Recipe: PUREED BEEF BURGER WITH JUICY GRILLED TOMATO TOPPING

When your author interviewed the noted Speech Language Pathologist, David Fagen, he told me that he did not want his patients to be isolated. He wanted to make it possible for the person with swallowing disorders to join in social events as long as the guidelines for the safe swallow are observed.

The Purees of Summer has recipes for summer cookouts using the indoor grill. It’s a wonderful solution to the summer menu. The food is made on a portable grill, so as not to get too high a char on the food. The eBook will soon be part of a new book Essential Dysphagia Kitchen, so get your copy now.

Purees of Summer tells how to make burgers, dogs and great sides, using store-bought, high-quality ingredients. The menu items can be made in under thirty minutes.

Grill two burgers, so you can fill the mini food processor. Or grill four portions and eat four times. That means you freeze individual portions so a delicious meal is always on hand. That means the caregiver gets a break on a busy summer night.

The cleanup is easy. The grill is portable.

Here’s a sample recipe–the grass-fed beef burger. I started with Bubba’s, the best brand in the frozen section of my supermarket. Pick whatever brand you like. Make your own, if you have a favorite burger recipe. It could be a chicken burger, a turkey burger, a veggie burger, even a black bean burger.

BEEF BURGER WITH JUICY GRILLED TOMATO TOPPING

The foil packets of Juicy Grilled Tomatoes make a sauce to puree the burgers. The puree instructions call for two burgers, because one burger is not enough to fill the bowl of a mini food processor.

Equipment: Use a high speed blender, or a Ninja, the blender with a double tier of blades, or a mini food processor.

For those who do not like tomatoes, puree the burgers with broth and a tablespoon or more of caramelized onions.

Many dysphagia patients are allowed to have alcohol. It does not conflict with their meds or their swallow function. To thicken the drinks of summer, click on the SloDrinks website. Please consult your doctor before drinking.

INGREDIENTS

• 2 frozen Bubba grass fed beef burgers (or any other burger)
• 2 tablespoons water or broth
• Optional Condiments
  2 tbsp. ketchup (optional)
  2 tbsp. mustard (optional)

DIRECTIONS
Prepare the burgers according to package directions, on the grill, or in a skillet on the grill or stove. Remove to a plate and allow them to cool.

GRILLED TOMATOES IN A PACKET
This is a non-recipe recipe. This is your sauce for the puree, and as we know, the sauce is the medium of flavor.

TECHNIQUE
On a counter surface, lay four 12 x 12 pieces of heavy-duty aluminum foil

Take four ripe tomatoes or a pint of cherry tomatoes

Cut the big tomatoes in eight pieces or the cherry tomatoes in half and seed them

Chop the tomatoes

Divide the tomatoes onto the four sheets of foil, centering them for the packets

Sprinkle each packet liberally with extra virgin olive oil

Add salt and white pepper to taste If you like garlic, add a little finely minced garlic or Gourmet Garden garlic paste

If you like basil, add some Gourmet Garden basil paste

Add a ½ teaspoon to a teaspoon of water for each packet, for cooking liquid. You may also use tomato juice.

DIRECTIONS
Fold the sides of the foil in, and crimp Bring the front and back of the packetttogether, and fold down Leave an inch or two above the surface of the tomatoes for steam

Place packets on a medium hot grill for fifteen minutes or until tomatoes are soft and juicy. You don’t want the tomatoes to scorch. Smell the air. Allow them to cool

This is your medium for pureeing the burgers Add broth if necessary FOR

THE PUREE
Break up the burgers, and add them to the bowl of a food processor or the pitcher of a blender.

Use at least two burgers at a time for the puree.

Add 2 packets of the tomatoes.

Pulse ten times to break down the burgers then combine with the grilled tomatoes. Puree until smooth.

Add more broth if necessary. If the puree has too much texture, put it through a food mill until it is smooth.

Add condiments to puree: This could be a tablespoon of caramelized onions. Ketchup, mustard or mayo to taste

TO FINISH
At the end: Add a teaspoon of instant thickener to bind the puree.

Pulse ten times to thoroughly combine.

Go to the Essential Puree Dysphagia Kitchen YouTube Channel and watch the video for Grilled Dogs (no casings).

SWIRL AWAY!