The Strangest Thing

I’ve been sick with a particularly nasty cold for the past couple of days, and it’s thrown me a bit off-kilter, food-wise. As usual when I’m sick, I lay around, eating practically nothing but chicken soup, popsicles and herbal teas. Then I get really hungry, and a craving sets in.

The cravings are never the same thing, but they’re always really strong and persistent. Once, while I was in high school, it was for a big glass of cold milk. I hate drinking milk. However, these cravings must have their purpose, because I invariably feel better after consuming whatever I’m yearning for. In the 7th grade, I was so sick that I couldn’t keep anything -–even water—-down. I asked my dad to buy a can of that really sour, pulpy lemonade, the kind you make from concentrate. It did the trick.

This time around, Sean is my lucky errand boy. For two days straight, I sent him to the grocery store to buy frozen pizza. I couldn’t get enough of it. Then I realized that what I was really craving was tomatoes. Cooked ones, specifically. Interestingly, I had recently read (where? I can’t remember) that cooked tomatoes provide the human body with more lycopene than uncooked ones. Maybe my body is in need of some lycopene. It’s worth a shot.

Since I’m feeling a lot better today, I started cooking again this evening (don’t worry, I washed my hands). I had been planning on waiting for slightly cooler weather to make these, but I couldn’t resist. Molly Wizenburg makes them sound so mouthwateringly delicious in her book, A Homemade Life, that it’s no wonder I’ve been craving them.



Making slow-roasted tomatoes is a cinch. If you (or a good tomato-sitter) are able to stay home for four to six hours—-which is a given when you’re sick—-then all should be well. Two hundred degrees Fahrenheit on an oven isn’t too high, so unless it’s a really hot day, it shouldn’t make much of a difference.



In place of coriander, I used Himalayan pink sea salt and freshly cracked pepper. Enjoy these in any way you might with fresh or canned tomatoes.

Summer Grilling, Apartment Style

One of my favorite tastes associated with summer is that of the distinctive flavor of the grill. Fortunately, many people seem to agree with me, and so I have already attended several cookouts. However, it is difficult for me to replicate this small pleasure while at home, since I live in a small apartment in the city. My kitchen has no windows, and consequently, very poor ventilation.

I try to make the best of my minuscule kitchen, and I admit that I am rather proud of my ability to cook a wide variety of things within its tight confines. However, one thing that I can't do inside of it is grill, even on an indoor grill pan. The amount of smoke that such pans produce would be too great for my little home, and it's even possible that an attempt to use one would set off the building's fire alarms, and bring fire truck, and I have to assume that such a calamity would be unspeakably embarrassing.

However, just because I can't grill doesn't mean that I can't make one of my favorite grill foods: hamburgers. I preheat my oven to 350 degrees, and place my burgers on top of a rack placed over a cookie sheet. The burgers take twenty to thirty minutes to cook. While they might not have that charcoal taste and classic grill marks, you also don't have to coax a grill to light, fight against winds, or anything else. And I like to add a bit more flavor to my burger mix to make up for the smokiness.




Onion Fontina Burgers
I used fontina cheese, but any flavorful cheese that is slow to melt (usually harder cheeses) would work nicely (perhaps some asiago).

Makes four 1/4 lb burgers

Ingredients

1 cup fontina cheese
1 lb. ground beef
salt and pepper, to taste
1 egg
1 cup bread crumbs
1 small onion (yellow or white)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Begin by grating the cheese directly into a medium/large mixing bowl. Place the ground beef on top, and season with salt and pepper.

Add the egg and bread crumbs, then peel and grate the onion on top of everything.

Allow the mixture to sit for a minute or two, then mix together thoroughly, using hands or a spoon (I like to use my hands so I can really mix everything). Allow to rest for a few more minutes, then shape into burgers. Indent the middle of the burgers a bit in order to prevent them from fattening up and cooking unevenly. Place the burgers on top of a rack, placed on top of a baking sheet. Allow to rest again before placing in the oven.

Set a timer for twenty minutes. Allow to cook, checking one or two times. After then twenty minutes, take the burgers out of the oven, check for doneness, and turn them over. Cook the burgers for another five to ten minutes, depending on how well you like them to be cooked.

After removing the burgers from the oven for the final time, allow them to rest a bit. Keep in mind that the burgers will continue to cook a bit more after they are removed from the oven. Serve alone, or atop crusty bread. Spicy mustard and fresh vegetables are a nice addition.