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Simple summer fare is reinvented with the addition of some unusual toppings
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More from FoodGas: nearing the $5-per-gallon mark.
Super Dodger Dogs: $5.75 each (beer not included) at Dodger Stadium.
Throwing a few hot dogs on the grill during your Fourth of July weekend barbecue: cheap.
And that’s a good thing — even more so when you offer friends and family a menu of out-of-the-ordinary toppings that can help turn bargain-priced hot dogs into gourmet-worthy haute dogs.
Reader-tested suggestions shown include applesauce, grilled pineapple and ground beef that’s been kicked up a notch or two with a few shakes of paprika and chili powder.
Or, in the spirit of the “staycation” (staying home instead of vacationing elsewhere), take a trip to the Mediterranean simply by topping your dog with sun-dried tomatoes, kalamata olives and feta cheese.
Likewise, go south of the border with a dog that brings together cilantro, fresh corn kernels and huitalachoche, a fungus that grows on corn and is considered something of an earthy-tasting delicacy in Mexico. (Look for small cans of it at markets such as La Gloria de Oxnard.)
The Farmers Market Dog will have locavores barking with approval: It starts with a pork-and-maple syrup sausage from The Meat Guys (you’ll find their booth at the Saturday market in Ventura), nestled in a roll from Ojai’s Les Bles D’Or bakery, then topped with diced peaches, Sun Gold cherry tomatoes from Dave Pommer of Santa Paula, a chiffonade of basil grown by Albert Baltazar of Fillmore and a scattering of Mike’s Firehouse cheese curds from Spring Hill Cheese.
But don’t turn your back on the power of the old standbys.
“I take my hot dogs with ballpark simplicity: onions, mustard and relish or sauerkraut,” said Lisa Lorea, who moved to Ventura from San Francisco. “When I do, I’m transported to any one of hundreds of Giants games in the old Candlestick Park.”
Posted by Ms_California on July 3, 2008 at 9:21 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Ok I HATE hotdogs... and this article didn't make me like them anymore. Most of the items them mentioned to add made me throw up in my mouth a bit.
YUCKYYYYY who would eat this stuff!
Posted by Prodigy on July 3, 2008 at 9:56 a.m. (Suggest removal)
That has got to be the worst picture I have seen on this site yet. I almost threw up in my mouth. It's bad enough to think about what goes into a hot dog but to then see one with ground beef and mustard on top!? I will never eat a hot dog again. LOL
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