Turkey & Zucchini Burgers

 
Turkey & Zucchini Burgers with Green Onion and Cumin

My friend Mary Claire (MC) has traveled more than any other person I know. She has lived in the middle east, India, Southeast Asia, and even New York City for extended periods of time. She attended St. Andrews University in Scotland for a year, and then transferred to NYU for the rest of college. When we were in the fourth grade, her theme for her birthday party was to dress up as what you wanted to be when you grew up- she dressed up as the President of the United States and I dressed up as her Vice President (I forgot to dress up as an inventor, and I was wearing a DC sweatshirt, so this worked out well for me). 

I am still convinced that she is part of some secret spy organization, but she denies this. I am still skeptical. I try to see her as much as possible, because she makes me laugh and she is one of the brightest people I have ever met. She came to my mom's house in Oakland for dinner last night, and we got to cook together. She selected each menu item from an amazing cookbook called Jerusalem: A Cookbook, written by Yotam Ottolenghi. Of course, MC is inspired by the Isreali diet, because of course she lived in Tel Aviv recently. (She just got back from a trip to Uganda  and Ethiopia for two months). 

I am a strong believer in travel, and I think that everyone needs to travel outside of their home country. Get out of your comfort zone. Try something new. MC is my star player in travel, and I hope that some day I can be as well traveled as she is. 

The next few blog posts will all be from our Jerusalem dinner. We enjoyed a nice Sicilian wine, shared coincidence stories (because we recently listened to the hilarious "This American Life" episode on coincidences), and stuffed ourselves with yogurt infused dishes. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

1 lb turkey

1 zucchini, grated (cheese grater is perfect)

3 green onions, thinly sliced

1 large free range egg

2 tablespoons chopped mint

2 tablespoons chopped cilantro

4 cloves garlic, crushed

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Abour 6 1/2 tablespoons sunflower oil 

Yogurt Sauce:

1 cup non fat greek yogurt

1 teaspoon grated lemon zest

1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 small garlic clove, crushed

1 1/2 tablespoon olive oil

1 tablespoon sumac

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions: 

1. First, make the yogurt sauce by placing all the ingredients in a small bowl. Stir well and set aside or chill until needed.

2. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. In a large bowl, combine all the ingredeints for the meatballs except the sunflower oil. Mix with your hands and then shape into about 18 burgers, each weighing about 1 1/2 ounces.

3. Pour enough sunflower oil into a large frying pan to form a layer about 1/2 inch thick on the pan bottom. Heat over medium heat until hot, then sear the meatballs in batches on all sides. Cook each batch for about 4 minutes, adding oil as needed, until golden brown.

4. Carefully transfer the seared meatballs to a baking sheet lined with waxed paper and place in the oven for 5-7 minutes, or until just cooked through. Serve warm or at room temperature, with the sauce spooned over or on the side.