Fried

Burger Bomb

Burger Bombs
Serves ??

It’s football season. That means it’s time for junk food, eaten out of hand. But we need something other than the usual burgers, sandwiches and pizzas (although all those are good!)

Try making Burger Bombs!

I’ll give you the nutritional data for what I made. If you do something different, obviously the numbers will change.

Ingredients:
Prepare biscuits (Pillsbury Buttermilk work very well)
Raw ground meat
Slices of cheese, cut in half

  1. Make meatballs from the ground beef (or ground pork, or anything else). Each meatball is 1 ounce.
  2. Flatten the biscuit dough and stretch it to about double the original size.
  3. Wrap the meat with a strip of cheese.
  4. Place in dough and seal it shut by pinching the dough together.
  5. You can make many of these ahead of the game and refrigerate until needed.
  6. Preheat your fryer or a kettle on the stove to 375F.
  7. Place enough in the oil so that they are able to float around a bit. Don’t pack them too tightly.
  8. Fry until they are golden brown as in the picture (about 4-5 minutes).
  9. Serve hot. (But I’ll bet they’d get eaten even if cold!)
Nutritional data (per bomb):
Calories:            140
Fat:                     6.5g
Sat fat:                   3g
Chol:                 30mg
Sodium:       233.8mg
Carbs:                  11g
Fiber:                  0.5g
Protein:               11g
Variations: 
Cut sausages into 1 inch lengths instead of ground meat.
Use different cheese.
Just use cubes of cheese.
Slices of beef and sauerkraut.
Your imagination is the limit

Beer Battered Tilapia, with White Tartar

This was one of my entries into the 2014 Mezzetta Make That Sandwich contest.

Beer Battered Tilapia, with White Tartar
Serves 4

4 Kaiser rolls (or other large roll)
Beer Batter (or any other fish batter, your preference)
Enough cooking oil to fill a pot to 3-4 inches
4 tilapia fillets, 3 ounces each (or any mild-flavored fish)
Lettuce
Beer Batter
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 egg, beaten.
1 tablespoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon cayenne powder

12-24 ounces of beer (Do not use a very hoppy beer, like an IPA. Use a British Mild, like Boddington.)
  1. Combined the first four ingredients.
  2. Mix in egg.
  3. Slowly add the beer while stirring to prevent lumps. This should be a thin batter. You may only need 12 ounce, but 16 is more likely. When you dip the fish into it, you should still be able to see the fish through the thin layer of batter. (If you have extra, drink it!)
  4. Heat oil to 375F (using a thermometer is recommended.
  5. Dry the fish fillets.
  6. Mix all ingredients for the red tartar while waiting for the oil to get to temperature. (The sauce can be made a day in advance for better flavor.)
  7. When the oil is hot, dip the fillets into the batter, and carefully lower into the oil. Depending on the size of your fryer, you may only be able to fry one fillet at a time.
  8. When the fish is beginning to brown, carefully turn it over.  Total cook time will be 6-10 minutes, depending on the temperature of the oil and fish.
  9. While the fish is frying, prepare the bun. Toast the cut surface.
  10. Lay lettuce on the bottom. When the fish is done, and drained, lay on the lettuce and top with 1 tablespoon red tartar.

When I make this, I use the remaining batter by dipping Mezzetta Roasted Red Bell Pepper and then frying them until golden brown.

I’m not giving nutritional data for the sandwich. It will change if you use a different fish, make your batter thin or thick, fry it darker, use a different roll….the variability will change everything. 

White Tartar
2 Tablespoon Miracle Whip salad dressing
1 tablespoon Mezzetta Capers
2 Mezzetta Sweet Banana Wax Peppers, sliced

½ ounce (4 pieces) Mezzetta Cocktail Onions, chopped
  1. Mix all ongredients together and chill. Making this a day in advance is recommended for best flavor.
Nutritional Data (per tablespoon)
Calories:         32
Fat:                2.4g
Sat fat:           0.1g
Chol:              0mg
Sodium:  388.8mg
Carbs:            2.2g
Fiber:             0.1g
Protein:          0.1g

Beer Battered Tilapia, with Red Tartar

This was one of my entries into the 2014 Mezzetta Make That Sandwich contest.

Fish fries are a way of life in Wisconsin, but rarely do you get a sandwich quite like this. I enjoy finding new combinations of favorite foods. It brings excitement to the meal. Life is meant to be enjoyed and relished. We all need to find our place in the world. That is why I host my podcast Make Your Someday Today. I talk to successful people from around the world, like Julie (a Ukrianian-born Israeli who specializes in time management strategies) and then we apply their life-stories to you (and to me!)

Beer Battered Tilapia, with Red Tartar
Serves 4

4 Kaiser rolls (or other large roll)
Beer Batter (or any other fish batter, your preference)
Enough cooking oil to fill a pot to 3-4 inches
4 tilapia fillets, 3 ounces each (or any mild-flavored fish)
Lettuce
Beer Batter
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 egg, beaten.
1 tablespoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon cayenne powder

12-24 ounces of beer (Do not use a very hoppy beer, like an IPA. Use a British Mild, like Boddington.)

  1. Combined the first four ingredients.
  2. Mix in egg.
  3. Slowly add the beer while stirring to prevent lumps. This should be a thin batter. You may only need 12 ounce, but 16 is more likely. When you dip the fish into it, you should still be able to see the fish through the thin layer of batter. (If you have extra, drink it!)
  4. Heat oil to 375F (using a thermometer is recommended.
  5. Dry the fish fillets.
  6. Mix all ingredients for the red tartar while waiting for the oil to get to temperature. (The sauce can be made a day in advance for better flavor.)
  7. When the oil is hot, dip the fillets into the batter, and carefully lower into the oil. Depending on the size of your fryer, you may only be able to fry one fillet at a time.
  8. When the fish is beginning to brown, carefully turn it over.  Total cook time will be 6-10 minutes, depending on the temperature of the oil and fish.
  9. While the fish is frying, prepare the bun. Toast the cut surface.
  10. Lay lettuce on the bottom. When the fish is done, and drained, lay on the lettuce and top with 1 tablespoon red tartar.

When I make this, I use the remaining batter by dipping Mezzetta Roasted Red Bell Pepper and Mezzetta Garlic Stuffed Olives and then frying them until golden brown.

I’m not giving nutritional data for the sandwich. It will change if you use a different fish, make your batter thin or thick, fry it darker, use a different roll….the variability will change everything. 

Red Tartar
2 Tablespoon tomato paste
1 tablespoon Mezzetta Gourmet Deli Sweet and Hot Pepper Rings
2 Mezzetta Garlic Stuffed Olives, sliced
½ ounce (4 pieces) Mezzetta Cocktail Onions, chopped
1 tablespoon liquid from the cocktail onion jar (to thin the tomato paste)
  1. Mix all ingredients together and chill. Making this a day in advance is recommended for best flavor.


Nutritional Data (per tablespoon)
Calories:         15
Fat:                1.4g
Sat fat:           0.0g
Chol:              0mg
Sodium:  116.2mg
Carbs:            2.9g
Fiber:             0.1g
Protein:             0g

Fried Chicken with Sauteed Green Beans and Squash

Buttermilk Breaded Fried Chicken 
6 pieces
I have NEVER deep fried chicken at home before, only when I worked at a fast food restaurant 26 years ago. I don’t know why I have never done it. I will certainly do it again, because that chicken was incredible. The coating was crisp and crunchy, but it did not all fall off with the first bite and the meat was tender and juicy.
6 pieces of chicken (I used skin-on thighs and drumsticks)
1 cup buttermilk (I used low fat version) 
1 egg
1 cup whole wheat flour 
1 tablespoon corn starch (increases the crispiness of the breading)
Seasoning of choice (I used garlic and onion powder, and black pepper)
Oil for frying
  1. Season the chicken and let sit in the refrigerator for 1-2 hours.
  2. Pour buttermilk into medium bowl and add egg. Whisk together.
  3. Put flour, corn starch and seasoning into a shallow dish.
  4. With your left hand, pick up one piece of chicken and coat with buttermilk mix. Lay it on the flour.
  5. With your right hand, toss the chicken until it is completely coated with flour mix. Remove to a clean plate. (I really don’t care which hand dips into the buttermilk and which does the flour, but if you keep your hands separate, it won’t be a messy.)
  6. Preheat the oil in a deep kettle or stock pot. I used a large cast iron Dutch oven outside on the side burner of my grill. You want the oil to be 375F. If you have one, use a thermometer. How much oil depends on the size of the pan, but you need at least an inch of oil.
  7. When it is hot, carefully place 3-4 pieces into the oil, or as many that will fit leaving room between them.
  8. Turn them when they begin to get golden brown (3-5 minutes). Let the second side cook an equivalent time and remove to a cooling rack to let excess oil drip off.
  9. Serve! It goes well with a full bodied beer.
    The side dish is simply a butternut squash, peeled and cubed, with fresh green bean. I sauteed the squash in a tablespoon oil tossing frequently until just starting to get brown. Then I added the green beans (I didn’t measure or weight. Use at many as you want.) Again, toss frequently, and serve when the beans are hot.
    Nutritional data: per piece of chicken, with the skin on
    Calories:         270
    Fat:              16.5g
    Sat fat:           2.6g
    Chol:       115.6mg
    Sodium:       96mg
    Carbs:           7.7g
    Fiber:            0.5g
    Protein:          22g
    Note: Use that nutritional data with a “grain of salt.” Every piece of chicken can be a different size. If you remove the skin before eating, you will get less fat and cholesterol. If you use a salted spice, you will have more sodium. This recipe is more about how to do it, rather than about the exact end result.