Recipes for Shabbat

Burgers

By Eileen Goltz

For me summer is all about grilling and grilling means HAMBURGERS. Chopped or minced beef is certainly not a new innovation. (You might think so the way some of us go on and on about how perfect our hamburgers are) Although the term hamburger is truly derived from the city in Germany, the original Hamburg steak was a piece of meat which was pounded until tender, not chopped or ground. The burger on a bun is claimed to be the concoction of Charles and Frank Menches. It seems these two vendors ran out of sandwich meat at the Erie County Fair in 1885 and switched to beef. Today the term burger has stretched to include ground poultry, ground fish as well as some wonderful meat free vegetable concoctions.

At the heart of every hamburger is the patty. When using ground beef to make hamburger patties you need to remember when you grill a burger a lot of the fat will drain off so starting out with meat that is too lean can and will lead to a dry burger. The less fat the more the burger will shrink while cooking leaving you a pretty small patty.

You also want to get a coarse grind. Finely ground meat can become soft and mushy, making the patties hard to work with and more likely to fall apart on the grill. This is also the reason you want to be careful about what you put in the patty. Large pieces of onion, whole cloves of garlic or other smooth things can make the patty unstable. Finely chop any vegetables and mince the garlic cloves. Meat like ground lamb or ground turkey can be difficult to work with because they can get so soft. The best way to deal with this is to add dry breadcrumbs, cracker crumbs or oatmeal to the meat. It will soak up the excess water and make the patties easier to work with. This is also a good trick if you like to added things like steak sauce or applesauce to the meat.

Once you have your patties ready (making sure that they are not too thick because the middle won't cook evenly if they are uniform in shape) for the grill you need to know a few things about grilling the burger. Start with a very hot grill, as hot as you can get it. Have everything ready to grill and quickly lift the lid and gently place the patties on the grill. When the raw meat hits the hot cooking grate it will stick. If you try to turn it too early the burger will fall apart. The secret is to flip the burger the second it releases.

As the bottom of the patty cooks the grease will create a non-stick surface on the patty and the heat from the grate will char the meat, separating it from the grate. At this point you want to lift the lid again and flip the patties, preferably to an unused part of the cooking grate. When the burgers have released again, flip them again and turn down the heat. It should only take about 1 minute per side to release from the grate. When you have flipped for the second time continue grilling for about 2-3 minutes. At this point there should be no pink left. Flip a third time and continue until done. This should be only about 2-3 more minutes. Remove when done and let sit for a minute or two before you serve.

While most Americans are said to consume, on average, three plain hamburgers a week per person we enterprising cooks who have reinvented the hamburger recipe wheel know that there are far better ways to prepare a hamburger than just slapping it on a grill and cooking. The following recipes are all guaranteed to have you grilling everyday this week.

STUFFED BURGER STACKS (meat)
The surprise in the middle of these burgers is a taste treat not to be missed.

In a large bowl combine the onion, relish, soy sauce, and eggs. Add any of the optional ingredients you wish to use. Be sure to get the eggs mixed in completely. Pat the meat out into 16 thin patties. Spoon the pre-made filling mixture upon the top of eight of the patties. Place another patty on top. Press firmly to join them together to form a stack of 2 patties. Wipe up any of the mixture that runs out of the patty stack and spread over the top of the patty stack. These stacks can be grilled or broil in your oven. Great served on a crunchy Kaiser roll. Serves 8.

ORIENTAL HAMBURGERS (meat)

In a 9X13 glass dish combine the soy sauce, garlic, ginger, water, steak sauce and sugar. Mix well and reserve about 1/3 of the sauce. Make 8 beef patties with the ground meat and marinate them in the sauce (flipping them so that the top of the patties get a chance to marinate) for 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Lift patties out of the marinade, drain slightly and grill. Baste with the remaining sauce several times while cooking. Dip rolls in reserve marinade and serve hamburgers with thin slices of tomato and green pepper. Serves 8

JAMAICAN BURGERS WITH ORANGE-CHIPOTLE MAYONNAISE (meat)

For orange-chipotle mayonnaise:
Mix all ingredients in small bowl. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

For sauce:
Finely chop first 4 ingredients in processor. Add sugar and next 3 ingredients; process until almost smooth. Season with salt and pepper. Prepare barbecue (medium-high heat). Set aside 3/4 cup sauce. Shape ground beef into six 1/2- to 3/4-inch-thick patties; place in 13x9x2-inch glass baking dish. Pour 1/2 cup sauce over patties and turn to coat; let stand 20 minutes. Sprinkle patties with salt and pepper. Grill to desired doneness, brushing occasionally with remaining sauce, about 4 minutes per side for medium. Spread mayonnaise over cut surfaces of buns. Place burgers on bottom halves of buns. Top with onion slices, tomato slices, lettuce, and bun tops. Serve, passing reserved 3/4 cup sauce separately. Makes 6 servings.

* Chipotle chilies canned in a spicy tomato sauce, sometimes called adobo, are available at Latin American markets, specialty foods stores, and some supermarkets.

-Gourmet Magazine-

ASIAN STYLE TURKEY BURGERS WITH PICKLED CUCUMBERS (meat)
This recipe can be prepared in 45 minutes or less but tastes like you took all day.

Make pickled cucumbers:
In a bowl stir together vinegar and sugar until sugar is dissolved. If using ginger, chop. Slice enough cucumber crosswise into 1/8-inch-thick slices to measure 1 1/2 cups and add to vinegar with ginger, tossing well. Marinate mixture at least 30 minutes and up to 4 hours.

Prepare grill. Mince garlic. Into a blender tear bread slices and grind into fine crumbs. In a bowl with your hands mix garlic with bread crumbs and remaining burger ingredients until just combined (do not overmix) and form into four 1-inch-thick patties. Season burgers with salt and pepper and grill on a lightly oiled rack set 5 to 6 inches over glowing coals about 5 minutes on each side, or until just cooked through. Transfer burgers to buns and top with drained cucumbers. Serves 4.

SPICED BLACK BEAN BURGERS (pareve)
Pass bowls of sour cream and shredded lettuce and chopped tomatoes to accompany these Southwest-style meatless bean burgers.

Using fork, mash beans in medium bowl. Mix in onion, breadcrumbs, 2 tablespoons salsa, cumin and hot pepper sauce. Season with salt and pepper. Using moistened hands, shape bean mixture into two 3- to 4-inch-diameter patties. Prepare barbecue (medium-high heat) or preheat broiler. Brush barbecue rack with oil. Grill burgers until heated through, about 3 minutes per side. Grill cut sides of buns until lightly toasted, about 1 minute. Transfer burgers to bottom halves of buns. Spoon 1/4 cup salsa over each. Cover with tops of buns. Serves 2. This recipe can be doubled or tripled.

Eileen Goltz, a professional chef and caterer, is the author of the new cookbook, Perfectly Pareve.