Rethinking the Burger

I know not everybody is into meat eating right now and that red meat has a very bad reputation with a lot of people.

However, for some of us, particularly us Type O blood-types, red meat is highly beneficial to our overall health and wellness. Red meat is high in protein and iron, which gives us long lasting energy.

But there are options other than ‘where’s the beef?’ you know! One of my favorite meats is lamb. Lamb is easier to digest than beef. Lamb is also less likely to be genetically and chemically altered, so that’s nice.

Here’s a way I serve lamb in the summer time; my lamb burger recipe. And for those of you who don’t eat meat you can take the rest of the recipe and serve with a nice veggie burger of your choice. Or simply pop the Caramelized Onions, Goat Cheese and Fresh Mango Chutney on a barbecued yummy juicy Portabello mushroom. Yummmmmmm…

Jacqueline’s Favorite Lamb Burgers

Lamb burger recipe with Caramelized Onions, Goat Cheese and Fresh Mango Chutney

• 1 1/2lbs lean ground lamb
  • 6 cloves garlic
  • Handful parsley
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • 1 egg (optional)
  • Olive oil
  • Goat cheese
  • 2 sweet onions
  • Mango chutney

Place the lamb in a big bowl. Chop the garlic and the parsley. (Or cheat with the garlic and buy the ready chopped in a jar ~ I always have some in my fridge for lazy days.)

And while busy with the knife, peel, slice or chop up the onions for the Caramelized Onions. (Depending on my mood I use my mandolin and have lovely thin rounds of juicy Walla Walla onions, or I might roughly chop up a nice Bermuda.)

Back to the lamb: Add the garlic and parsley to the lamb with some salt and pepper. I like to use a Mediterranean sea salt and use about 1 to 2 teaspoons, and then great shwacks of fresh grindey black pepper. (If you wish to add egg for binding, do so now.)

Here’s where the cookbooks would say “gently combine”. Get in with your hands and mix it up. Then shape into six patties.

Use a nice olive oil and a brush to lightly oil the barbecue.

Cook each side around 4 to 6 minutes, or until a meat thermometer reaches at least 160 degrees Fahrenheit.

Turn them once, and don’t squish them. You want them to remain juicy.

Caramelized Onions

While the burgers are cooking, in a skillet heat some more olive oil (or butter if you prefer) and when hot add the onions. Cook the onions until they become softened and turn golden brown. The naturally occurring sugars cause the onions to really sweeten up, hence caramelizing.

If you are opening a bottle of red wine to go with your burgers, I suggest adding a nice big splosh to the onions now. The alcohol burns off, and they get even yummier!

Use your favourite bun to serve them. Lightly toast the buns on the bbq.

I personally like to serve them as follows:

Put some chutney on the bottom on a nice ciabatta bun. Then pop the burger on top of the chutney. Add goat cheese and top off with the caramelized onions. Bun on top and it’s ready to serve!

For the gluten intolerant, like me, I recommend Udi’s Hamburger buns. But I often just have my Lamb Burger, hold the bun…so put the chutney on top of the burger and then add the other toppings.

I usually buy the mango chutney as the only time I made chutney I found out there was a wasp nest in the kitchen roof. Apparently, wasps are rather attracted to chutney cooking! However here’s a recipe for the purists:

Mango Chutney

• 2 large, ripe mangoes
• ½ onion
• ¼ cup vinegar
• ¼ cup brown sugar
• Fresh ginger
• Lime
• ¼ teaspoon curry powder

Peel and chop the mangoes into small dice. Peel and finely chop the onion. Place in a pan. Grate the lime skin over the onions so that you get the zest from a small lime. Grate about 1 teaspoon of ginger and add. Then add the vinegar, (any vinegar is fine for chutney making, but apple cider is most nutritious) brown sugar, and curry powder.

Bring the whole conconction to a boil, (check for wasps swarming and if all clear, carry on) reduce heat and simmer for about 20 minutes. Uncover and simmer quite high to get rid of any excess moisture. Keep stirring and don’t let it burn.

This keeps for 2 weeks in the fridge. Use up the rest by serving with a nice curry.

And if there are any veg-heads still reading, just go ahead and grill yourself a yummy delicious Portabello mushroom and serve the onions, chutney and some goat-cheese alternate with it. Still a fabulous choice!

Let me know what you think. And…I’m outta here, gotta go get in the kitchen and start on my lamb burger recipe. Yummy! Doing a little happy dancing …..