Karen Freeman
When the weather turns warm, I automatically think “grill” time. Grill time and spring time equal burger time.
To try not to get in a rut with grilling, we need to find different ways to do the same thing. It’s easy to find a different way to make a burger. That can mean using chicken, turkey, tuna or pork instead of beef or it can mean stuffing or topping the burger with something different.
This week’s recipes a twists on the standard burger. These recipes can be made on the grill or if it’s rainy, they can be created on the stovetop or in the oven. You can also substitute any protein for the beef. There is even a recipe for a veggie burger.
The first recipe is an open-faced burger that will rival the best Reuben you’ve ever had. These burgers are served on rye bread, topped with sauerkraut, Swiss cheese, and onion, and then broiled to toast everything. Top these burgers off with Thousand Island Dressing and dill pickle slices.
The second recipe is an Italian burger. These jazzed up burgers are made with lean ground beef and Mozzarella cheese, along with garlic powder and Italian seasonings. That makes this a lower fat burger than most. User the leanest ground beef you can find or buy lean beef and grind it yourself for even more fat savings.
The third recipe is similar to the popular Sloppy Joe burgers. However, instead of just beef, this burger also includes sausage. This would be a great rainy day burger when you can’t use the grill.
The fourth recipe is a little different, but if you give it a chance you’ll like it. My husband doesn’t like spinach. At least he thinks he doesn’t like spinach, so I try to find things to put it in so that he won’t realize that he’s eating it. This is one of those times. This burger has goat cheese, spinach and turkey. It’s very healthy and tastes wonderful. You’ll never pass this one off as a beef burger but if you tell the kids they are eating goat cheese, they won’t care that they are also eating spinach and turkey.
The last recipe is a veggie burger. Even if you aren’t a vegetarian, veggie burgers can be both fun and delicious. Give them a try. This recipe uses carrot, onion, celery and beans but you can substitute other veggies if you like. Let the kids make the patties and they may get into eating this delicious burger.
Reuben Burger
1 Small Onion, sliced
1 Tablespoon Butter
1 Pound Lean Ground Beef or Ground Chuck
4 Slices Rye Bread
8 To 16 Ounces Sauerkraut, drained and rinsed
4 Slices Swiss Cheese
Thousand Island Dressing, optional
Dill Pickle Slices, optional
Sauté the onion slices in butter; set aside. Shape ground beef into four patties; fry in skillet or broil to desired doneness, turning to evenly brown. Place hamburger patties on the rye bread slices on a broiler rack. Top the burgers with sauerkraut, onion, and cheese. Broil until cheese is melted. Serve with Thousand Island dressing or pickle slices if desired.
Makes four Reuben Burgers.
Italian Style Hamburger
1 1/4 To 1 1/2 Pounds Ground Beef
1 Heaping Teaspoon Italian Seasoning
3/4 Teaspoon Garlic Powder
1/2 Teaspoon Onion Powder
1/4 Teaspoon Salt
4 Slices Mozzarella Cheese
Combine ground beef with seasonings; form into 8 patties, each about 1/4-inch thick. Place cheese slices (might need to cut to fit) in center of 4 of the patties; cover cheese with remaining patties and press edges together. Broil or grill over medium-hot coals, turning once, until done.
Makes 4 large burgers.
Saucy Barbecue Burgers
1 1/2 Pounds Ground Beef
1/2 Pound Ground Pork Sausage
1 Cup Chopped Onion, about 1 large onion
1 Cup Chopped Celery
1 Bottle Chili Sauce (12 ounces)
1 Can (8 ounces) Tomato Sauce
1 Cup Water
2 Tablespoons Prepared Mustard
1 Teaspoon Seasoned Salt
1/4 Teaspoon Ground Black Pepper
Salt, To Taste
8 Hamburger Buns, split and toasted
In a Dutch oven or large skillet, sauté sausage for about 4-5 minutes or until browned; remove to paper towels. Drain off excess grease and sauté ground beef for 4-5 minutes, until browned. Remove ground beef to paper towels. Drain off all but a few teaspoons of the pan drippings; sauté onion and celery until soft. Return sausage and ground beef to pan; stir in chili sauce, tomato sauce, water, mustard, seasoned salt, and pepper. Simmer, uncovered, stirring frequently, for about 30 minutes, or until thickened. Taste and add salt if needed then serve sloppy Joe style saucy burgers over toasted rolls.
Goat Cheese and Spinach Turkey Burgers
1/2 Pounds Ground Turkey Breast
1 Cup Frozen Chopped Spinach, thawed and drained
2 Tablespoons Goat Cheese, crumbled
Preheat the grill until hot. In a medium bowl, mix ground turkey, spinach, and goat cheese. Form the mixture into 4 patties. Arrange patties on a grill and cook for approximately 15 minutes, or until done.
Veggie Burgers
1 Tablespoon Olive Oil, divided
1/2 Cup Minced Onion
1/2 Cup Minced Green or Red Pepper
1/2 Cup Minced Carrot
1/2 Cup Minced Celery
1 (15 oz.) Can Cannelloni Beans
2 Eggs, lightly beaten
2/3 Cup Seasoned Dried Bread Crumbs
1/4 - 1/2 Cup Chicken Broth
Garlic Powder
Save time and use a food processor to mince your vegetables. In a large nonstick skillet, heat 1/4 cup of chicken broth. Add minced vegetables (onion, pepper, carrot and celery).Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until veggies are soft and moisture has evaporated. You may need to add a little more broth if your veggies aren’t soft. Set aside to cool slightly.
Mash beans (again the food processor will speed this up).Place in a medium bowl and add eggs. Mix well. Add bread crumbs and veggie mixture; mix until thoroughly combined. Shape into patties.
Cover and refrigerate until chilled, at least 20 minutes (or put in freezer for 10 minutes). In same skillet, heat 1.5 teaspoons of oil. Add 4 patties, sprinkle with garlic powder, and cook over medium heat, turning once, until browned on both sides, and heated through.
Remove patties to plate; keep warm. Repeat with the remaining 1.5 teaspoons of oil and the last patties.
Did you know?
Regulating cooking temperature
The thicker the patty the lower the cooking temperature should be.
If you have too much heat the outside will be burnt before the centre is cooked to the required degree of doneness.
Below I have set out an easy method that will help you to judge heat if you are new to this.
This is not the ideal cooking procedure but it should teach you which heat setting is best on your particular stove or barbecue. Ideally you would pre-heat to the correct cooking temperature then put on the patties and seal the juices in, turning only once. This however takes a bit of practice.
In a pan/skillet: Put a dash of oil, cooking spray or whatever you normally use into the cold pan, heat it slightly and add the patties.
With the heat turned up to about half way wait until the patties start to sizzle.
Lower the temperature slightly and try to maintain that same degree of sizzle. Lift the pan slightly if necessary
After a minute or two cautiously lift the edge of a patty near the center of the pan and take a peek. If the pan is still too hot and the patties are in danger of burning flip them over and re-adjust the temperature. Otherwise cook the patties until you see juices appearing on the surface before turning over.
On the barbecue: If you can keep your hand close to the grid for the count of ten before having to jerk away you should be ok.
Chicken is pretty lean so if you're grilling chicken patties it's a good idea to oil the grid before grilling or to brush the patties lightly with oil.
Better safe than sorry, lift cautiously and peek regularly, turn before they burn!
The more experienced you become the less you will find yourself having to turn the patties. You've got it right when you only have to turn once.
When is the patty cooked?
The surest way of determining the degree of doneness of meat is by inserting a meat thermometer into the centre of the thickest part. This works well with thick cuts of meat and can sometimes work with thick, well-bound, patties too but be careful not to break up the patty.
Here are some internal temperature guidelines:
Beef: Rare 140F: Medium 160F: Well Done 175F
Pork: 160F
Poultry: 175F
Unfortunately this does not always work so well with thinner, less stable patties. Here, the easiest way to determine the degree of doneness is by the firmness of the meat.
During the cooking process the meat changes color, juices become clear, the meat shrinks and the patty becomes firm.
Don't press down too hard on the patty with the spatula, you'll lose all those wonderful juices. Just lightly "feel" the degree of firmness with the edge of the lifter regularly. The more cooked the meat becomes the firmer the patty gets. Make a small incision in the center and take a peek if you're not sure. Relate the firmness of the patty to what you see and you'll soon start to get the hang of it. When the centre is firm the patty is done.
Before long you will know just how firm the patty should be for your preferred degree of doneness.
(http://www.hamburger-recipes.com/making-hamburgers.html)
Karen’s Kitchen is a weekly column by Karen Freeman of Tarboro. Contact Karen at:
kvfreeman@triad.rr.com to exchange ideas, ask questions, submit recipes, tips or suggestions.
Check out her Web site: http://www.geocities.com/kvfreeman27886/
