Last week, I had a craving for Middle Eastern-style kofta, a richly spiced, meat mixture formed into meatballs or sausage-shapes and cooked.
While at the grocery store, shopping for the ingredients to make it, I noticed some tender, golden, sesame-seed hamburger buns for sale. That’s when I decided that, rather than serving my kofta with pita bread, as I normally do, I would instead form the meat mixture into patties, grill them and use them to make kofta burgers.
It was a tasty decision, especially when the burgers were also accented with tzatziki, feta, tomato and onion.
I used ground lamb, but you could also use ground beef or turkey to make the patties.
When flavouring and mixing the meat and shaping it into patties, use a gentle touch. If you vigorously mix and/or pack the meat together, you’ll compact the meat and the cooked patties could turn out tough in texture.
When your patties are formed, make a deep dimple in one side of each patty. That dimple should help prevent the patty from overly puffing in the middle during cooking.
I made my patties about 3/4-inch thick and they take about four to five minutes per side to cook when grilled over medium, medium-high heat. When cooked, the centre of the meat must reach a food-safe 160 F (71 C) when tested with an instant-read thermometer.
To balance the rich-taste of the kofta burgers, I decided to serve them with a parsley-rich, refreshing tasting tabbouleh. In this case, though, rather than make that Middle Eastern-style salad with bulgur, I used quinoa and mixed in some chickpeas for added interest and nutrition.
The tabbouleh recipe yields eight servings, twice as many servings as the burger recipe. But the leftovers could be enjoyed the next day or two.
Kofta Burgers
The patties in these Middle Eastern-style burgers are made from a rich meat mixture spiced with such things as cumin, coriander, cinnamon and cayenne.
Preparation time: 30 minutes
Cooking time: eight to 10 minutes
Makes: Four Servings
2 green onions, thinly sliced, and then minced
1 large garlic clove, minced
1 Tbsp tomato paste
1 tsp finely grated orange zest
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/8 tsp ground cayenne pepper
1 large egg
1 lb. ground lamb
1/4 cup dried breadcrumbs
2 Tbsp chopped fresh mint or oregano
• olive oil for grill
4 hamburger buns, split
4 lettuce leaves
1/3 to 1/2 cup store-bought or homemade tzatziki sauce
1/4 to 1/3 cup crumbled feta cheese
8 slices ripe tomato
4 slices red or white onion
Place green onions, garlic, tomato paste, zest, cumin, coriander, salt, cinnamon, paprika, black pepper, cayenne and egg in medium bowl and mix well. Add the lamb, breadcrumbs and mint, and gently mix to combine.
With your hands lightly dampened with cold water, shape meat into four, 3/4-inch thick patties. Now make a deep dimple in the centre of one side of each patty.
Preheat your barbecue or indoor grill to medium, medium-high. Lightly oil the bars of your grill. Set on the patties and cook four to five minutes per side, or until entirely cooked through and the centre of each patty reaches 160 F on a meat thermometer.
Generously spread the bottom half of the hamburger buns with tzatziki. Now sprinkle that tzatziki with crumbled feta. Top the bottom buns with lettuce and a kofta patty. Divide and top those patties with tomato and onion slices and a bit more of the tzatziki. Set on top buns and serve.
Quinoa Tabbouleh with Chickpeas
Quinoa replaces the bulgur often used to make this bright tasting, parsley-rich Middle Eastern-style salad. The nutritious chickpeas in it add another taste element.
Preparation time: 25 minutes
Cooking time: 15 minutes
Makes: eight servings
1 cup quinoa
1 3/4 cups cold water
1 (19 oz/540 mL) can chickpeas, rinsed and drained well
1/3 cup olive oil
2 tsp finely grated lemon zest
3 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 cup chopped fresh parsley
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh mint or oregano
12 to 16 cherry tomatoes, each quartered
1 1/4 cups English cucumber, cut in small cubes
2 large garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp paprika
1/8 tsp ground cayenne pepper
• salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Place quinoa and water in a medium pot and bring to a boil over high heat. Cover pot and reduce the heat to medium-low. Cook quinoa, undisturbed, for 15 minutes, or until it’s just tender and the water has been absorbed.
Spoon quinoa into a large bowl and cool to room temperature. Add the remaining ingredients and mix to combine. Cover and refrigerate salad until needed. It can be made several hours ahead; toss again gently just before serving.
Eric Akis is the author of eight cookbooks. His columns appear in the Life section Wednesday and Sunday.
