CELEBRATING CANADA DAY!
In Canada, July 1st marks the day for Canadians to show pride in their nations history, culture and achievements. From coast to coast the country’s birthday is marked with various events.
This is the date of the historical event in which Canada gained its independence from Great Britain in 1867.
Barbecues are definitely the preferred choice of food event for the day. Although we are experiencing some rainy conditions this Canada Day, nothing says you can’t modify the traditional barbecue with cooking indoors. For something different, I decided to try making some portobello ‘fries’ to accompany our chicken cheese burgers. Technically, they are not really fries at all, but they’re crispy and dip able and that is all anyone expects from a fry.. right? Sliced and breaded with crumbs and cheese then baked makes these portobello fries super tasty.
Of course, the staple at most barbecues, tailgates and picnics is the classic burger. But a burger doesn’t have to be just a burger and cheese isn’t just cheese. For ours, I’m making chicken burgers ‘infused’ with shredded Gruyere cheese. Then taking it to the next level and adding caramelized onions and guacamole.
What a nice ‘Canada Day’ meal it makes!
Servings |
|
- 454 grams ground chicken OR turkey
- 60 grams Gruyere OR Swiss cheese, grated
- 1/4 cup bread crumbs
- 1 Tbsp parsley,
- 1 large egg, beaten
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tsp salt
- pepper to taste
- 4 Ciabatta buns or your choice
- 4 slices Gruyere OR Swiss cheese for on top if desired
- 4 large fresh tomato slices
- 1 Tbsp oil
- 340 grams ( 12 oz) onion, thinly sliced
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 1 1/2 tsp cider vinegar
- 1 Tbsp brown sugar
- 2 large ripe avocados, peeled & pitted
- 1 Tbsp lime juice
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
- 2 Tbsp onion, finely chopped
- 1 tsp cilantro, chopped
- 4 3 1/2-inch diameter portobello mushrooms, gills removed, cut in 1/2-inch slices
- 1/2 cup flour
- 1 tsp Italian spice
- 1/4 tsp smoky, sweet paprika
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/8 tsp black pepper
- 2 eggs
- 1 Tbsp water
- 3/4 cup panko bread crumbs + 2 Tbsp melted butter
- 25 grams Parmesan cheese, grated
Ingredients
Chicken Cheese Burgers
Caramelized Onions
Guacamole
Portobello Fries
|
|
- In a large bowl, combine chicken, Gruyere, bread crumbs, parsley, egg & garlic. Season with salt & pepper. Form into 4 patties & place in refrigerator until ready to grill.
- Heat oil in skillet until hot. Add onion & sprinkle with salt. Cook & stir about 15 minutes or until moisture is evaporated & onion is soft. Reduce heat; sprinkle with vinegar. Cook & stir until golden. Stir in brown sugar; cook & stir until caramel brown in color. Place in a dish; set aside.
- In a bowl, coarsely mash avocados with lime juice & salt. Stir in garlic, onion & cilantro; blend well. Cover with plastic wrap & place in fridge until needed.
- Preheat oven to 425 F. Place a wire rack on a large baking sheet lined with foil.
- In a shallow dish, whisk together the flour, spices, salt & pepper. In another shallow dish, lightly beat eggs with 1 Tbsp water. In the third shallow dish, combine panko/butter mixture with the Parmesan cheese.
- Gently toss mushroom slices in the flour mixture. Coat evenly & shake off any excess flour. Then, dip the floured fries into the eggs, drip off any excess eggs & then place them into the panko mixture. Gently press the panko mixture onto the mushrooms.
- Place the fries onto the wire rack, leaving an 1/8-inch space between each. Bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown & crispy. If you wish, you could serve fries with marinara sauce, ketchup or a roasted garlic mayo.
- Once you have all the various components to this meal this far all that is left is to barbecue the chicken burgers over a medium heat for about 5-6 minutes per side or until cooked thru. Instead of baking the mushroom fries you can alternately grill them on the BBQ as well.
- Slice & lightly grill Ciabatta buns. Top each bottom half with a chicken burger, a slice of cheese, some guacamole, caramelized onions & a tomato slice, ending with the other half of the bun. The big question is, how to get your mouth around it!
- Whether you bake or grill, either way its all good!