Veal Burger

You know what to do when life gives you lemons... but what about when life gives you leftover ground veal? Make Veal Burgers Stuffed with Mozzarella Cheese.

I'd always thought a cheese-stuffed burger sounded a bit over-the-top. But ground veal has a pretty subtle flavor, so adding cheese (and chopped green onions) gives it a little oomph. Also, it's fun to make little cheese sandwiches with two patties of meat as bread! I'd never had a veal burger before, and it turns out that veal is actually a terrific meat for burgers because it's moist and holds together nicely. It's on the leaner side, so adding some fat--in this case fresh mozzarella--is perfectly justified, in my mind.

This recipe has you whip up a mustard-mayo sauce with lemon zest and sage, which you spread atop the burgers. It also advises you to roast some portobello mushrooms with olive oil and garlic, and put those on your burger, too. I endorse this without hesitation.

"We hated that," Fork commented at the end of dinner. Our plates were wiped clean.--S

Street Meat for the Rest of Us

There's a popular food truck in my neighborhood called Rafiqi's. It sells gyros and meat-and-rice combo platters that smell very good and have a come-hither sizzle, though I'm too skeeved out by the street meat stigma to actually buy it for lunch. But many of my friends are big Rafiqi fans. I should note they're all men and none of them is particularly health-conscious.

I think I may have come upon a healthy version of Rafiqi's: Indian-Spiced Chicken Burgers. The recipe, from the Everyday Food cookbook, combines dried spices (paprika, cumin, cardamom and cayenne) with fresh seasonings (ginger, lemon, scallion, cilantro), resulting in a snappy dish that is deeply and richly flavored, and not heavy at all. It's healthy, too: you grill boneless, skinless chicken thighs that you've ground up in the food processor along with the spices, using just a little bit of oil on the grill. Once the mini-burgers are cooked, you stuff them into a whole-wheat pita, slide in some cucumber slices, and top it with cilantro sprigs and a dollop of creamy cumin yogurt sauce.

I know I can't knock it 'till I've tried it, but I'll still take Indian-Spiced Chicken Burgers over Rafiqi's any day.--S

Indian-Spiced Chicken Burgers

1 1/2 lbs (4 to 5) boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into rough chunks
4 scallions, thinly sliced
3 T chopped fresh ginger (from a peeled 2-inch piece)
2 T freshly squeezed lemon juice (from 1 lemon)
1 T paprika
2 t ground cumin
1/2 t ground cardamom
1/4 t cayenne pepper
Coarse salt and ground pepper
Vegetable oil, for grates
4 (6-inch) whole-wheat pitas
1 cucumber (8 ounces), halved lengthwise and thinly sliced on the diagonal
1/2 c fresh cilantro sprigs
Cumin Yogurt Sauce: In a small bowl, combine 1/2 c plain low-fat yogurt with 1/2 t ground cumin; season with coarse salt and ground pepper.

1. Heat grill to medium-high. In a medium bowl, place chicken, scallions, ginger, lemon juice, paprika, cumin, cardamom, cayenne, 1 1/2 t coarse salt, and 1/2 t pepper; toss to combine. Set aside to marinate, at least 10 and up to 30 minutes.
2. Transfer chicken mixture to a food processor; pulse until roughly chopped, but not pasty, 10 to 12 times. Gently form mixture into sixteen 3/4-inch-thick patties (about 3 T each).
3. Moisten a folded paper towel with oil; grasp with tongs and rub over grates. Season patties with salt and pepper; grill until opaque throughout, 2 to 3 minutes per side.
4. Halve pitas crosswise (toast on grill, if you like). Into each pocket, place 2 chicken patties, cucumber slices, and cilantro sprigs. Serve with Cumin Yogurt Sauce.

Recipe courtesy of Everyday Food: Great Food Fast

Inside Out

Fresh off a day at Yankee Stadium (beer, hot dog, popcorn, you know the drill) and my first long-ish run in awhile (9 miles), I thought my body deserved a healthy meal tonight. Who else to turn to but Heidi Swanson? Fork was off to Brooklyn for dinner with a band mate; a burger was in his future. I knew he'd snicker when I told him the kind of burger I was planning on for my meal: Sprouted Garbanzo Burger. So I spared myself the snickering and told him to have fun with his beef burger.

This recipe is the result of Heidi's experiments to come up with a new kind of bean or lentil burger, since often when you put one of those kinds of burgers on a bun, the burger as a whole is too dry and bready, with too much doughiness and not enough snap, crackle and pop. So she turned the patty into a bun and stuffed that with the good stuff.

You make a hummus-like spread out of chickpeas, eggs and some salt, and then mix that with chopped cilantro, chopped onion, lemon zest, micro sprouts (I used a blend of onion, radish, clover and cabbage sprouts) and whole-grain breadcrumbs. You form this batter into patties and brown them on each side. Slice open, and a burger is born. I filled mine with sliced avocado, more sprouts and a sprinkling of smoky Spanish paprika. Yum.--S

Sprouted Garbanzo Burgers

2 1/2 c sprouted garbanzo beans (chickpeas) OR canned garbanzos, drained and rinsed
4 large eggs
1/2 t fine-grain sea salt
1/3 c chopped fresh cilantro
1 onion, chopped
Grated zest of one large lemon
1 c micro sprouts, chopped
1 c toasted (whole-grain) bread crumbs
1 T extra-virgin olive oil

1. If you are using sprouted garbanzos, steam them until just tender, about 10 minutes. If using canned beans, so jump right in and combine the garbanzos, eggs, and salt in a food processor. Puree until the mixture is the consistency of a very thick, slightly chunky hummus.
2. Pour into a mixing bowl and stir in the cilantro, onion, zest, and sprouts. Add the breadcrumbs, stir, and let sit for a couple of minutes so the crumbs can absorb some of the moisture. At this point, you should have a moist mixture that you can easily form into twelve 1 1/2-inch-thick patties. I err on the moist side here, because it makes for a nicely textured burger. You can always add more bread crumbs a bit at a time to firm up the dough if need be. Conversely, a bit of water or more egg can be used to moisten the batter.
3. Heat the oil in a heavy skillet over medium low, add 4 patties, cover, and cook for 7 to 10 minutes, until the bottoms begin to brown. Turn up the heat if there is no browning after 10 minutes. Flip the patties and cook the second side for 7 minutes, or until golden. Remove from the skillet and cool on a wire rack while you cook the remaining patties. Carefully cut each patty in half, insert your favorite fillings, and enjoy immediately.

Makes 12 mini burgers.

Recipe courtesy of Super Natural Cooking

Baaaat's a Great Burger

I may have grown up in a food-centric household, but there were some common things we just didn't eat, including meatloaf and lamb. I've since learned to make a mean meatloaf (thanks Mom), and in the past few months, have been perfecting a dish that's fast become part of the regular rotation around here: Lamb Burgers with Feta Sauce and Cucumbers.

Lamb burgers taste lighter, more tender and more flavorful than beef burgers, and flat out tastier than turkey burgers. They're not greasy, since lamb has less marbling than other meats, but still juicy. The recipe I use comes from Everyday Food, and comes together in about 20 minutes. It's a Mediterranean take on the classic burger, with curry and scallions mixed in to the meat. Instead of melting a slice of American cheese or cheddar on top, you spread on a blend of feta, yogurt and more scallions. And standing in for lettuce and tomato: ribbons of cucumber, sliced with a vegetable peeler--groundbreaking!

Every time we eat these burgers, my mind goes to its default question of "how could I make this better?" But with this dish, the answer's always absolutely nothing. This is just a great burger. And I'll leave it at that.--S

Lamb Burgers with Feta Sauce and Cucumbers

serves 4

1 1/2 lbs ground lamb
2 t curry powder
3 scallions, thinly sliced
Coarse salt & ground pepper
1 T olive oil
4 oz feta cheese, crumbled
2 T plain yogurt
8 slices country bread or rolls, toasted if you want
1 kirby cucumber, cut lengthwise into ribbons with a vegetable peeler

1. In a medium bowl, combine lamb, curry powder, and 2 sliced scallions; season generously with salt and pepper. Mix gently with a fork (don't overmix); form into 4 oval patties to fit on bread (each 1 inch thick). [As you can see in the photo, my burgers are a bit, um, supersized.]

2. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high. Season patties with salt and pepper. Cook until browned and just cooked through, 4 to 6 minutes per side (reduce heat if browning too quickly).

3. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, mix feta, yogurt, and remaining scallion, mashing cheese gently to combine; season with salt and pepper.

4. Spread 4 slices of bread with feat mixture; top with cucumbers, lamb patties, and remaining bread.

Recipe courtesy of Everyday Food