Turkey and Zucchini Burgers

These turkey and zucchini burgers are healthier than what we are used to in a burger:

• Turkey is a meat with very little fat,
• We add zucchini to the mix, so we can say that we eat vegetables, ahem, and
• We serve them without bread, in a lighter way, although you are very free to put them inside a bun. You are very addicted to it.

The recipe is from the famous chef Ottolenghi and follows his line of simple combinations with wonderful spices, in this case with cumin and cayenne, two spices that make a phenomenal combo.

We accompany the burgers with a very simple sauce of yogurt, garlic and lemon that gives them the master touch. Here we go.

Emile Henry ceramic ramekins , Mediterranean glass vessels and Mineral B De Buyer cast iron skillet

Ingredients

Burgers:

• 500gr of turkey meat
• 200gr of zucchini
• 40gr onion
• 1 yolk
• A few basil leaves
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• ½ tsp coarsely ground black pepper
• ½ tsp. ground cayenne or hot paprika
• Breadcrumbs to taste
• Salt to taste
• Olive oil for frying

Yogurt sauce:

• 150gr thick Greek yogurt
• 1 tsp lemon zest
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 small clove of garlic
• A pinch of salt

Elaboration

Burgers

1. We mince the turkey meat with a knife (it is not difficult, since it is a very soft meat) or we put it through a manual meat grinder , although we must take into account that the texture obtained in one way or another is completely different, finer in the case of the mincer and coarser in the case of knife cutting.
2. We put the meat in a bowl .
3. We cut the zucchini into very small pieces, which we can do using various methods: slicing into slices with a good food processor like the Magimix and then cutting the slices into sticks, or using a spiralizer and cutting the spirals into smaller pieces.
4. We add the zucchini to the bowl with the meat.
5. We chop the onion finely and add it to the bowl as well.
6. Next, add the rest of the ingredients: the yolk, the basil, chopped a little, the cumin, the pepper, the cayenne or paprika, and the garlic crushed with a little salt. Mix well.
7. If the mixture is not very firm, which depends on the meat and juiciness of the zucchini, we will add breadcrumbs until the firmness allows us to shape hamburgers.
8. We weigh out portions of the mixture of about 45-50g and shape them, for example, using a mini-hamburger press . We place them on an oiled tray.

Yogurt sauce

1. We crush the garlic well with a good pinch of salt and add it to a bowl with the Greek yogurt.
2. We grate the lemon peel with a grater and add it, along with a tablespoon of the juice.
3. We mix it, put it in a serving bowl and set it aside.

Finish

1. We heat a griddle or iron pan to give the burgers a good blast of heat, we paint the surface with some olive oil and brown the burgers in batches, over high heat on both sides, lightly salting them when removing them from the heat.
2. It is best to add salt at the end so that neither the meat nor the zucchini release liquid.
3. We serve them warm with the sauce so that everyone can serve themselves to their liking.

Emile Henry ceramic ramekins , Mediterranean crystal glasses and De Buyer Mineral B cast iron skillet

I don't know if my word is worth much, but I assure you that these turkey and zucchini burgers can be eaten by the handful, because they are delicious with that addictive spice. At home we ate three of them in one sitting. My word.