Herby Goat Burgers & Gyros, Acorn Squash & Whipped Feta, Broccoli Cheddar Soup, BLTs, Fried Feta Eggs & Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies!

As we get deeper into fall, we’ve got flavorful ground goat two ways, acorn squash with whipped feta, a veggie-loaded broccoli cheddar soup with steak and pork chops, the last slicing tomatoes of the season on BLTs and breakfast sandwiches and pumpkin oat cookies!

Herby Goat Burgers with Acorn Squash, Whipped Feta, Pistachios & Mint

We are still very much in our herby goat meat era! Goat just goes so well with bright, punchy flavors like oregano, rosemary, garlic and lemon, especially. Mint, basil and parsley are great pairings, too!

I took two pounds of ground goat out of the freezer to make gyros and pita (below), but we had some things come up that Sunday afternoon and by the time we got inside and it was already dark, there was no way I was grinding the meat further, baking into a meatloaf, waiting for it to cool and slicing for gyro strips.

So I pulled off some of it for burgers — much quicker — and saved the rest for gyros the next night!

I seasoned the meat with garlic, lemon zest, oregano, rosemary, plus freshly ground coriander, mustard seed, and black pepper. I also included a small egg, parmesan and some bread crumbs to help bind it. Ground goat is so lean that the patties can be crumbly without additional fat or binders.

I also had a couple of acorn squash, so I roasted those in wedges and then dressed it with whipped feta, roasted pistachios, a little honey, chili flakes and fresh mint.

Then I topped with burgers with mozzarella cheese and had them with some hummus and whipped feta on the bun, plus fresh lettuce and honey mustard rosemary fermented pickles and some late season cucumbers on the side. It all came together so nicely and added some variety to our week versus just making gyros out of the ground goat!

Za’atar Goat Gyros, Pizza Dough Pita, Hummus, Tahini Yogurt Sauce & Okra

The next day, I was ready for take two with the gyros!

The key to somewhat recreating the texture of gyros that you slice off a rotating spit it not using binders but rather further grinding the meat in a food processor, along with an onion, oregano and other seasonings you like. It makes so a very dense meatloaf that can be sliced into thin pieces.

Sometimes I go a more Turkish route and season the “gyro” more like a doner kebab spice profile with coriander, cumin, paprika and even fennel and fenugreek. The Greek route is basically just oregano and onion and this time I went more a Lebanese route with fresh oregano, plus za’atar.

I added the spices to the sticky meat and onion mixture in the food processor, formed into a loaf and baked for 35 minutes or so, then let cool. Once it was cool it is even denser and easier to slice. Often I have crisped the slices in a cast iron pan on the stove top, but this time I just broiled them in the toaster oven and it worked just as well!

I’ve made pizza dough and pita dough many times, but this time, it was so nice to just pull out one Bellegarde pizza dough from the freezer and cut it into five pieces for some fresh pita. I reshaped them into balls, let them proof a little and then rolled them out and cooked in a cast iron pan on the stove.

We had the gyros with hummus, plus a quick dressing of tahini, greek yogurt, lots of lemon juice, garlic and a little honey and topped them with lettuce and cherry tomatoes. We also had some of the last okra from my garden on the side and more whipped feta.

Broccoli Cheddar Soup (with Carrots, Potatoes, Turnips & Radishes) + Steak & Pork Chops

I love taking the concept of a broccoli cheddar soup, but adding even more veggies. In this case, I added some gold potatoes for body and creaminess and besides the usual onions, carrots and garlic, I also added diced hakurei turnips and watermelon radishes. The only downside with pink or purple radishes is it kind of gives a competing hue to the green broccoli, but the flavor is amazing and you get more variety of vegetables, so who cares?

For the broth base, I used chicken bone broth and another container of pork hock and chicken bone broth from my freezer supply and seasoned with mushroom seasoning, thyme, chili flakes and nutritional yeast.

At the end, I added some half & half, plus melted in some white cheddar and parmesan cheeses and topped with some carrot tops (they’re similar to parsley!).

For the protein, I did a sirloin steak, a lone pork chop and a pack of pork stir fry strips on the side. And we also had a Bellegarde baguette that was perfect for dunking in the soup!

Last of the Season B(B)Ts!

Last year we made it to early December until we got out first freeze, which meant we had heirloom tomatoes longer, too! (I remember vividly because we had a non-traditional Thanksgiving Day and ate soft-shell crab sandwiches with fresh tomatoes!).

But alas, this year was not to be and with the cold snap early this week, Two Dog Farms in Flora, Miss. will see the send of their tomato season.

So I took home some bacon this weekend to enjoy one last bacon Basil tomato sandwich of the season. While we have lovely lettuce right now, I prefer the stronger flavor or basil, along with my favorite truffle mayo on a BLT. Grant did both basil and arugula, but it was ALL basil for me.

We had a really fun farm tour on Saturday, but we were exhausted afterwards and the feeling of making these with our homegrown bacon and basil, our pal’s tomatoes and Bellegarde’s honey oat bread in our cozy farm house with the cattle right outside, along with the sows and their piglets… well, life doesn’t get much better!

Fried Feta Egg Sandwich with Avocado, Bacon, Tomato & Basil

And with some of the bacon leftover, plus another beautiful heirloom tomato and plenty of basil and honey oat bread, Sunday brunch was sort of obvious the next day!

And I combined those elements with a fried egg method I’ve been loving. Southern Maids’ marinated feta is perfect for the fried feta egg trend! Since it’s already coated in oil, it works really well.

Most videos and “recipes” you see for this recommend using nonstick pan, but it does work in a cast iron pan if you heat it properly first, then heat the oil, then add the feta and then the eggs! You can see in the second picture how well it released from the pan after browning. And it flipped perfectly.

I also had a half an avocado left, so I smashed that on one side of the bread. The whole thing was another great way to enjoy the last tomatoes of the season.

Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies

Since pumpkin season is upon us again, I decided I’d better use up the last of my 2024 pumpkin puree in my freezer!

These pumpkin oat cookies were simple and delicious.

The recipe is from NYT Cooking, and I didn’t even bother with the frosting, but I’m sure that would take them to the next level.

As it was they were almost muffin like after they cooled down and stayed very soft. It’s also recommended to make them fairly small and Grant certainly liked them! I came back from taking a shower to five of them being gone! ;-)