Even during normal times (remember those?) I find that I need a break from Italian food every so often. Weekends in Rome usually mean Japanese, Chinese or Indian food. But now that we are up in Umbria with no chance of ordering take out from restaurants that never even existed up here (and if they did they would be closed) I’ve had to cook to cater to our cravings. This means that I’ve been making my my own tortillas, stirring up fried rice and even made a 4 course Indian feast complete with home made roti.
But last night I gave in to my roots. I decided we needed a hamburger night. The meat part wasn’t hard at all, since our excellent butcher is very much open. The other elements proved more of a challenge. Which I, of course, rose to.
I’d made this recipe for buns a couple of weeks ago, but wasn’t 100% happy with it. I wanted them a bit richer and lighter. A recipe I found on the Ktchn website worked perfectly, although I did tweak it a bit to make them slightly whole wheat. (I’ll include my version below). Also, I had the genius idea to treat each bun to a sprinkling of Trader Joe’s Everything But the Bagel Seasoning. A mixture of sesame seeds, poppy seeds, dried garlic and salt, it was perfect!
While the pickle situation here in Umbria is pretty sad, I did manage to make homemade mayonnaise, which made everyone happy.
We were thinking of making french fries too, but I have to admit to getting lazy. (also, we’d had chips with drinks, so there was that).
I did, however, make some excellent coleslaw with our last bit of cabbage that seems to last forever in the fridge. The recipe is below.
While the food was 100% American, the drinks were Italian. We started out with Negroni’s. (with potato chips to keep to the theme). And for dinner I opened a bottle of one of my favorite local reds, Montefalco Rosso from Adanti.
And while there was no apple pie for dessert, there was apple cake that Sophie had made the day before. Close enough.
Coleslaw
Yield 4
I make many versions of cabbage salad, but this one is the most classic. And while I may use homemade mayonnaise on the burgers, for this recipe I use store bought.
Ingredients
- 3-4 cups thinly sliced cabbage (I used a mixture of both red and savoy)
- 3 teaspoons of salt
- 1 medium red onion, thinly sliced
- 1/4 cup of apple cider vinegar
- 1 carrot, grated
- 1/4 cup mayonnaise
- 3 teaspoons dijon mustard
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- Juice from 1/2 lemon
- 1 teaspoon Chinese garlic chili sauce (or to taste)
- 1 teaspoon toasted cumin seeds (optional)
Instructions
- Cut the cabbage into quarters, and remove the tough core. Slice the cabbage as thinly as possible, and place it in a large bowl. Sprinkle with 2 teaspoons of salt and toss to coat. Using both hands, massage the salt into the cabbage for a few minutes, using force to really crush the cabbage. You want it to wilt. Let rest for 15 minutes.
- In the meantime place the sliced onion in a small bowl, and toss with remaining teaspoon of salt. Add the vinegar and stir to mix well. Let sit for 15 minutes.
- To make the dressing mix the rest of the ingredients in a small bowl: mayonnaise, mustard, olive oil, tomato paste, lemon juice, chili sauce. Stir well and taste it. It should be rich and tangy. Add more of anything to suit your own taste.
- To assemble the salad add the onions and their vinegar along with the dressing to the cabbage. Stir to coat well. If using cumin seeds add them and stir (some people, like Sophie, hate cumin. I love it!)
Hamburger Buns – Makes 8
- 1 tablespoon active-dry yeast
- 3/4 cup warm water
- 1/2 cup whole milk
- 1 egg
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup whole wheat flour
- 1 egg white (for the wash)
- Sesame or Poppy seeds for the top (I used Trader Joes Everything but the Bagel Seasoning)
Instructions:
- Place the yeast and water into a large bowl (or bowl of a stand mixer) and let the yeast dissolve.
- In a medium bowl beat together the egg, oil, sugar, milk and salt. Add this to the dissolved yeast and mix well.
- Add the flours and stir until it forms a shaggy dough. Then knead (either by hand or in the mixture) for about 10 minutes. The dough should be smooth, but slightly wet, and should spring back when poked with your finger.
- Place in a covered bowl and let rise, for about an hour, until doubled in bulk.
- Turn out the dough onto a slightly floured surface, and divide into 8 pieces. Form each piece into a tight round ball, and place on slightly oiled baking sheet, 2 inches apart. Cover and let rise for about another hour.
- Preheat oven to 350F/ 180C
- Beat egg white with 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1 tablespoon water. Using a pastry brush, gently brush each bun with the wash. Sprinkle seeds over the top and bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes.
- Let the buns cool completely before using.
Elizabeth, we’re making the hamburger buns today and found that you didn’t list when to add the milk to the flour mixture. You should add that so everyone is clear about the recipe. Thanks, I love your Instagram posts.
I’ll fix it, thanks!