The weather in Cincinnati has been gorgeous and Steve and I (as well as Charlie) have had a great week relaxing, enjoying the sunshine and the fresh air. My parents live in the middle of a hundred-acre wood, so although their lack of Internet has made this post extremely difficult to accomplish (I'm using an iPad right now), the break from all the hullabaloo has been very welcomed. And while there are so many different things I want to share with you, dear readers, I think I'm just going to jump right in and share my culinary adventure from this week.
We started our week here with a trip to the famed Jungle Jim's to pick up some international goodies to bring back home to Brooklyn because, although we live amongst a swarm of various cultures and their accompanying cultural markets, these still don't compare to Jungle Jim's. If you live in Cincinnati and you're yet to check it out, run, don't walk!, there right now. I'd recommend the Eastgate location because not only is it newer and thus better organized, they also have a few speciality markets at the entrance such as Flying Olive and Colonel De's Spice Market that are worth a browse.
We decided we wanted to make dinner for my folks each night we were in town, and because the weather was so great we decided to kick off the week with a grilling adventure. We haven't yet had the time to pull out our own grill for the season, which made this opportunity all the more inviting. We settled on grilling some burgers but we wanted to add an adventurous twist in order to impress the fam with our culinary talents, so Steve came up with the idea of adding grilled pineapple and caramelized red onion seasoned with teriyaki sauce. I've never had pineapple on a burger before, and I must say grilled pineapple is now amongst my most favorite fruit. It's so yummy! And the grilled sweetness really adds a unique flavor combination to the burger meat and teriyaki sauce. The only change I'd make to these burgers is I'd like to try them on the "Three Meal Muffin" instead of onion rolls because, as I stated in my turkey burger post, they're simply the best burger bun out there.
1. Prepare the burger meat by seasoning it with salt, pepper, some minced garlic, and a dash or two of teriyaki sauce. Divide and form into patties. Set aside until the grill is hot and ready.
2. Prepare additional ingredients. Remove the pineapple rind and slice into rings. I cut them thick, but you can cut them to your preferred thickness depending on if you want a little less or little more pineapple flavor. Also slice the red onion. My knife was dull so I didn't cut perfect rings, but they still worked out just fine. After slicing the onion, we created a foil pouch for them to cook in on the grill, and seasoned with a dash of teriyaki.
After your ingredients are prepared and your grill is hot, toss everything on and grill to your standards of perfection! We also grilled a side of brussel sprouts and asparagus, both of which we just lightly seasoned with a little EVOO and a dash of salt and pepper.
And did I mention that this dish is a great way to impress your family and friends this weekend at your Memorial Day barbecue?! Because it is!
Finally, here is a picture of my husband and I from the wedding last weekend. :)
