"summergrilling" news and stories

The 4th of July weekend is a time designed perfectly for picnics and cookouts. There's really no better way to celebrate the nation's independence than by firing up the grill and cooking up some burgers, dogs, chicken drumsticks or ribs. I personally don't have big plans to do much in the way of grilling (not having any outdoor space will do that to a person), I have been invited to a couple of picnics and will be throwing together a red potato salad with an olive oil and vinegar dressing, and a creamy coleslaw with purple and green cabbage.

I want to know what the rest of you are cooking this weekend. What's going on your grill, in your picnic baskets or out on the buffet? How do you handle vegetarian and gluten-intolerant guests? And most importantly, how are you ending the meal?

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Since 1990, cooks from all over the country have gathered at the Sutter Home Family Vineyards in California's Napa Valley to compete in the Build a Better Burger contest. Award-winning cookbook author James McNair has gathered recipes from the first 15 years of the contest and compiled them into this volume, which carries the same name as the contest.

The contest defines a burger as, "any food produce that can be ground, formed into patties, grilled and served on or between a bakery product." Those loose guidelines make for some really creative burger making and the best of the recipes (both the winning ones and the judges' favorites) have been included in this book.

It's a lushly photographed book, with lots gorgeous pictures of food, panoramic scenes of the Napa countryside and maybe just a few too many shots of the Sutter Home label. It would make a great coffee table book for the individual who loves burgers and grilling. I'm not sure how conducive it is to actual cooking, but it's a good one to flip through when you're in need of inspirational ways to spice up your backyard cookout.

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I've eaten more lettuce in my lifetime than I can count, but as far as I know, it has all been raw. I've heard tell that lettuce soup is quite delicious (I have a feeling that is due in large part to the amount of butter and/or cream that those recipes contain), but nary a spoonful has crossed my lips. However, the looks of the romaine hearts in the picture above, with their vivid grill marks (and the picture a little further in the Slashfood pool of the salad that resulted from that grilled lettuce) has me thinking that cooked romaine might just be the way to go. The next time I take possession of a friend's grill, I think I will have to try it out. Lucky for me, the recipe is right here.

Thanks myfeasts, for adding your image to the Slashfood Flickr pool!

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Today's Feast Your Eyes post is my attempt at stretching out the relaxation and outdoor cooking of Memorial Day just a little bit longer. This image, of a freshly grilled basil burger, was taken by Flickr user Coneslayer and from the looks of things was pretty darn delicious.

How did you spend your Memorial Day weekend? If you made some good food and took pictures, make sure to upload them to the Slashfood Flickr page, so we can all see your tasty creations.

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As you fire up the grill this Memorial Day, you may want to take a moment to pay homage to the people who first brought you the hamburger. There is a lengthy and fascinating article on the history of the hamburger on What's Cooking America. While there is some debate about who created the first hamburger, Louis' Lunch in New Haven, Connecticut has a strong claim to the title.

According to What's Cooking, "Louis ran a small lunch wagon selling steak sandwiches to local factory workers. A frugal business man, he didn't like to waste the excess beef from his daily lunch rush. It is said that he ground up some scraps of beef and served it as a sandwich, the sandwich was sold between pieces of toasted bread, to a customer who was in a hurry and wanted to eat on the run."

You can still get hamburgers today at Louis' Lunch. However, don't expect to get any ketchup. The Louis' Lunch website states that their hamburgers "have changed little from their historic prototype [and] are still the specialty of the house. Each one is made from beef ground fresh each day, broiled vertically in the original cast iron grill and served between two slices of toast. Cheese, tomato and onion are the only acceptable garnish -- no true connoisseur would consider corrupting the classic taste with mustard or ketchup."