May is both National Salad and National Hamburger Month. What a perfect month to celebrate these two foods as the weather heats up in most of the country and people start looking towards grilled foods and cooler side dishes. Also with Memorial Day as the kick-off weekend for many people to begin grilling, it’s great timing for salad and burger tips and new recipes for both.
Several theories surround the beginning of the hamburger. During the Middle Ages, the warriors would carry patties of ground lamb or mutton that they could eat with one hand while handling their horse with the other. Beginning in the 1400’s, eating minced meat became a delicacy. The chopped or ground meat would be eaten raw and called steak tartare. The most common theory is that the sandwich originated from Hamburg, Germany, where they ate salted, dried beef on a roll. The immigrants brought this favorite food to the United States because the dried beef was ideal for keeping on the long sea voyage. The beef was quite hard, so in order to eat it they would mince it, then sometimes add soaked breadcrumbs and chopped onion to make it stretch farther. Since this was such a favorite food, they continued to make the “Hamburg steak" once living in the United States, but began to make it with fresh meat instead of the previously dried.
Today’s burgers have been come a long, long way thanks in big part to fast food restaurants such as McDonald’s, White Castle and Wendy’s. They can be served plain with just the burger and the bun or with the works. There are also many variations available for the non-beef eater; you can enjoy ground turkey, ground chicken or even ground lamb. However you like your burger, most hamburger lovers would agree that the best burger is served straight off the grill. According to Weber.com the perfect basic burger is made with 80% lean ground chuck seasoned with salt and ground pepper. Shape into patties ¾-inch thick and grill directly over medium heat until desired doneness, turning only once. Serve immediately on toasted buns with your favorite condiments and vegetables.
Some delicious burger recipes to try this summer:
Hometown Burgers
Bold ‘n’ Saucy Cheeseburger
Bobby Flay's Green Chile Cheeseburgers
Cuban-style Burgers on the Grill - another Bobby Flay specialty
Garden Turkey Burgers
Vegetable Lover’s Burger - for the veggies in the crowd
Although, a burger is a delicious main entrée in a meal, it cries out for the perfect side. During the hot spring and summer months, nothing accompanies a meal better than a scrumptious cold salad. Salads can be all vegetables, or mainly pasta with a few vegetables thrown in, or they can be made entirely of fruit. The sky is truly the limit when it comes to salad. No matter how you toss it, salads are ideal dishes that can be made ahead and then pulled out of the refrigerator or cooler when dinner is served. Since many salads use mayonnaise or other similar bases, make sure to follow food safety guidelines for storage and handling.
A sampling of simply scrumptious salad recipes from the W-P Cookbook…
Host Tisha's Black Bean and Corn Salad
Larisa's Broccoli Salad
Host Lynette's Asian Asparagus Salad
KeeMacMom's Crisp Cucumber and Melon Chicken Salad
Host Michelle's Bok Choy and Tomato Salad
Host Lynette's Summer Fruit Combo
As the weather heats up and you feel like you just might melt, your menu is going to cry out for a delicious grilled burger and a salad. Grab a tall glass of iced tea and give one of these yummy recipes a try. Your family will thank you for serving burgers and maybe, just maybe, they won’t complain about the big bowl of broccoli salad for them to eat with it.
Host Lynette is a wife, mom, food lover and amateur chauffeur from the Pacific Northwest. She loves to cook and summertime is one of her favorite times to create in the kitchen with all the fresh fruits and vegetables. She is also the preferred griller in the family as the kids just aren’t fans of the “blackened" items dad likes to cook.
