Summer is Coming...Summer is Coming....

...and with it comes the most amazing weather for picnics and grilling and family gatherings.

But can you believe that when I ask my family what they want the most at picnics they choose burgers? They choose burgers because they know that I never make them the same way twice and always incorporate fresh ingredients into the mix that makes them moist and delicious.

Yesterdays burgers were just like that, big and thick with juices dripping. I had hoped to take a picture and post it, but sadly (or not), before I could get the camera out of the case they had been devoured.

This week's Burger Recipe

3 lbs. ground beef or ground turkey (we did both this week)
2 eggs, beaten
3/4 cup Italian bread crumbs
1 large red pepper, diced
1 large onion or 2 small onions, diced
3 cloves garlic, diced
salt/pepper/red pepper flakes to taste
4-5 tblsps. olive oil

Heat a heavy bottomed skillet on high heat. Drizzle oil over bottom of pan. Saute peppers, onions and garlic in hot oil. Sprinkle with salt and stir gently until onions are translucent and peppers begin to soften. (I do all of this on high heat usually, but not everyone likes to cook that way, so turn the heat down if it makes you more comfortable.) Sprinkle with black pepper and red pepper flakes to taste. Stir in seasonings and then remove from the heat to cool.

In a large bowl break up your ground beef or turkey. Sprinkle with more salt, black pepper and red pepper to taste. Add sauteed vegetables, eggs and bread crumbs. Mix all the ingredients until well combined. Do not manhandle it or you will end up with a very tough mixture.

Using your ice cream scoop, scoop up equal size balls of mixture. Flatten out to make your burger. Chill burgers in the refrigerator while you heat your grill. Then place the burgers on the grill and cook slowly to the desired internal temperature. We usually cook them to between 150 - 180 degrees depending on who we are cooking for.

We then serve them on simple buns with cheese, lettuce, tomato, sliced onion rings, ketchup, mustard and sometimes mayonnaise.

Variations I've tried:
Sauteed onions, peppers and garlic
Sauteed onions and mushrooms. Plus about a cup of parmesan cheese in the mixture.
Sauteed onions. Parmesan cheese in the mixture. Topped with Mozzarella cheese, a basil leaf and roasted red peppers.


Next week I want to try the onions, peppers, mushrooms, garlic and diced zucchini and then topping it with mozzarella cheese and basil pesto or maybe some sun-dried tomatoes with all the veg or maybe some diced sauteed pancetta or bacon and a really nice cheddar cheese....ugh...there are no limitations as to what they can be. I think this is going to be a very burgerful summer. Come back to find out what combination we do next.

hugs,
dina