Handle the ground beef as briefly
as possible - in other words,
don't knead the meat - because o-
verhandling changes its texture,
moistness, and flavor. Shape the
meat firmly into a uniform patty
about one and a half inches thick.
Brush both sides with olive oil
and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Brush the grill lightly with olive
oil, and grill over a medium flame
about 5 to 6 minutes on each side
for medium rare.
Add dried thyme to 1/4 cup olive
oil and brush the ciabatta, tomato,
and onion slices, each 1/2 inch
thick, with the thyme oil. Salt
and pepper the onion and tomato;
grill all lightly on both sides.
This is Michael Lomonaco's take
on the hamburger that made '21'
famous, before his own years as
Chef at this power trough on the
near-West Side of Manhattan. With
the place's impossibly rich chick-
en hash, this open-faced concoc-
sion underwrote social standings
for visitors from all over America,
not for being especially witty, but
for being prohibitively expensive.
Yet it kept alive a gastronomic ac-
cident which has fueled prolific
invention ever since, and shows no
sign of withering in cachet. After
meetings of ACT UP each week, the
present writer would repair to the
bar at Jeremiah Tower's version of
'21,' for his superlatively simple
hamburger with a jigger of pepper
vodka. A pleasure denied is resis-
tance without a cause. This is why
repression can always be beaten.
Michael Lomonaco
The '21' Cookbook
Recipes and Lore from
New York's Fabled Res-
taurant
Doubleday, 1995©
Jeremiah Tower
Jeremiah Tower Cooks
250 Recipes from an
American Master
Stewart, Tabori & Chang, 2002©
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