Lamb Burgersrachel Ray Recipes

Steps:

• Gather your ingredients.
• For the sauce: Peel a clove of garlic with a crack of knife against the heel of your hand. In a small bowl, whisk up yogurt, tahini, the juice of 1 lemon and cumin. Then grate the garlic into the sauce with a zester or paste it with a knife (add a fat pinch of salt). Whisk sauce again.
• For the burgers: Preheat a cast-iron skillet or heavy griddle or frying pan over medium to medium-high heat.
• Place ground lamb or chicken in a mixing bowl. Season the meat with salt and pepper, cumin, coriander, paprika, sumac if using, turmeric, cardamom, crushed red pepper, allspice and nutmeg. Crack 2 cloves garlic and grate them into the bowl or finely chop. Peel the onion and grate about 3 tablespoons of it into the bowl. Finley chop the mint and parsley then add them to the lamb. Combine all the ingredients and mound up. Score meat into 4 equal portions and form 4 patties, thinner at the center for even cooking.
• To prepare the burgers, add EVOO, 1 slow turn of the pan, to skillet (a thin layer to just glaze the surface). Add patties and cook about 7 minutes for lamb, a minute or two longer for chicken, turning occasionally. If cooking lamb, press down with spatula when you turn the patties -- lean ground lamb tends to tighten as it cooks more so than other ground meats.
• When you remove the patties they can be served as such but for a more authentic facsimile of shawarma, we rest the patties and very thinly slice them on a bias. Regardless, while the burgers cook, prepare your toppings of choice.
• Assemble burgers: bun bottoms, sauce, patty or thinly sliced shawarma, lettuce, hot cherry peppers, cucumbers, herb leaves, dressed fennel and onions, bun top. OR split a pita and fill with giardiniera and Israeli pickles.
• Poke with a couple of toothpicks and split burgers down the middle. Serve burgers with chips.

Steps:

• Toast the walnuts in a dry skillet over medium heat. Remove to a plate and set aside.
• Add 1/2 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, half a turn of the pan, and the onions. Cook for 5 minutes to soften, then put them in mixing bowl to cool.
• While onions cool, put the milk, feta, half of the marjoram or oregano, mint, salt and pepper, to taste, and the nuts in a food processor and process to a thick, smooth sauce.
• Add lamb to the bowl with the onions and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Stir in the remaining marjoram or oregano, paprika and cinnamon. Form the mixture into 4 patties, thinner at the center and thicker at the edges. Heat 1/2 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, in nonstick skillet over medium-high heat and cook the patties 3 to 4 minutes on each side for pink centers.
• Meanwhile, heat 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil in another skillet over medium-low heat. Add the garlic clove and let it infuse the oil for 1 to 2 minutes. Add the spinach and let it wilt, then remove the pan from the heat, and season with salt, pepper and nutmeg, to taste.
• Add the lamb patties to the bun bottoms or charred bread. Shake off excess liquid as you remove the spinach and pile it on top of the burgers. Slather the bun tops with the feta sauce. Cover the burgers with the bun tops and serve.

Steps:

• Put all of the ingredients for the sauce in food processor and process until smooth. Transfer to a small serving dish and reserve.
• Put the red onion rings in a small bowl and separate the rings. Add the lime juice and drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
• Add the lamb to a mixing bowl along with the garlic, chile, ginger, spices, cinnamon, and salt and pepper, to taste. Mix to combine. Form the meat mixture into 4 sections and make 2 slider-size patties form each portion, 8 (3-ounce) burgers in total, thinner at the center and thicker at the edges.
• Heat a large skillet or a griddle pan with a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the burgers and cook a few minutes on each side.
• Put a few leaves of spinach on each of the bun bottoms and add the burger. Top with the onions and green sauce. Cover with the bun tops and serve.
• * Toast and grind your own coriander and cumin if you have a coffee grinder or spice mill.

Steps:

• Coat a large saute pan with olive oil, toss in the diced onions and season with salt and crushed red pepper. Bring the pan to medium-high heat and cook the onions for 3 to 4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 2 to 4 more minutes. Turn the heat off and let cool.
• In a large bowl, combine the lamb, the cooled onion mixture, the dill, mint, oregano, lemon zest and 1/2 to 3/4 cup water. Sprinkle with salt and combine well. Make a little "tester patty," cook it and taste for seasoning.
• Preheat the grill.
• Form the lamb mixture into 4 equal patties and sprinkle with salt. Grill the burgers to your desired doneness, 4 to 5 minutes per side for medium-rare. Remove the burgers from the grill and let rest for 3 to 4 minutes.
• Cut the Whole-Wheat Pitas in half. Schmear each half generously with the Pickled Feta Spread. Top one half with a burger, then tomatoes, sliced onions and spinach. Place the other pita half on top.
• In a small bowl, combine the warm water, sugar and yeast and let sit for 15 minutes.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the flours, cumin, salt and cayenne. Add the yeast mixture and the olive oil. Mix on medium speed to combine and knead the dough. It should take 6 to 7 minutes. The dough will be firm and not sticky or tacky.
• Place the dough in a lightly oiled mixing bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until the dough has doubled in size, about 1 1/2 hours.
• Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F.
• Divide the dough into 8 equal pieces and roll into 7-inch rounds (1/4-inch thick). Divide the dough between 2 sheet trays, cover them loosely with a clean tea towel or plastic wrap and let rest for 20 minutes.
• Bake the pitas for 3 to 4 minutes, then turn the pitas over and bake for 2 more minutes. Let cool and use as desired.
• Place the vinegar, sugar, salt, tea bags, bay leaf and herb stems, if using, in a small saucepan along with 1 cup water. Heat until the sugar and salt has dissolved. Remove from the heat and let cool.
• Place the feta in a small container. Add the vinegar mixture and be sure that the feta is submerged in the liquid. Let sit for a couple of hours outside the refrigerator if using right away, or in the refrigerator if using in the future.
• Strain the feta from the pickling liquid and discard the tea bags, bay leaf and stems. Place the feta in a food processor and add the yogurt. Pulse until combined.

Steps:

• Heat oven to 500 degrees F.
• Cut 10 wedges from each potato and place on a baking sheet. Drizzle a couple tablespoons of oil over the potatoes to coat them lightly then season with rosemary, salt and pepper and 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes. Throw a couple of cloves of cracked garlic on the sheet with potatoes. Roast 25 minutes, turning once.
• Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Place ground meats in a bowl and add a 2 to 3 cloves of grated garlic, grill seasoning fennel seed, 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, Worcestershire sauce. Mix the burgers and form 4 patties. Make patties thinner in the center - burgers bulge as they cook. Cook burgers 5 to 6 minutes on each side.
• While burgers cook, sliced cheese and tomatoes, onions and basil and reserve.
• In a food processor, combine capers, parsley, anchovy paste, lemon zest and olives. Turn processor on and drizzle in 3 to 4 tablespoons oil until a thick paste forms.
• Melt cheese on burgers.
• Toast buns.
• Place burgers on buns and top with tomato, basil, red onions and slather the bun tops with some olive tapenade and serve with oven fries.

Steps:

• Preheat grill for medium heat and lightly oil the grate.
• Thoroughly mix ground lamb, rosemary, thyme, garlic powder, salt, and pepper together in a bowl; shape into 4 patties.
• Cook the burgers until they are beginning to firm and are hot and slightly pink in the center, about 5 minutes per side. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read 140 degrees F (60 degrees C). Alternately, you can cook the burgers to your desired degree of doneness. Rest burgers while assembling toppings.
• Mix mayonnaise and mustard together in a small bowl; spread 1 tablespoon of the mixture onto one side of each bun. Put a burger onto each bun and top with tomato and greens. Sandwich with remaining bun half to serve.