A Gyro is a Greek dish of meat that’s been roasted on a vertical spit, folded into pita bread and then served with tomato, onion and tzatsiki sauce. Gyros, pronounced “Heros”, are everywhere in New York City. The website Yelp has a list of New York’s Gyro places that goes on for 100 pages. There is a certain ‘mystery meat’ quality to a Gyro that can be a little off-putting but they are usually very inexpensive and if that doesn’t win you over, the intense flavor will win over your taste buds. So when a recipe for Lamb Burgers, in a recent Saveur Magazine, promised the flavor of a Gyro in a Burger where you put the meat together yourself, it was a no-brainer. And if you are a burger fan like me, you should add this one to your repertoire of summer grilling.
Grilling meat stacked on a skewer has ancient roots in Greece but it really took off in the 19th century. Pieces of meat, usually pork, lamb and beef, are placed on a tall spit, which rotates in front of a source of heat. If the meat is not fatty enough, strips of fat are added to the pile so that the roasting meat is always firm and crisp. Soy and MSG are also used to season the meat. Then it’s sliced off into thin crisp shavings. The Lamb Burger recipe was adapted from the prominent Greek American chef, Michael Psilakis who own a restaurant called Anthos in New York City. I am happy to report there is no soy nor MSG at all in the dish. Instead, the Chef has spiced the pork and lamb mixture with parsley, dill, cumin and garlic.But it’s the toppings that really send you on the road to Greece with the tang of crumbled Feta cheese, arugula, olives and sun-dried tomatoes.I discovered an herbed Feta at Trader Joe’s that added even more punch.Here is the recipe:
Recipe for Lamb Burgers adapted from Michael Psilakis in Saveur Magazine
Makes 2 burgers. Takes under 30 minutes
2 tbsp. plus 2 tsp. extra-virgin olive oil
3 tbsp. minced yellow onion
12 oz. ground lamb
4 oz. ground pork
2 tsp. dijon mustard
1 tsp. each finely chopped parsley,
mint, and dill
1 tsp. dried Greek oregano
1⁄2 tsp. ground coriander
1⁄2 tsp. ground cumin
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 scallion, chopped
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper,
to taste
1⁄3 cup crumbled feta cheese
10 leaves baby arugula
8 black olives in oil, drained, pitted,
and roughly chopped
8 sun-dried tomatoes in oil, drained
and roughly chopped
2 tsp. fresh lemon juice
2 hamburger buns, toasted
1. Heat 2 tbsp. oil in an 8″ skillet over high heat. Add onions; cook until browned, about 6 minutes. Transfer onions to a plate; let cool. In a bowl, mix onions, lamb, pork, mustard, herbs, spices, garlic, scallions, and salt and pepper.
2. Form meat into two 1″-thick patties; set aside.
3. Prepare a medium-hot charcoal fire or heat a gas grill to medium-high (or heat a tablespoon of canola oil in a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat). Grill burgers, flipping once, until browned and cooked to desired doneness, about 10 minutes for medium rare. In a small bowl, combine feta, arugula, olives, and sun-dried tomatoes; toss with the remaining oil and lemon juice and season with salt and pepper.
4. Place each burger on the bottom half of a bun and top each with the vegetables and bun top.
Did you know that New York State is the second largest apple producer in the whole country? Only Washington State tops us. Trust a resourceful friend of ours, Wendy Brovetto, native New Yorker and grandchild of an Upstate New York Farm family, to create truly incredible Rustic Apple Jams in 4 extraordinary flavors. When she did, Croton Trading Co. was born.
Wendy explains ”We created our apple jam after one of those overzealous days of apple picking yielded a larger-than-usual haul. With more apples than any family could consume, the experimenting began and gave way to what we think is the perfect blend of apples and cinnamon.”
“We source our apples from local NY Orchards -- Thompson's Orchard in Westchester Co andl Richters Orchard on Long Island. I have a special fondness for these family-owned farms. Richters Orchard was a big part of my childhood, as my sistersand I would go on weekly outings with my dad to stock up on apples and cider"
"We carefully blend different apples to create our flavor profile and find inspiration from seasonal spices to create our Apple Jam”. Wendy proudly states.
Now Croton Trading Company is up to 4 flavors: Fall Harvest Blend, Ginger Pear Fusion, Chai, and Brown Sugar. You can see the whole range here:
Needless to say, we couldn’t wait to put Croton Trading Company’s Apple Jam to work making our Skillet Apple Pork Chops. This one-pot recipe is perfect for weeknights but so good you may want to serve to company. The chops finish cooking in Croton Trading’s Apple Jam and we always serve it on the side to give even more great apple taste to the dish. Here’s the recipe:
1 ½ tablespoons olive oil, divided
4 (6-oz.) bone-in pork chops
¾ teaspoon kosher salt, divided
¾ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
½ cup unsalted chicken stock (such as Swanson)
1 cup Croton Trading Rustic Apple Jam (we used Ginger Pear)
1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage
1 ½ teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary
1 small red onion, thinly vertically sliced
Chopped Parsley for garnish.
Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 1/2 teaspoons oil to pan; swirl to coat. Sprinkle pork chops evenly with 3/8 teaspoon salt and 3/8 teaspoon pepper. Add pork chops to pan; cook 5 minutes on each side or until pork chops beautifully browned. Remove from pan. Set aside pan and drippings.
In a small bowl, combine stock and Croton Trading Apple Jam, stirring with a whisk. Set aside. Add remaining 1 tablespoon oil to pan with drippings, swirl. Add remaining 3/8 teaspoon salt, remaining 3/8 teaspoon pepper, sage, rosemary, and onion to pan; cook 4 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in stock mixture. Return pork chops to pan; cook 3 minutes or until liquid is reduced by half. Plate each chop individually. Top with chopped parsley as a garnish. Serve with plenty of Croton Trading Apple Jam on the side.
