South Philly Review

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Monday is the Fourth of July and if this year’s weather for the celebrations is similar to those of recent holidays, it will be stinking hot.

Hot dogs and hamburgers are probably the top foods Americans will toss on the grill. This year, let’s turn our attention to the array of burgers we can dive into along with a variety of side dishes.
Any animal protein can be ground into burgers. I’ve savored tuna burgers, lamb burgers, all-beef burgers made with ground chuck and a beef and pork combo. Crab cakes and salmon patties are delicious served on a bun with tartar sauce or homemade aioli. I don’t care for turkey burgers because the meat is too dry. If it’s made from a mix of ground breast meat and thigh meat, the burger just may be a bit more moist.

Most supermarkets and butcher shops carry ground lamb and pork. To make tuna burgers, chop the fish using a food processor or pull out the large reliable chef knife and do it by hand. Either way, they’re a delicious answer to those eschewing beef, lamb and pork.

My friend, chef Christopher Thames, gave me his recipe for crab cakes. He uses panko bread crumbs instead of regular ones. Panko bread crumbs are Asian-style and can be found in most supermarkets. All the grocers in Chinatown carry them.

Ground lamb is very Eastern Mediterranean and Middle Eastern. Greek meatballs, are made with lamb. Ground lamb shaped into small logs and grilled are sometimes part of a Middle Eastern mezze platter.

Celebrate America’s birthday with these burgers. The recipes are from “Ten: All The Foods We Love..and 10 Recipes for Each” by Sheila Lukins.

Greek-Style Lamb Cheeseburgers

Ingredients:
1 pound of ground lamb
1 tablespoon of  onion, grated
1 large clove of garlic, very finely minced
2 teaspoons of dried oregano
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1/3 cup of fresh mint leaves, chopped
3 ounces of Greek cheese such as feta or manouri, cut into 4 chunks
2 tablespoons of vegetable oil
Ripe tomato, sliced for serving
Onion, sliced for serving
1/2 cup of Kalamata olives, for serving
4 hamburger buns

Directions:
Place the first six ingredients in a bowl. Mix together lightly with your hands.

Form the meat mixture into four thick patties, each about 3 inches in diameter and 1.5 inches thick. Remove some of the meat from the top center of each patty, insert a chunk of the cheese and recover with the meat.

Heat the oil in a nonstick skillet over medium. Add the burgers, two at a time, and cook for five minutes on the first side. Turn them over and cook for three minutes for medium-rare.

Serve the burgers on toasted buns and pass the tomatoes, onion and olives. Serves four.

Curried Turkey Burgers

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons of olive oil
1/2 cup of red onion, diced
2 teaspoons of curry powder
1 pound of ground turkey or chicken
1 small egg, lightly beaten
1/2 cup of fresh bread crumbs
1/4 cup of Granny Smith apple, grated and peeled
1/4 cup of chopped store-bought mango chutney
2 scallions, thinly sliced on the diagonal
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Mayonnaise, for topping
3 hamburger buns, toasted
Carrot salad (recipe follows)

Directions:
Heat the oil in a non-stick skillet and add the onions. Sauté over medium-low for about 10 minutes. Reduce the heat to low and add the curry powder. Cook, stirring, for one minute. Transfer the onions to a bowl and bring to room temperature.

Light the barbecue. Add the next eight ingredients to the onions. Combine lightly. Form the mixture into four patties, each about 3 inches in diameter and 1 inch thick.

Add the burgers and grill them for about five minutes per side.