We’re back again with Cooking with Bwog. In this week’s edition, the Culinary Club’s chef extraordinaire Matt Powell  features the last of summer with Island Burgers and Taleggio Pear Paninis. Forget about yesterday’s downpour and live like it’s still 90 degrees out.

Island Burgers

I must insist that although the weather does not reflect it, it is still technically summer for another week. I made this delicious burger for myself this week. Most people tend to use ground beef and ground beef alone when making burgers, but I prefer to combine half ground beef and half ground pork. It makes for a tastier and juicier burger. Of course, you can make a more traditional burger, but I like to spice mine up a bit.

Burger ingredients

• 1 lb. ground beef
• 1 lb. ground pork
• 2 tbsp. red wine
• 2 tbsp. Tabasco sauce
• ¼ C panko crumbs (or bread crumbs)
• 4 tsp. minced fresh garlic (can be found at farmer’s market)
• 5 cloves of garlic, minced (can be found at farmer’s market)
• 4 tsp. curry powder (I used 7 seas curry.)
• 1 tsp. cayenne pepper
• ½ tsp. allspice

Sauce ingredients

• ½ C mango, diced finely
• ¼ C mayo
• Juice of half a lime
• 4 buns
• Sunflower sprouts (can be found at farmer’s market)
• Thinly sliced red bell pepper (can be found at farmer’s market)

Directions

1. Mix all burger ingredients together in a large mixing bowl until well distributed and combined. Handle as little as possible. Pack into four patties with a slight indentation in the middle of the burgers (this allows for a better shaped burger). Grill on an indoor grill or cook on the stove using a nonstick pan. Cook to medium-rare.
2. While burgers are cooking, combine sauce ingredients and mix well. Toast buns.
3. When burgers are done, assemble burger in the following order: bottom bun, sauce, pepper slices, burger patty, sunflower sprouts, and top bun.

Serves 4.

Taleggio Apple Panini

I am typically strongly against vegetarian entrees. I like to have meat for my meals; otherwise I just don’t feel full and end up sitting through my afternoon classes starving for something more substantial. This sandwich is the exception.

Ingredients

• 1 loaf of ciabatta, sliced (available at farmer’s market)
• 1 Granny Smith (or other tart) apple, very thinly sliced (available at the farmer’s market)
• A couple thick slices of taleggio cheese
• 4 handfuls of arugula (available at the Farmer’s market)
• Drizzle of honey (available at the farmer’s market)
• Ground Black Pepper
• Olive oil

Directions

1. Assemble the sandwiches by stacking the ingredients in the following order: 1 slice of ciabatta, apple slices, taleggio, arugula, a little honey, some pepper, and 1 more slice of ciabatta. Brush a little olive oil on the outsides of the sandwich.
2. Grill in a panini press or on a skillet. Take away from the heat once the cheese begins to melt, and eat immediately!

Serves 4.

Cooking Events

On campus

Culinary Society will be having their first free food event on Tuesday, September 21 at 9 pm in the Lerner Ramp Lounge East. The theme will be Gourmet Snack foods. Come for a delicious treat!

In the city

Go for a weekend excursion to the Highline! A stand featuring the “Flavors of Fall” will be selling doughnuts and frostings for cheap!

Mexican Restaurant Week is running from September 16^th to the 30^th! Make sure to go to your favorite Mexican food restaurant for discounted meals, and check out the other Mexican cultural events happening all over the city. A cooking demo by Zarela Martinez is one of scheduled events (September 23^rd at 6 pm at the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian).