If you missed me today on "Good Day Sacramento," I demonstrated the Backyard Campout Dinner of mahi mahi, leeks, and tomatoes in a balsamic-wine sauce. This is a great recipe for lazy days in the backyard or pitching a tent with your kids and "camping" out back. You can make the packets ahead of time and then have them ready in the fridge until you want to cook. This also makes it really helpful for a large party. No last-minute assembly needed--just sit them on the grill and set a timer. For variations, use veg or chicken stock instead of wine, and halibut or boneless chicken breast instead of the mahi.

To see video of the demo, go to the "Good Day Sacramento" site. You'll also find a copy of the recipe there (if you don't already have the book!).

Well I just got back and resettled after a whirlwind tour of the Mid-Atlantic. I did three bookstore events, three house parties, and one radio interview in the two weeks I was there. The picture above is from Browseabout Books in Rehoboth, DE, where the staff made at least ten of my recipes for people to taste! We had a good crowd and sold quite a few books. It was fun to see family and friends and parents of friends whom I hadn't seen in a while.

And at one of the house parties, I made a bonus Hands-Off recipe that didn't make it into the book. It's a really zesty Indian-inspired lamb burger, although I made the mixture into meatballs and sauteed them until they were browned and cooked through. Even my unsuspecting 6-year-old niece liked them! I served them with the Raita (Cucumber-Dill Sauce) from the book. Here's the recipe:

Lamb Vindaloo Burgers
Hands off: 10 minutes

Vindaloo is an Indian sweet and sour stew, often made with chunks of lamb. Here, I use ground lamb, which is more available now in regular groceries than it used to be. You can certainly substitute ground beef or pork though. Serve these on toasted buns with Raita (yogurt sauce; page 17), tomato chutney, or even plain ketchup. I learned the trick of dimpling the burgers from copyediting Bob Sloan’s book Great Burgers. It helps the patties to cook evenly and prevents them from getting too rounded as they bake.

Serves 4

1 1/2 pounds ground lamb
1/2 cup diced onion
1 tablespoon curry powder
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon light brown sugar
1 teaspoon crushed ginger from a jar
1 teaspoon minced garlic

1. Preheat the oven to 500° F.

2. In a medium bowl, mix together well the lamb, onion, curry powder, vinegar, cinnamon, salt, sugar, ginger, and garlic. Form the mixture into 4 patties, approximately 4 inches across and 3/4 inch thick. Use 2 fingers to slightly depress the middle of the patties.

3. Put the burgers on a foil-lined baking sheet with sides. Bake them for 8 minutes, until they are still slightly pink in the middle (or 10 minutes for fully cooked). Serve them immediately (although leftovers reheat well and the flavor becomes more complex), on buns with condiments.

Note: Or, form these into 1-inch meatballs and saute them, covered, over medium heat until browned and cooked through.

One Vegetable Five Ways
I'll be co-leading this demonstration class with popular Sacramento Foods Co-op chef Shankari Easwaran. We'll show you how to use fresh, tender spring spinach in five different international recipes. The dishes you'll get to see and taste are:

• Greek leek and spinach pie
  
• Squash and corn enchiladas
  
• Spicy pureed spinach with red potatoes
  
• Mung bean and spinach turnovers
  
• Lentil soup with spinach and sausage
  

Sign up now at www.sacfoodcoop.com or call 916-455-2667. It's $39, or $29 for co-op owners. You'll also get copies of all of the recipes so that you can make them at home. Also check out the other exciting classes coming up at the Co-op at their Web site above.