I love burgers, but have never been a fan of turkey burgers. It seemed as though no matter how I’d doctor them up they’d still be dry and boring. That is until I tried the Turkey & Zucchini Burgers with Green Onions & Cumin from the cookbook Jersusalem by Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi.
If you’ve never heard of Ottolenghi and Tamimi or read any of their cookbooks you’re in for a real treat. Their recipes are fresh, and full of flavor. Between them they have 5 cookbooks: Ottolenghi, Jerusalem, Plenty, Plenty More, and their newest cookbook that just came out October 3rd is Sweet. I’m thrilled to tell you I have them all, and love each one.
I’m a cookbook nerd. While some of you may browse through fashion, car, kids magazines, or whatever suits your fancy, I sit down and browse, cover to cover, cookbooks.
Last week while revisiting Jerusalem, my fingers stopped walking when I landed on these Turkey and Zucchini Burgers. I’ve made potato and zucchini pancakes and recalled how moist they were. After reading all the green veggies, herbs, and spices in the ingredient list, I knew I had to try these.
In fact, these burgers were so incredibly flavorful I didn’t even feel the desire to slap them on a bun. Instead, I savored them with the Sumac Sauce recommended with these burgers.
What is Sumac? The sumac bush, native to the Middle East, produces deep red berries, which are dried and ground into coarse powder. While it’s less common, the berries may also be sold whole. Ground sumac is a versatile spice with a tangy lemony flavor, although more balanced and less tart than lemon juice. This dry red powder isn’t a true spice — it gets harvested from the fruit of the sumac, or sumach flower, a member of the cashew family.
The sumac sauce in this recipe is blended with a combination of sour cream, yogurt, herbs, spices, lemon and olive oil, creating a unique sauce bursting with flavor!
These burgers are sauteed in a pan to crisp and brown the exterior first. Then, briefly placed in an oven to seal in the juices to enhance their flavor. Packed with shredded zucchini, fresh veggies herbs and spices, these Turkey and Zucchini Burgers with Green Onions and Cumin are not to be missed.
Trust me when I tell you I’ve avoided turkey burgers like the plague. However, this variation is a burger your entire family will enjoy. Create large, or medium size burgers, or if serving a crowd, roll into meatballs to be dipped in the sumac sauce.
I’ve even been snacking on those that I still have leftover. They’re that good.
I hope you’ll give these Turkey & Zucchini Burgers with Green Onions & Cumin a try…………………………..
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