Eggplant and Goat Cheese Gourmet Burger

There is a great upmarket burger chain in Dublin called the Gourmet Burger Kitchen. They have over a dozen different kinds of hamburgers as well as other unique sandwiches staring chorizo, lamb, chicken, and different vegetarian ingredients. While there last weekend I decided to order a goat cheese and eggplant vegetarian dish which I assumed was a salad. When the food arrived I found out I had ordered a vegetarian style burger instead. Between the bun was a tower of eggplant, goat's cheese, sun-blushed tomatoes, mixed leaf salad, mayonnaise & relish. I couldn't believe it. What an odd sandwich I thought but since I like all the ingredients I decided it was no problem. As it turns out it was a good thing to order so carelessly as I loved this vegetarian gourmet burger and just copied it at home for lunch today.

4 burger buns
1 eggplant, sliced into 1/2 inch disks
4 1/2 inch slices of goat's cheese
handful of arugula leaves
sweet tomato relish or chutney

Instructions:

Sprinkle the eggplant slices with salt and set aside for about 30 minutes. In the meantime preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Rinse and dry the eggplant slices and roast in the oven until soft, about 15-20 minutes. About 5 minutes before the eggplants are done place the buns on a baking try and layer each bottom bun with a slice of goat's cheese. Pop in the oven for about 5 minutes to soften the cheese and warm the buns. Remove from oven and top with 2 slices of eggplant each. Add a bit of arugula to each. Spread the top bun generously with sweet tomato chutney.

Yield: Serves 4.

Variation: Try adding other roasted vegetables to the sandwich such as zucchini or bell peppers. Try using different flavors of chutney or relish.

Sonoran Hot Dogs: Food From My Beloved Tucson

To make a Sonoran hot dog at home...

1. Get a beef hot dog and wrap it like a mummy with bacon. Mesquite bacon is good.
2. Fry it on a griddle until the bacon gets crisp. Some people like to fry the bacon a little first and then wrap it around the hot dog and then fry them both in the bacon grease.
3. Take a hot dog bun or bolillo roll that has been slit to make a pocket in the middle. If you want you can toast them a little or, in the case of the bolillo roll, steam it for a minute to make it soft. Work with what you have on hand or what you feel like.
4. Put mayo, mustard and ketchup on the bun and insert the bacon-wrapped dog. If you want to squirt the mayo on top, like they do at the stands, mix it with a little lemon juice or water to thin it out. Put it into a squeeze bottle or sandwich bag with a corner cut off and squeeze it on top when you are done, along with the mustard and ketchup.
5. Add warm pinto beans, cheese (shredded Mexican cotijo cheese, cheddar, whatever), chopped tomatoes, chopped onions, sliced or blended jalapenos or some type of jalapeno/green chili salsa
6. “Just stick whatever you want on there, and whatever amount, to make it taste good.”

(Recipe taken from Tucson Citizen.com)