter and remaining mushrooms.

add the first batch of mushrooms back to the skillet along with the dried mushrooms. remove the skillet from the heat and add 3/4 cup sherry. carefully place the skillet back over the flame. let cook 1 minute, or until the sherry is reduced to a glaze, stirring to release everything stuck to the bottom of the skillet.

transfer mushroom mixture to large saucepot. add 6 cups chicken broth and mushroom soaking liquid. over high heat, bring mixture to a boil; reduce heat and let simmer 25 minutes, or until mushrooms are very soft. using immersion blender, blend soup until smooth. (or use a blender and puree, very carefully by pressing on lid with a dishtowel, in batches.) add 1 cup chicken stock (or more) to thin out the soup to your desired consistency. stir in remaining sherry. reheat on low heat, if necessary.

samphire, glasswort, salicornia

i haven't slept well for the past few weeks.

this is not really unusual

for me.

at 8,

i became a master tetris player,

a result of

spending

a lot

of

quality time with my father,

who also couldn't sleep,

at two in the morning.

my freshmen year of college

was a blur of sleepless nights.

sadly,

it was because

i couldn't sleep,

and not

because of

all-night partying.

and poor larry.

i cannot tell you how

many nights

he has been forced

to deal with me:

not tired,

nowhere near closing 

my eyes,

and, in fact,

too wired

to lay still and silent.

this past

year brought with it a

new job that

tires me out so well,

for the first time in my life

i sleep easily.

but, the recent weeks

have felt

just like old times.

and while sometimes

(most of the time)

it's horrible and i wish

for a magical wand that will

make me normal,

make me fall asleep within

seconds of my head hitting

the pillow, or at the very least,

within minutes of thinking,

i'm ready for bed now,

other times, it's perfect for

menu planning.

two thursdays ago,

i bought, as i am apt to do,

a very large handful

of a vegetable i didn't

recognize.

their tag

said sea beans,

and as i grabbed a bunch,

of the slim, textured strands,

i imagined stir frying them

with soy sauce and hoisin,

water chestnuts, shiitake mushrooms

and tofu.

but then, i went home

and bit into one.

at the first moment

of the first bite,

the flavor was recognizable:

a close relative of the string bean.

a second later however,

another familiar flavor set-in:

sea water. big gulps of it.

these things are salty.
really salty -

certainly not soy sauce appropriate.

but i paid

for them and

i love a challenge and i was going to use them.

so i turned to cookbooks

and

the internet,

both of which provided

very little information.

basically they're salty,

they have many other names

(hence the title of this post)

they were used

on top chef once or twice,

they're fun as garnishes

and

they were featured in two recipes

in all of epicurious.

if i wanted to make something

with them, i would have

to come up with it myself.

at night, i alternated between

wishing for sleep and day-dreaming

up sea bean recipes -

should they be a side dish?

the main component of the meal?

are they really good in a frittata,

as one recipe online indicated?

chicken or fish? does it really matter?

finally i decided not to drive myself

anymore crazy and 

to just use them in

as a side dish.

if they were still inedible salt licks,

they could be

pushed aside.

we'd still have a piece

of cod (what was i thinking...

chicken? it had to

be fish - they're sea beans,

after all) to enjoy. 

(don't think i'm completely crazy,

there were other things on

my mind, also keeping me up:

taxes,

deciding on a new car, 

brought on by expensive repairs

on my old one,

and an impending cold,

just to name a few. but the

bag of sea beans 

just sitting in the fridge 

was certainly

hard to ignore.)

one thing that i did find helpful

in my research is that

they really should be

blanched.

i usually despise blanching.

it involves dirtying an extra

pot,

bowl

and

strainer.

in school, i did make a small

blanching turn-around -

we had to do it so often,

that setting up

a bowl of ice water

boiling a pot of water

and quickly dipping

veggies

became second nature

and i even started to

embrace the

benefit. blanching

not only par-cooks

the item, but also

locks in color, texture

and flavor to ensure that

when a vegetable is cooked

or placed on a crudites

platter, it stays pretty, 

firm and

bright.

this is the greatest set for blanching. it's a colander that locks into a bowl, so i can drain and plunge into ice water without having to fish inside the bowl of cold water to seek out the veggies (i think it was $2.99.).

with sea beans - there's an added

bonus. normally, sprinkling

salt into the blanching water

is a must, but in this case,

you dunk them in plain water

to extract

some of the salt.

resist the urge to skip

this step.

that being said, the other

thing you should resist,

is the natural inclination to season

with salt while you prepare this

dish. even with the

blanching,

they're salty enough.

the greens make an interesting base

for this shiitake-studded side.

crisp and flavorful, they add great

balance to the 

mushrooms, which when

sauteed

take on quite a rich

and meaty texture.

the lemon and almonds, which

seemed

like a natural

match,

did not disappoint.

and that evening, although,

it was not longlasting,

i slept well.

i must admit two things:

i loved this dish.

larry did not.

he picked everything else out

to eat,

but the poor salty

samphires, were left

untouched

(it's not their fault they're salty!).

i thought that by blanching them,

adding a small amount of peanut oil

and a squirt of lemon

the lot mellowed, but he

felt they were still

a bit much.

i do encourage,

you to give them a go

anyway.

but don't say i didn't warn you:

they let their presence be known,

they will not fade into the background,

they have attitude.

anything worth its salt does.

sea beans with shiitake mushrooms and toasted almonds

1/3 lb. sea beans, trimmed

1/4 cup slivered blanched almonds

1 Tbs. peanut oil, divided

1 shallot, peeled, halved and sliced

1/3 lb. shiitake mushrooms, stemmed and halved

1 clove garlic, peeled and finely chopped

1 medium lemon, juiced

get ready to blanche: fill a bowl with cold water, add ice cubes (if you have a bowl that a colandar will fit into, use that one). in medium saucepot, bring water to a boil; add sea beans and cook 45 sec. drain into colander. immediately place colander in, or dump sea beans into, a bowl of cold water. swish around until beans are completely cool; drain and dry.

meanwhile, place almonds in a small dry saucepan. turn heat to medium-low and cook 5 minutes, or until almonds are just a light golden brown, shaking the pan often; if they start to become fragrant, remove them from heat immediately. set aside.

in saucepan over medium heat, warm 1 tsp. peanut oil 45 seconds. add sliced shallots and cook 2 minutes, or until shallot are tender and translucent. add remaining 2 tsp. olive oil. add mushrooms and increase heat to medium-high. cook 5 minutes, or until mushrooms are tender. add seabeans and garlic; cook 1 minute. add lemon juice and toasted almonds; cook 1 minute more, stirring often.