'Bob's Burgers' come seasoned with comedy

On the DELISH.com recipe site I read about a cookbook that Rob Weeks of Cape Girardeau let me borrow to laugh, read and enjoy. In the cookbook review, it said FOX's animated series, "Bob's Burgers," is a show not only known for its genuinely great comedy, but also for its witty writing.

One of the best aspects of the show is the way the characters play with words, filling each episode with tons of humorous puns.

Each episode, a "Burger of the Day" is shown in the background on the restaurant's chalk board, oftentimes making some sort of pop-culture reference.

In the show's namesake cookbook, "The Bob's Burgers Burger Book: Real Recipes For Joke Burgers," there are lots of recipes for all the amazing pun-ny burgers that appear in the background of every "Bob's Burgers" episode.

If you're not familiar with the show, it is about a family that runs a burger joint and the rowdy activity and mischievous pranks that ensue. Bob, Linda and their children -- Tina, Gene and Louise -- are one of television's absolute favorite families. Not only are the names of these burgers funny, they are seriously delicious.

Pickle My Funny Bone; Season 3, Episode 7: Tina-Rannasaurus Wrecks

Pickles are good. Fried pickles are even better. Which means that a burger with fried pickles is the greatest thing in the history of the world. This all-beef patty is topped with delicious dill chips coated in an herb and red pepper batter and served with a creamy mayo-ketchup-hot sauce combo.

• Vegetable or canola oil for frying
• 1/3 cup flour
• 1/3 cup cornmeal
• 1 egg
• 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning or Old Bay seasoning
• 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 (16-ounce) jar kosher dill pickle chips
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 1 tablespoon Frank's Red Hot sauce, or to taste
• 1 teaspoon ketchup, or to taste
• 1 pound ground beef
• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 4 hamburger buns
• Green leaf lettuce

In a deep saucepan, heat about 1-inch of oil to 350 degrees. Mix the flour, cornmeal, seasoning, and red pepper flakes in a large bowl.

Drain the pickle chips and pat dry on paper towels. Crack the egg into a small bowl and beat it. This is your bonding agent. Dunk the pickles in the egg and then dredge them in the seasoned flour.

Fry the coated pickle chips in small batches until they turn golden brown. Remove from the oil with a slotted spoon or spider. Check your oil temperature between batches.

In a bowl, mix together mayo, hot sauce, and ketchup, adjusting mixture to your taste.

Form the beef into 4 patties, season both sides with salt and pepper, and cook.

Build Your Burger: Bottom bun, lettuce, burger, fried pickles, prepared mayo, top bun.

Cheeses Is Born; Season Do The Brussel; Season 2, Episode 3: Synchronized Swimming

Brussels sprouts. As kids, we hid them in potted plants so we wouldn't have to eat them, and as adults, we love 'em. Life's funny, isn't it? This lightly seasoned bacon burger topped with sauteed sprouts and pistachios will have you "doin' the brussel" right at the table.

• 1/2 pound bacon
• 1/3 pound Brussels sprouts, thinly sliced
• 1/4 cup shelled pistachios, roughly chopped
• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1 pound ground beef
• 4 hamburger buns
• Green leaf lettuce
• Sour cream

Cook your bacon on the stove in a large frying pan set over low heat. Cook the bacon until it's crispy, but not too crispy. Transfer your bacon to paper towels, and throw your Brussels sprouts into that delicious bacon fat; increase the heat to medium-high. You could cook garden tools in bacon fat and they would taste good. That's a fact! But don't eat the garden tools!

Once the sprouts start to brown a bit, add the pistachios. Stir for about a minute, then remove from heat and set aside.

Season the beef with the salt and pepper, form 4 patties, and cook your burgers in the same pan.

Build Your Burger: Bottom bun, burger, bacon, Brussels sprouts mixture, a dollop of sour cream, and your top bun. Dollop. Dollop. That's a great word, dollop.

5, Episode 6: Father Of The Bob

This burger sounds religious. It's not. Although wars have been fought over it and some people pray to it. It's an all-beef patty flavored with mustard and sauteed mushrooms, tomatoes, and garlic. It's topped with melted baby Swiss and Jarlsberg (cheeses) and a drizzle of brown gravy.

• 3 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
• Butter or olive oil
• 1 (10-ounce) package white button mushrooms, sliced
• 2 Roma tomatoes, seeded and diced
• 1 cup brown gravy (canned, homemade, or from a mix)
• 1/4 cup brown mustard
• 1 pound ground beef
• 4 slices baby Swiss cheese
• 4 slices Jarlsberg cheese
• 4 hamburger buns
• Boston or green leaf lettuce

Saute the garlic in a little butter or oil over medium-high heat just until fragrant. Fragrance is like obscenity: You'll know it when you smell it. Turn the heat down to medium and add the mushrooms and a bit more butter or oil. Cook these slowly to soften them up and draw out their liquid.

Once your mushrooms are starting to brown, raise the heat to high till the liquid evaporates. Throw in your diced tomatoes and saute briefly. Set aside.

Heat your gravy--scratch, a can, or a mix--you'll want it hot.

Gently mix the mustard into the beef. Form 4 hamburger patties and season both sides with salt and pepper. Cook the burgers. Put a bit of your mushroom-garlic-tomato mixture on top and then add one slice each of the Swiss and the Jarlsberg.

Build Your Burger: Bottom bun, lettuce, cheesy-mushroomy burger, more mushrooms, gravy, top bun. Reserve any leftover gravy for dipping fries.

Have a great week and, until next time, happy cooking.

See more recipes at www.semissourian.com/columns/recipeswap.

Poutine On The Ritz Burger

If you're feeling really "ritzy," ask your butcher to grind a couple of well marbled cuts for you and make a signature burger blend: like a 50/50 mix of untrimmed brisket and boneless short rib.

Gravy

• 1 ounce dried porcini mushrooms
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 medium onion, sliced
• 1/2 medium shallot, sliced
• 1/2 medium leek, white and pale-green parts only, sliced
• 1 garlic clove, smashed
• 2 teaspoons tomato paste
• 2 cups veal demi-glace or homemade veal stock
• 2 teaspoons black peppercorns
• 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
• 1 teaspoon green peppercorns
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 2 sprigs parsley
• 2 sprigs thyme
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 pound frozen, wide-cut steak fries (such as Ore-Ida), fried to a deep golden brown according to manufacturer's directions

Burger And Assembly

• Unsalted butter, room temperature (for buns)
• 4 sesame seed buns, split
• Vegetable oil (for pan)
• 1 1/2 pounds ground beef chuck (20% fat)
• Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper
• Mayonnaise, dill pickle slices, cheddar cheese curds or halloumi, and finely chopped chives (for serving)

For the gravy:

Place mushrooms in a small heatproof bowl and cover with 1 cup boiling water. Let sit until mushrooms are tender, about 20 minutes. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve into another small bowl, reserving soaking liquid and mushrooms separately. Meanwhile, melt butter in a small skillet over medium-high heat. Cook flour, stirring constantly, until roux is deep golden brown and smells nutty, 2--4 minutes; set aside.

Heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high. Cook onion, shallot, leek, and garlic, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are deep golden brown and caramelized, 10--12 minutes. Add tomato paste and cook, stirring often, until slightly darkened in color, 1--2 minutes. Add mushrooms, mushroom liquid, demi-glace, black peppercorns, vinegar, green peppercorns, Worcestershire, parsley, thyme, and bay leaf. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer until slightly reduced and flavors have melded, about 30 minutes. Strain infused stock through sieve into a large bowl, pressing on solids to extract as much liquid as possible; discard solids.

Return stock to saucepan and bring to a boil. Add roux and cook, whisking constantly, until gravy is thick and smooth, 2--3 minutes. Reheat before using. Do Ahead: Gravy can be made 3 days. Cover and chill.

For the burger and assembly: Generously butter cut sides of buns. Heat a large griddle or cast-iron skillet over medium-high. Toast buns, cut side down, pressing slightly, until deep golden brown, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a plate and loosely wrap with foil to keep warm. Wipe griddle clean with paper towels, then heat over medium-high until very hot, about 2 minutes; lightly brush with oil. Meanwhile, divide beef into 4 equal portions (do not form patties).

Working in batches if needed, transfer beef to griddle and smash flat with a spatula to form imperfect, loose patties about 4" in diameter (craggy edges are your friend). Season liberally with salt and pepper and cook, undisturbed, until outer edges are brown, about 2 minutes. Turn patties, season with salt and pepper, and cook until medium-rare, about 1 minute.

Transfer burgers to toasted buns. Top with mayonnaise, pickles, a handful of fries, cheese curds, gravy, and chives. Serve remaining fries on a platter topped with additional cheese curds, gravy, and chives alongside.

Have a great week and, until next time, happy cooking.

See more recipes at www.semissourian.com/columns/recipeswap.

I've Created A Muenster; Season 1, Episode 11: Weekend At Mort's

Perfect patties topped with sauteed mushrooms and smothered in muenster cheese, with a dollop of ketchup and lettuce for a bit of color. Muenster is a pretty subtle cheese, but it adds a lot of texture to this burger. Muenster also happens to be number four on Gene's "Cheeses That Please Me" list. Check often, he updates that list frequently.

• 1 (10-ounce) package white button mushrooms, sliced
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 pound ground beef
• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 8 thick slices muenster cheese
• 4 hamburger buns
• Green leaf or Boston lettuce
• Ketchup

Saute the mushrooms in the butter over medium-high heat until they are limp and light brown.

Form four hamburger patties and season both sides with salt and pepper. Cook the burgers.

While the burgers are over the heat, put one slice of Muenster on each burger. Then pile on a healthy scoop of mushrooms and then a second slice of Muenster to hold the mushrooms in place.

Build Your Burger: Bottom bun, lettuce and a cheesy mushroomy burger, a dash of ketchup to taste, top bun.

Sit And Spinach; Season 2, Episode 8: Bad Tina

An all-beef patty stuffed with spinach and cooked with lemon and red wine vinegar. It's topped with fresh tomatoes, mozzarella cheese, and spinach. The spinach pairs really well with the lemon and vinegar, and the stretchy mozzarella makes for a great finish. Also, stretchy mozz rhymes with sketchy thoughts. So...ponder that for a minute.

• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 2 bunches spinach, chopped, stems discarded
• 1 pound ground beef
• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 4 slices mozzarella
• 4 hamburger buns
• 1 large tomato, cut into 4 slices

In a deep pot or wide frying pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat and throw in the garlic. Cook until it's aromatic, and then add the spinach. You may need to do this in batches but it will cook down pretty quickly. Keep stirring until the spinach has wilted and cooked down. Set aside in a large bowl and let cool.

Take 1/2 cup of cooled cooked spinach from your bowl and squeeze the moisture out of it using either your hands or a potato ricer or cheesecloth. Mix it into the ground beef along with salt and pepper. Form 4 patties.

Mix the lemon juice and vinegar and transfer to a frying pan over medium-high heat. Cook the beef patties in the lemon--red wine vinegar mixture. Before they finish cooking add a slice of mozzarella to the patty. Cover the pan to help it melt.

Build Your Burger: Bottom bun, burger and mozzarella, a slice of tomato, some cooked spinach, top bun. You did it! As Linda might say, "All right!" And then she'd pour herself a nice glass of wine and watch a rerun of Dallas.