Bison Burgers with Goat Cheese

Another perfect summer meal: bison burgers with goat cheese served with brandywine tomato and arugula with a side of steamed white corn and grilled zucchini. Delicious.

The burgers on a grill pan (for two):
What you need:
-1/2 pound bison ground meat
-1/2 medium onion chopped
-teaspoon or less hot sauce
-1 egg
-sprinkle of fresh herbs (we often use rosemary)
-anything else that looks good to throw in there!

The burger itself is a bit of a mystery to me. The burger master of the house whips together the above ingredients and makes the mixture into two perfectly formed patties. These are tossed on the heated grillpan for about 4-5 minutes a side. Do not fuss with the burgers while on the grillpan.

With the burgers on the grill, we put the four ears of corn (already cleaned off) into a pot with about 1 inch of water. Let the boiling water steam the corn for 10 minutes.

Also, we sliced the zucchini and put them on the grillpan with the burgers. These need to be flipped a couple time to make sure that they grilled as you like them.

When the burgers are finished, let them rest on a plate and toast the burger buns. With the buns toasted, spread a layer of goat cheese on each side. Layer the bun with the burger, then giant slice of tomato and finally a bunch of arugula.

Admire the burger and plate full of summer joy. And then, dig in.

Goats and Eggplants

The best part of traveling for work is coming home. I was back in town from a week in Texas and was able to get to the Dupont farmer's market on Sunday. There, I happily found all the fruits and veggie joys of the summer season. I was really excited to see goat sausage! Eager to try it, we made the goat last night with Mediterranean couscous and sauteed eggplant and tomatoes.

We simmered the sausages in some water while the eggplant cooked and the seared them in the pan. It was a perfect meal. Here is how I prepared the eggplant (adapted form M.Bittman's How To Cook Everything Vegetarian):

What you need:
-2 small eggplants (I used two of different varieties)
-1 medium onion
-5 garlic clove (you can use less if you aren't a huge garlic fan)
-2 cups chopped tomatoes (I used green heirlooms ... yum!)
-1/2 cup olive oil
-salt
-pepper

What to do:
1. Chop the onion and garlic.
2. Cut the eggplant into 1/2 inch cubes (I left the skin on)
3. Heat the olive oil in a large pan on medium heat and add all the onion and most of the garlic (save about a teaspoon for later)
4. Cook the onion and garlic on medium heat for 5 minutes until soft.
5. Add in the eggplant and stir for 5-10 minutes.
6. Chop the tomatoes.
7. After another 10 minutes (when the eggplant is tender), add the tomatoes and the remaining garlic.
8. Continue stirring and cooking for another 20 minutes or so until the eggplant is soft and yummy (I advice a taste-test)!
9. Season with salt and pepper.
10. Enjoy!

Additional good news: I wrote this post from my new phone! I think this means that I will be able to post more frequently.