Nth Degree Burger from Azlin Bloor ??? maybe

Nth Degree Burger from Azlin Bloor ??? maybe
"Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow."

What is hyssop?

Hyssop is a common herb which grew in Bible times and still grows extensively today in many varieties all over the world.
It's possible you have seen it in a garden near you.
Common varieties grow to about two feet tall and spread about a foot.

It has beautiful purple blue flowers and a strong mint smell. If you have ever seen or grown catmint, hyssop looks somewhat similar.

In "the old days" - before grocery store shelves were lined with cleaning products for every conceivable need, people used nature's products.

Hyssop was readily available, especially in the Middle East. Because it had detergent properties, it was widely used to clean sacred places such as temples.

Here are some times it was used in the Bible:

A bunch of hyssop was used to dip in the basin of blood of the Passover lamb to apply to the lintel and doorpost before the Israelites left Egypt. (Exodus 12:22) Since hyssop has strong woody stalks it could stand up to being shaken.

Cleansing ceremony for a leper in Leviticus 14:1-8. Again, hyssop was the dipping agent into blood of a bird and used to sprinkle over the unclean person.

In John 19:29, it was used at the crucifixion. "Now a vessel full of sour wine was sitting there; and they filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on hyssop, and put it to His mouth."

Going to test run for Off the Hoof @ https://plus.google.com/+JonChef/posts/PcpHsm8HuWQ
#BeefBurger

Originally shared by Azlin Bloor

The Ultimate Burger, with a Middle Eastern Flavour

What is your idea of the ultimate burger? Should the swagger be in the burger patty or do you think it’s the extras that should do the talking?

Me? I’m definitely in the second camp! Now don’t get me wrong, I would still like some flavour in the meat as a starting point, but that’s all it would be, a starting point, the groundwork, so to speak. Then, we build on this foundation with multiple layers of aroma, taste and texture. Just take a look at the image above and you’ll see what I’m talking about. What goes on and around the meat is what turns the plain old burger into The Ultimate Burger!

My secret ingredient here, well, ingredients in the plural, are those green and white sauces you see in the picture, 2 staples in our home: Zhoug, the Yemeni Green Chilli Sauce and Za’atar Yoghurt. Both recipe links are given on the blog, but for now, let's get cooking!

****************************************

Prep Time: 7 minutes
Cook Time: 6 minutes
Total Time: 13 minutes
Serving Size: 4

Ingredients

Burger
500g/just over 1 lb minced beef (20% fat)
1 medium onion
1 small handful flat leaf parsley (curly is fine too)
1 large clove garlic
1 tsp ground cumin
half tsp sumac (or a 1 tsp lemon juice)
half tsp salt
freshly ground black pepper

Everything else
4 burger buns of your choice
enough lettuce leaves for 4 buns
2 medium tomatoes
1 medium red onion
2-4 tbsp Zhug, to taste (it's hot!)
4 tbsp za'atar yoghurt
4 cheese slices, Cheddar is great
enough olive oil to cook

Instructions

1. Quarter the onion and place it in a chopper.

2. Add the garlic and parsley and chop it to a fine blend, with no water added.

3. Now place all the burger ingredients into a bowl and mix thoroughly with your hands.

4. Form into 4 burger patties and place in the fridge while you get the vegetables ready.

5. Slice the tomatoes into rounds.

6. Slice the onions into rings.

7. Cook the burgers the way you want to, on the barbecue, under the grill (broiler) or on the stove top.

On the barbecue or under the grill

Lightly oil the top and bottom of the burger and cook for about 2-3 minutes on each side for medium, 3-4 for well done.

On the stove top

1. Heat 2 tbsp of olive oil in a large frying pan on medium high heat.

2. Cook the burgers for about 2-3 minutes on each side for medium, 3-4 for well done.

Serving

The burger can be packed in any order you like.
My way: lettuce, onion rings, tomatoes, burger, zhug, za'atar yoghurt, cheese.

More hints and tips: http://linsfood.com/ultimate-burger-zhug-zaatar/

#nomadkitchencounter
#linsfood
#ultimateburger
#nomadkitchencounter

Champagne with foaming whirls as white as Cleopatra's melted pearls ~Lord Byron

Champagne with foaming whirls as white as Cleopatra's melted pearls ~Lord Byron
#Champagne #Oysters

Originally shared by Jon “the chef” Hole

Coffee time fcuk the coffee
Champagne and Oysters break the fast time.
Champagne with foaming whirls as white as Cleopatra's melted pearls
Lord Byron

Oyster Eating
"Australopithecus, one of our ancient pre-human ancestors, ate oysters.
A shoreline diet of nutrient-rich oysters and other shellfish was one of the most significant opportunities in history that allowed our cranially challenged ancestors to grow big, juicy brains.

It wasn’t man who ate the first oyster; it was oysters that caused Australopithecus to become man.
As we climbed the evolutionary ladder, we brought the oyster along with us.
All over the planet, archaeologists have discovered man-made middens, massive garbage dumps heaped with thousands of oyster shells, which have been well-preserved thanks to the alkaline properties of oysters.
Careful excavation offers clues to the past in food scraps, human waste and other nifty tidbits.
More importantly, it shows we came up as social, nomadic creatures who liked to eat lots of oysters at big get-togethers.

As our nomadic social ancestors settled into a civilized society, they built up walls and we became enclosed like oysters.

The trouble with landlocking ourselves too far inland is that we cut out iodine-rich shellfish.
This caused iodine deficiency, resulting in fatigue and preventable mental retardation.
Today, many countries are legally obligated to add iodine to table salt to avoid the serious consequences of iodine deficiency.

It took some serious adapting to make civilizations work.
The clever inland civilizations made thoughtful efforts to acquire shellfish.
The Romans farmed oysters in the Mediterranean.
But they really made the grade when hydraulic engineer Sergius Orata figured out how to transport live oysters from the abundant coasts of Britain and France."
Credit  Pierre Lamielle
@ http://www.avenuecalgary.com/November-2013/All-There-is-to-Know-About-Oysters/

Swallow or Chew ? 
The myth is that true connoisseurs don't chew oysters – they tip them straight down their throats.
I suspect this one was made up to help oyster virgins get the whole experience over with as quickly as possible because, as well as breaking food down, chewing helps us to appreciate its flavour more fully.
Swallowing oysters whole, therefore, is surely akin to dousing them in Tabasco – it means you don't have to taste them.

The swallow-only camp, however, argues that oysters are a sensual experience that's more about the 'mouthfeel' than flavour

Swallow or chew ? 

Madame de Pompadour once said, Champagne is the only drink that leaves a woman still beautiful after drinking it

#Oysters   #Champagne

Cultures have long heard wisdom in non-human voices:

Cultures have long heard wisdom in non-human voices:
Apollo, god of music, medicine and knowledge, came to Delphi in the form of a dolphin.
But dolphins, which fill the oceans with blipping and chirping, and whales, which mew and caw in ultramarine jazz - a true rhapsody in blue - are hunted to the edge of silence. ; Credit Jay Griffiths
#Jazz #Dance #Music on u #SoundCloud

Hunters Super Moon in #Cornwall

Hunters Super Moon in #Cornwall
#Fullmoon

Proper Job Sunday guest of the The Old Barn

Proper Job Sunday guest of the The Old Barn
with the making of Sweet Chestnut,Apple and Bacon Stuffing.
A proper India Pale Ale
Natural Cornish spring water
Maris Otter pale Barley malt
Willamette, Chinook and Cascade Hops
Going down like a dream ;)
#Sunday #Lunch #Tresithick #Cornwall

Apple Glut x50=Cider making :))))

Apple Glut x50=Cider making :))))
Here's to thee, old apple tree,
That blooms well, bears well.
Hats full, caps full,
Three bushel bags full,
An' all under one tree.
Hurrah! Hurrah !
#Apple #Cider

Superb The Warheads Mighty all the way on u #SoundCloud

Superb The Warheads Mighty all the way on u #SoundCloud
https://soundcloud.com/jrs-1-1/2battle-cry-baby-1

London this Friday

London this Friday
Thai food "
ain't about simplicity
It's about the juggling of disparate elements to create a harmonious finish.
Like a complex musical chord it's got to have a smooth surface but it doesn't matter what's happening underneath

Simplicity isn't the dictum here, at all.
Some westerners think it's a jumble of flavors, but to a Thai that's important, it's the complexity they delight in Credit David

Shame i am the other end of the country.
Have a great one Sam with the #ChangBeer on the #ChangSensoryTrails
http://changbeer.com/cstlondon/?lang=en

My Queen of the Pome Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love, was known to consider apples sacred.

My Queen of the Pome Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love, was known to consider apples sacred.
Historians believe the apple favored by Aphdrodite were really quince.

The legendary golden apple of Hesperides that Paris gave to Aphrodite was really a quince.

In Medieval times, Europeans thought quinces aided the digestion and prepared them frequently along with meats.
The English called the combination chardeqynce meaning flesh of quince.

Originally shared by Jon “the chef” Hole

Now in Season My Queen of the Pome (after the Latin word for fruit: pōmum) is a type of fruit produced by flowering plants in the family of Rosaceae. (which also contains apples and pears, among other fruits)

Throughout history the cooked fruit has been used as food, but the tree is also grown for its attractive pale pink blossoms and other ornamental qualities.

The fruit was known to the Akkadians, who called it supurgillu;The modern name originated in the 14th century as a plural of quoyn, via Old French cooin from Latin cotoneum malum / cydonium malum, ultimately from Greek κυδώνιον μῆλον, kydonion melon "Kydonian apple".

I am sure all you Foodies know what it is ;)

On the side a glass of :
Honey & Daughters Midford Cider, Somerset
#Apple varieties used as follows
Brown Snout
Stembridge Cluster
Slack m' girdle
Ten Commandments
Crimson King
Harry Masters Jersey
Dunkerton Late Sweet
Yarlington Mill
Not your Average Cider makers !

Sliding down the neck well ;) Guess that is the #Apples covered.
(Keeps the doctor Away :)
Now to cook the fruit.

Cornish Riviera landed .

Cornish Riviera landed .
Not all treasure is silver and gold

The existence of the sea means the existence of pirates
– Malayan Proverb
#Cornwall