Green Apple, Marcona Almond & Idiazábal Cheese Slaw

I have never liked cole slaw, the picnic and church social standby side of shredded cabbage, iceberg lettuce and grated carrot in a mayonnaise-based dressing. I don't particularly dislike any one of its elements, but the combination of flavors have never appealed to me.

About five years ago, when I lived in Madrid, I discovered my inspiration for this dish in a tapas bar near the Plaza de Santa Ana. A couple of friends and I were tapeando (going from tapas bar to tapas bar, filling up on small plates and having plenty of wine) a little before midnight, which is when nightlife in Madrid really gets going. Unfortunately, because there are dozens of places like the one I visited, I can't recall exactly which bar it was! The good news is that I have remembered very well the different components of the "salad," as the bar called it: crisp, green apple; rich, nutty Idiazábal cheese, sliced Marcona almonds and a rosemary vinaigrette.

Ingredients:

4 Granny Smith apples, peeled, grated or cut into matchsticks

1 cup Idiazábal (Manchego can be substituted) cheese, grated or cut into matchsticks

1/2-cup Marcona almonds, sliced

2 tablespoons olive oil

3 teaspoons red wine vinegar

3 teaspoons dijon mustard

Rosemary, chopped, to taste

Black pepper, to taste

Procedure:

(1) Combine apple, cheese and almonds in a bowl.

(2) Mix red wine vinegar, dijon mustard, plenty of chopped rosemary and a bit of black pepper in another bowl. Slowly pour in olive oil, whisking constantly and rapidly.

(3) Incorporate vinaigrette into other ingredients and serve slaw either immediately or chilled, on its own or over a bed of arugula.

Burger with Blue Cheese, Bacon, Dijon and Arugula

I really enjoy a good burger every once in a while and this one is a stand-by of mine. First, I am a proponent of a charred crust but red, juicy interior. For that reason, I tend to make my patties pretty large. Next, I add some thick-cut bacon, which goes with pretty much anything. My favorite burger cheese is without question blue, so I add that for even more richness. Dijon mustard is slathered onto the bun for tang, and to round out the flavor profile and cleanse the palate, I add plenty of fresh and peppery arugula. Satisfying and simple.

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Ingredients:

1 pound ground beef (an 80/20 meat/fat ratio is ideal), divided into 2 patties

4 strips thick-cut bacon (2 per burger)

2 ounces blue cheese, roughly crumbled (1 ounce per burger)

Dijon mustard

Arugula

Hamburger buns (here, I used focaccia because that's what I had in the apartment)

Salt and pepper for seasoning

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Procedure:

(1) Cook bacon in a cast-iron skillet. Set aside bacon and either discard the grease or set it aside for later use.

(2) Put skillet over medium heat. Open a window and blow a fan at your fire alarm or disconnect it, because the room will soon fill with smoke!

(3) After forming the patties and seasoning them liberally with salt and pepper, add them to the skillet.

(4) Introduce patties to skillet. Turn the heat down to low-medium and do not move patties for a few minutes. This will allow a crust to form. Flip patties and allow a crust to form on their other side.

(5) Hold patties on the side of the skillet with a metal spatula in order to allow the laterals (the "sides" as opposed to the "tops"/"bottoms") of the burgers to brown. This should take about a minute for each lateral.

(6) At this point, burgers should be cooked to medium-rare. If you desire a more well-done result, transfer burgers to the oven for a couple of more minutes. Anticipate this potentially necessary extra step and preheat oven accordingly.

(7) Serve on buns slathered with dijon mustard and topped with bacon, crumbled blue cheese, and arugula.