It doesn’t have to be barbeque season to make burgers. Since the chief
foodies (who are they anyway?) have declared burgers a food trend for
2013 again, we thought we should feature a selection of less traditional
but super delicious burgers that are big hits with our readers.
Asian
burgers get great flavor from sesame, ginger, soy sauce and green
onions. Mini Moroccan Lamb burgers are always a huge hit as sliders.
People cannot quite name all the spices that come together for these
burgers that smell as good as they taste. And lastly, turkey burgers
that are good enough and healthy enough to replace the beef burger night
in your home.
Mini Moroccan Lamb Burgers with Parve Lemon Cream Sauce
Makes 6 – 8 servings
This
is a great and easy way to spice up a midweek meal. The lamb burgers
are a refreshing and flavorful twist to a regular burger and the lemon
sauce adds a certaincoolness to the dish.
For the lemon yogurt sauce:
1 pint parve sour cream
1 lemon, zested
4 tablespoons lemon juice
Kosher salt
12 slider buns or 1 halla, sliced
For the mini burgers:
1kg ground lamb
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon salt
¾ teaspoon black pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 cups lettuce, torn into small pieces
4 ripe plum tomatoes, cut into 1/4-inch thick rounds
Make the sauce:
In
a medium mixing bowl, stir together the parve sour cream, lemon zest
and juice. Season, to taste, with salt. Sauce can be made ahead of time
and refrigerated until ready to use. Bring to room temperature before
using.
Make the burgers:
Preheat the grill or grill pan.
Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl and work together until they
are fully incorporated. Using your hands, gently form little balls about
1 to 1 1/2 inches big and place them on a parchment paper-lined baking
pan. With a fork, flatten burgers to about 1/2-inch thick. Once the
grill is hot, place them on the grill or grill pan and cook, about 2 to 3
minutes per side or until fully cooked through.
Slice buns and toast if you like. Serve burgers with lettuce, tomato, and lemon cream sauce.
Asian Burgers with Cabbage Relish and Chili Mayonnaise
3 cups finely shredded napa cabbage
½ cup thinly sliced green onions, divided
3 tablespoons seasoned rice vinegar
4 teaspoons minced garlic
4 teaspoons fresh ginger, divided
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil, divided
1½ teaspoon Asian chili garlic sauce, divided
¼ cup mayonnaise
700grams ground beef
2 tablespoons soy sauce
4 hamburger buns, split
Heat grill or a grill pan over medium-high heat (alternatively, heat a sauté pan).
Mix
cabbage, ¼ cup green onions, the vinegar, 1 teaspoon each garlic and
ginger, 2 teaspoons sesame oil, and ½ teaspoon chili sauce in a large
bowl. Set relish aside, stirring occasionally. In another bowl, mix
mayonnaise with remaining 1 teaspoon chili sauce.
Combine beef,
soy sauce, and remaining ¼ cup green onions, 1 tablespoon each of garlic
and ginger, and 1 teaspoon sesame oil. Shape into 4 patties, each about
½ inch thick.
Spray grill or grill pan with non-stick cooking
spray. Grill burgers, covered, turning once, 7 to 8 minutes total for
medium. In the final minutes, toast buns.
Spread bun bottoms with
chili mayonnaise. Set burgers on buns. With a slotted spoon, put some
cabbage relish on each. Serve with remaining relish.
Turkey Burgers
1 pound (total) ground white and dark meat turkey combined
1 tablespoon Dijon Mustard
1 egg
2 tablespoons ketchup
1 tablespoon barbeque sauce
1 – ½ tablespoons mesquite seasoning
½ tablespoon onion powder
1 tablespoon water (Acrucial tip. Water is an important ingredient in making any burger. It helps keep the burgers moist)
½ cup bread crumbs
In
a large bowl, mix turkey meat, mustard, egg, ketchup, bbq sauce,
mesquite seasoning, onion powder, water and bread crumbs. Mix it gently
until all the ingredients are fully combined. Using your hands works
best, they mix well without working the meat too hard.
Divide the
meat into about 5 -6 equal parts, about ¾ cup each. Form into a
patty. Make the patty thicker on the outside and leave a small
indentation on the inside of the patty. The cool thing is that now,
when you bbq or cook your burgers the center part rises evening out your
burger. No more bloated tops.
Heat a grill pan or a bbq over
medium heat.Don’t worry if you don’t have one; just use a regular sauté
pan. Spray with non-stick cooking spray. Cook about 3-4 minutes each
side until cooked through. Important: Do not press down on the burger
while it is cooking. When you press down on meat, all the flavors ooze
out of the burger and remain in the pan. We want the flavor to stay in
the burger.
You are almost done; here is the last important tip
for great turkey burgers: Layer on the flavor. Add cooked onions or
mushrooms, or great roasted tomatoes, spicy mayonnaise or my favorite is
Coleslaw.
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