All Star Line Up: LA Dogs

We officially kick off summer celebrating with one of the best ways we know how as Americans, with friendly gatherings and BBQ. This recipe takes an American classic and kicks it up with fusion toppings and favorite local flavors. Try these dogs one at a time or throw a potluck and serve all four! Luckily baseball season lends to more opportunities to try more topping combinations. Hot diggity dog, summer is going to be tasty.Start by cooking your chosen franks with your preferred method; boil, grill, campfire, etc. We chose to broil our franks in the oven for approximately 7 to 10 minutes. Scoring the hot dogs with a knife along the sides and on the ends helps indicate when they are fully cooked, plus it's decorative.

Classic LA Street Meat:

The classic LA street dog is wrapped in bacon, topped with onions, bell peppers and banana peppers and commonly seen cooked on a flat top grill curbside. Also know as Suicide Dogs, they are hard to resist after a late night out on the town despite what your personal judgement may be trying to tell you. Perhaps making these irresistible dogs at home will make the heart burn less piercing. Either way, you know you want one of these. 

1. Wrap your dog in bacon before cooking. Secure the strip with toothpicks. You'll want to avoid boiling this one. Grilling or broiling  gives you the crispest bacon. 
2. Julienne the peppers and onions then sautée with a touch of olive oil.
3. We served this dog on a white bun with the pepper onion topping and sliced banana peppers. 

K-Town Express:

The K-Town Express dog is a Korean fusion style hot dog. It is topped with a quick pickled Brussels sprout kimchi and served on a pretzel roll or other bun of your choosing. This kimchi is quick pickled rather than fermented so it is ready to enjoy within hours. However, if you have an excellent source for quality fresh kimchi, that is also an exceptional topping worth exploring.What you will need:

• 1/2  lb Large Brussel Sprouts
• 1/3 cup Rice Vinegar
• 1/4 cup Korean Chili Paste or Sambal Oelek Fresh Chili Paste
• 2 tbsp Soy Sauce
• 1 tbsp Garlic, minced 
• 1 tbsp of Ginger, minced

How to Make the Pickled Kimchi: 

1. Trim off the hard end of the Brussels sprouts and cut in half length wise. Then, slice the halves thinly placing in a large bowl. 
2. In a separate bowl, whisk together the other ingredients and add chili paste to taste. 1/4 cup of chili paste will get you a medium hot kimchi. 
3. Add the wet ingredients to Brussels sprouts tossing well to coat them evenly.
4. Put the mixture into a resealable plastic bag and let it marinate for a minimum of an hour but ideally over night.
5. Serve it up on a pretzel roll or other bun of your choosing.

The Pimento Pup:

The Pimento Pup is a bacon wrapped hot dog with pimento sauce and fresh cilantro. The pimento sauce can have a small amount of heat or a big kick. It is up to you.You will need: 

• 1 cup Sharp Shredded Cheddar
• 1/4 cup of Mayonnaise
• 2 oz of Softened Cream Cheese
• 1 4oz jar of Sliced Pimentos, drained
• Tabasco to taste
• 1 tsp Chipotle Powder
• 2 tbsp Shallots, minced

To make the topping:

1. Mix the mayonnaise, softened cream cheese and shredded cheddar in the food processor until smooth.
2. In a bowl, remove the contents from the processor and gently fold in the pimentos and minced shallots.
3. Wrap your frank in bacon and  secure with toothpicks. Broil in the oven or grill for the crispiest bacon.
4. We served our dog on a multi grain roll and topped with fresh cilantro.

The Taj Mahound:

We cheated a bit with this hot dog because we bought the topping from a local restaurant. However when this topping idea came to us, we had to test this experiment with the best chutney we knew. This peach chutney from Walter's in Claremont is seasoned with curry, mustard seeds, red wine vinegar and slivers of red chili and plump golden raisins. It is pungent but balanced and incredibly delicious. When shopping for your chutney or deciding on a recipe, you’ll want something with spice and seasoned kick rather than just sweetness. This spice kick is what bridges the gap from the savoriness of the dog to the sweet and tartness of the chutney. We served ours on a toasted Hawaiian bread bun. Also try adding a sprinkle of finely minced onion as a finishing touch. 

 

This recipe has been contributed by Leo Coulourides, our Culinary Specialist. It has been inspired by some recipes from the magazine Cuisine at Home, May/July 2014 issue.