IMG00683-20110610-1922.jpg, a photo by js_hale on Flickr.
Every weekday afternoon, it's the same situation - the Kid sleeps until 4:30 or so, at which point it's way too late to go grocery shopping if I am going to put dinner on at 6:00PM. For the record, I am NOT complaining - my kid gives me a solid 2.5 hour break every day, and it has been this way (knock on wood) for at least 4 months. It just means that, on some days, I have to forego grocery shopping and dredge through the freezer for any scrap of protein to go with whatever grains and veggies I have on hand. It was looking awfully sketchy today - I uncovered some frozen organic chicken meatballs, which were too salty and therefore banished to the freezer because I couldn't bring myself to throw them away.
Other protein options I had were tofu, a puree of white beans, uncooked bacon and stinky cheese. I also had some Purple Puree (spinach & blueberries) that I had to use up somehow. The Purple Puree is easily hidden in brownies, chocolate cookies and in hamburger patties, but I did not have any ground beef. Then I had an idea - in Japan, "hamburger" or "hamburg" patties are made from combinations of ground protein - beef, pork, sometimes CHICKEN.... often mixed with tofu (!) and served with a tangy, dark sauce comprised mostly of Worcestershire sauce and ketchup.
So I defrosted and minced the salty chicken meatballs and used them as a base for less salty, fortified patties. Taking inspiration from The Sneaky Chef and "Let's Cook Japanese Food!" by Amy Kaneko, I made my own "hamburg." I added tofu, white bean puree, a slurry of milk, panko and whole wheat breadcrumbs and egg to the pre-cooked minced meatballs. I shaped them into patties, fried them up, and although they were a tad crumbly, they held together pretty well and tasted great - savory, but not salty. To use up the Purple Puree, I mixed it with my own version of Amy Kaneko's hamburg sauce, which balanced the tanginess and salt with a brighter fruit flavor. The rest of dinner was a no-brainer - rice, miso soup, salad - and yes, red wine. I needed some for the meat sauce. So sue me for having red wine with Japanese food. It was a Pinot - and it was GOOD!
I am calling this a culinary triumph - my kid inhaled his patties. Sadly, he did not go for the sauce, but that's fine because Peter and I liked it just fine. I know that it's best to be objective about my kid's accepting or rejecting the foods that I make for him - but it's awfully hard. I do get wrapped up in whether he likes what I make for him, or not - and if he doesn't like something, I put a lot of thought into re-engineering it so that he will like it, given his particularities around texture. I am fine with this - for the most part, it's a fun little challenge.
